With the iPad mini now available in stores Geekbench results for it are appearing in the Geekbench Browser. How does the new iPad mini perform compared to the other iPads? I've collected Geekbench benchmark results from the Geekbench Browser for the five different iPad models to answer that question.
If you're not familiar with Geekbench, higher scores are better. If you're curious to see how your iPad performs you can download Geekbench for iOS from the iTunes App Store.
iPad Performance
| iPad (4th generation) Apple A6X 1.4 GHz (2 cores) |
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| iPad (3rd generation) Apple A5X 1.0 GHz (2 cores) |
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| iPad 2 Apple A5 1.0 GHz (2 cores) |
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| iPad mini Apple A5 1.0 GHz (2 cores) |
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| iPad Apple A4 1.0 GHz (1 core) |
Since the iPad mini uses the same processor core that's found in both the iPad 2 and the iPad (3rd generation) (while the Apple A5 and the Apple A5X have different graphics cores both use the same processor core) it's no surprise the Geekbench scores of all three are roughly the same.
When it comes to the iPad (4th generation) the situation changes. The iPad mini is, in some ways, half of an iPad (4th generation). It has half the processor performance and half the display resolution. However, the iPad mini is also half the weight of the iPad (4th generation).
If you're thinking of buying a new iPad the question of which iPad you choose will largely depend on whether you want a small iPad or a powerful iPad.