Apple recently acknowledged an error in its reporting of the number of GPU cores in the new iPad Air M2 but maintained that the device’s performance claims were accurate.
Earlier, Apple had claimed that the iPad Air 11 (2024) and iPad Air 13 (2024) featuring the M2 chip were significantly faster than their predecessors with the M1 chip. Specifically, the Apple website stated, “The Apple-designed M2 has a 15% faster CPU, 25% faster graphics, and 50% more memory bandwidth than the previous generation.”
Despite the misreported GPU cores, the 25% increase in graphics performance advertised by the company remains valid. The iPad Air (2022) was only available in one screen size and featured an Apple M1 chip with an 8-core GPU. When the M2 was initially announced, estimates suggested that its 10-core GPU variant offered 35% faster graphics performance than its predecessor. This 10-core GPU version is used in MacBook, Mac Mini, Vision Pro, and iPad Pro models released in 2022, along with versions equipped with weaker 8-core GPUs.
Upon discovering the error, Apple updated the original press release to reflect the accurate number of cores on the iPad Air M2. An Apple spokesperson also added, “When combined with faster memory bandwidth, the new iPad Air is nearly 50% faster than the iPad Air M1 for many productivity and creative tasks. Compared to the iPad Air with A14 Bionic, the new iPad Air delivers 3X faster performance.”
