iPad Air Benchmarks Reveal 1.4 GHz A7 Processor, 2x Performance Gain Over iPad 4 - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iPad Air Benchmarks Reveal 1.4 GHz A7 Processor, 2x Performance Gain Over iPad 4

John Poole of Primate Labs has revealed Geekbench 3 benchmarks for the new iPad Air, revealing that the device's 64-bit A7 chip is running at 1.4 GHz, scoring a 1465 on the single-core test and a 2643 on the multi-core test.
ipadair_benchmark1
True to Apple's claims, the iPad Air benchmarks about twice as fast as the 4th generation iPad, with the A7 processor found in the new iPad coming in at 100MHz faster than the 1.3 GHz A7 chip found on the iPhone 5s. Poole claims that this is likely due to a number of factors such as a larger battery in the iPad Air that provides more power and a larger chassis that provides better cooling. Poole also notes that he expects the upcoming iPad mini with Retina Display to use the same A7 chip running at 1.4 GHz.

ipadair_benchmark2
The iPad Air will be available beginning on Friday, November 1, with initial online orders beginning at 12:01 AM Pacific Time in the United States and at varying times in other countries. Apple retail locations will open at 8 AM local time on Friday to begin in-store sales.

Related Roundup: iPad
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 Adds Two New Features to CarPlay

Tuesday March 24, 2026 1:55 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 was released today, and it includes a couple of new features for CarPlay: an Ambient Music widget and support for voice-based chatbot apps. To update your iPhone 11 or newer to iOS 26.4, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update. CarPlay will automatically offer the new features so long as the iPhone connected to your vehicle is running iOS 26.4 or later....
Apple Business hero

Apple Unveils 'Apple Business' All-in-One Platform

Tuesday March 24, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple today announced Apple Business, a new all-in-one platform that unifies device management, productivity tools, and customer outreach features. The service is designed to be a consolidated replacement for several of Apple's existing business-focused offerings, including Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, and Apple Business Connect. It provides organizations with a single...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:31 pm PDT by
Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods 4. The firmware has a version number of 8B39, up from 8B34 on the AirPods Pro 3, 8B28 on the AirPods Pro 2, and 8B21 on the AirPods 4. There is no word on what's included in the firmware, but Apple has a support document with limited notes. Most updates are limited to bug fixes and performance...

Top Rated Comments

162 months ago
So, in the span of just 19 Months the iPad performance jumped 561% from 263 to 1465?

That is just insane. And people complain about Apple not innovating.

EDIT: If you extrapolate that in the future, we would have an iPad in May 2015 that has a geekbench single-Processor score of 8218,65. I know, it doesn't work that way. But think about it ...
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
162 months ago
To my knowledge no one really complained about the speed of the last generation, so a performance boost of this magnitude while making it so much lighter and thinner is a good thing. Props to Apple.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
162 months ago
calm down. it's just a mistake in the title.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AppleMark Avatar
162 months ago
I have never thought for a moment that my iPad 3 or mini was slow, so I am interested to know how these results work in real world application.

Meaning that the speed of my web browser is often determined by the speed of my ISP, so how useful is this speed in reality?

Everything else is just App's opening and closing in simple terms (which is pretty fast anyway) and then App's running as they are designed to run, regardless of processor speeds.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Klae17 Avatar
162 months ago
I'm not happy at how fast these expensive devices become outdated. :o

Wait until you buy a car. Money down the drain!
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
162 months ago
As a picture frame or a fancy wall-mounted watch.

Pages for iOS requires iOS 7. iOS 7 requires an iPad 2.

Whoa whoa whoa. I'm still using an iPad 1. What wrong with that? Surfing still works just fine. In fact many apps are fine too. Is it fast, no. Does it work, yes.

I would like to upgrade but I can afford to, now if you want to send me one, PM me and we can get it set up! Lol
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)