Apple confirms iPad Air is missing a GPU core

In a surprising twist, a month after its release, Apple changed the GPU configuration of the new iPad Air. As 9to5Mac reports, the iPad Air’s technical specifications now indicate that its M2 chip has a 9-core GPU, instead of the 10 cores announced when the product was released at the “Let Loose” event in may.

Updated 6/3/24 at 1:30 p.m. PT: Apple has confirmed that the iPad Air has a 9-core GPU and the previous statement of a 10-core GPU is incorrect.

Apple’s iPad Air press release and the iPad Air specifications page in the Apple.com support section (different from the product page specifications) had listed a 10-core GPU at time of writing this Monday morning. Both of these web pages have since been corrected. In the iPad Air section of the “Let Loose” event video, Apple doesn’t actually indicate the number of CPU and GPU cores in the M2.

Apple told 9to5Mac that all of its GPU performance claims are based on a 9-core GPU and that the company is working to correct its documentation on its website.

It’s unclear when the change was made to the iPad Air product page. The Internet Archive shows the 10-core GPU on the specs page recorded on May 21, but another snapshot wasn’t taken until June 1, showing the 9-core GPU.

Based on Apple’s correction, iPad Air reviews that have been released and include benchmarks show results from a 9-core GPU. A quick survey of five online reviews all discuss graphics performance but don’t specify the number of GPU cores in their tested iPad Air.

In its review of the iPad Air M2, Macworld’s German sister site Macwelt recorded a Geekbench Metal score of 41902. The 2023 M2 13-inch MacBook Air has two GPU scores we can compare: 46001 for the GPU at 10 hearts. M2 and 38953 for the 8-core M2 processor. The iPad Air’s score falls between the Air’s scores, so it seems likely that the Air always had a 9-core GPU and that Apple mistakenly released the 10-core GPU spec.

Using these scores, the difference between 9 and 10 core GPUs is 10%. It’s a small difference that users won’t notice on a daily basis. Even with graphically demanding applications (games for example), the difference will be difficult to see on an iPad.

The 9-core GPU is a change from previous iterations of the M2. The M2 used in the 2023 13-inch MacBook Air was available with an 8- or 10-core GPU, while the 2023 15-inch MacBook Air, 2023 13-inch MacBook Pro, and the current base model Mac mini have a 10-core GPU. base.

Get more information on Apple’s latest tablet in our iPad Air superguide.