On the morning Apple unveiled a fifth-generation iPad mini and a revived iPad Air, both built around the A12 Bionic chip that had already powered its 2018 iPhones, the company offered a clear promise of what its tablets would be. Within hours, an anonymous benchmark surfaced, offering a first measured glimpse of that promise, though not yet a settled answer. The tablets will reach customers at the end of March, and until more evidence arrives, the question of which device the early numbers describe remains open, as such questions often do at the threshold of a new release.
New iPad Benchmark Shows A12 Bionic, 3GB RAM, and iPhone-Matching Clock Speed
One benchmark, one unnamed iPad, and a chip that matches the iPhone's speed
Mark
So what actually surfaced today beyond the announcement itself?
Mimi
A Geekbench result for a device called iPad 11,2. It shows 2.49GHz, 3GB of RAM, and scores that sit right alongside iPhone results.
Mark
Why does the clock speed matter?
Mimi
It's identical to the iPhone's. The A12 Bionic in these tablets isn't running slower than the one in the phones.
Luke
Before we get carried away, which tablet was tested? The listing doesn't say.
Mimi
Right. It could be the iPad mini 5 or the 10.5-inch iPad Air. Nobody knows yet.
Luke
So when MacRumors says both probably share the same specs, that's an inference.
Mimi
Yes, based on how similar the two machines look on paper. They say outright that more scores are needed.
Mark
How does the 3GB of RAM compare?
Mimi
One gigabyte more than the 9.7-inch iPad, one less than the iPad Pro. It's the same as the iPhone XR; the XS and XS Max have 4GB.
Luke
And the slightly higher scores than iPhones?
Mimi
MacRumors floats iOS 12.2 as the reason. That's speculation, and one run can't settle it.
Mark
What's the practical timeline?
Mimi
Orders open today, devices arrive at the end of March. The iPad mini starts at $399, the iPad Air at $499.
O Pulso
- A single anonymous benchmark appeared within hours of Apple's announcement, and it refers to a device that nobody can yet name.
- The listing matches iPhone-class performance, with 2.49GHz speed and 3GB of RAM, sparking questions about whether the iPad mini 5 or iPad Air is being tested.
- MacRumors reads the scores as slightly above iPhone results and guesses iOS 12.2 as the reason, though the benchmark itself proves nothing about cause.
- Both tablets are open for pre-order at $399 and $499, but the memory and speed of each model remain unconfirmed until more units are tested.
- Devices are set to reach customers at the end of March, and further benchmarks are the only way to settle which model carries which specifications.
On the morning Apple unveiled a fifth-generation iPad mini and a revived iPad Air, both built around the A12 Bionic chip that had already powered its 2018 iPhones, the company offered a clear promise of what its tablets would be. Within hours, an anonymous benchmark surfaced, offering a first measured glimpse of that promise, though not yet a settled answer. The tablets will reach customers at the end of March, and until more evidence arrives, the question of which device the early numbers describe remains open, as such questions often do at the threshold of a new release.
Within hours of Apple announcing two new tablets on March 18, 2019, a Geekbench result appeared online for a device labeled iPad 11,2. It was the first measured look at what the new hardware could do, and it hinted that these tablets were not running a diminished version of the iPhone's chip.
The two devices are the fifth-generation iPad mini and a revived iPad Air, both powered by the A12 Bionic processor that debuted in the 2018 iPhones. Both can be ordered now and are scheduled to ship at the end of March.
The benchmark reported a 2.49GHz clock speed, matching the iPhone, and 3GB of RAM, placing it between the 9.7-inch iPad and the iPad Pro, and level with the iPhone XR. Its scores were 4806 single-core and 11607 multi-core, which MacRumors called in line with iPhones but slightly higher, perhaps due to iOS 12.2, though that explanation is speculation.
The listing never names the tablet tested. It could be the iPad mini 5 or the 10.5-inch iPad Air, and because their specifications look so alike, they may share the same speed and memory. Only more results will show that.
The features are settled: the iPad Air costs $499 for 64GB with a 10.5-inch display, Touch ID, a headphone jack and Pencil support, while the iPad mini starts at $399 with a 7.9-inch screen, an 8-megapixel camera and the same core features. What remains unsettled is whether each model truly shares the same memory and speed, a question the coming weeks of benchmarking should answer.
Within hours of Apple announcing two new tablets on the morning of March 18, 2019, a Geekbench result for one of them turned up online. The listing was for a device identified as iPad 11,2, and it offered the first measured look at what the company's new hardware can do.
The tablets in question are the fifth-generation iPad mini and a revived iPad Air. Both carry the A12 Bionic processor, the chip Apple first put into its 2018 iPhones. Both are available to order from Apple now, and both are due to reach customers at the end of March.
The benchmark confirmed a clock speed of 2.49GHz, the same figure as the iPhone's. It also showed 3GB of RAM. That puts the tablet one gigabyte above the 9.7-inch iPad and one gigabyte below the iPad Pro. It matches the iPhone XR, while the iPhone XS and XS Max have 4GB.
The scores were 4806 on the single-core test and 11607 on the multi-core test. MacRumors described these as right in line with results from iPhones, though slightly higher. The site suggested iOS 12.2 improvements as a possible reason, which is a guess rather than something the benchmark establishes.
The listing does not say which tablet was tested. At this point nobody knows whether iPad 11,2 is the iPad mini 5 or the 10.5-inch iPad Air. Because the two machines appear to have such similar specifications, MacRumors suspects they share the same clock speed and RAM. Confirming that will take more Geekbench results from other units.
The prices and features are clearer. The iPad Air has a 10.5-inch Retina display, Touch ID, a headphone jack and Apple Pencil support, and starts at $499 for 64GB of storage. The iPad mini has a 7.9-inch Retina display, Apple Pencil support, Touch ID, an 8-megapixel rear camera and a headphone jack. It starts at $399, also for 64GB.
For now, the single result suggests that these tablets are not running a slowed-down version of the iPhone chip. What remains unsettled is whether both models have the same memory and speed, and further benchmarks should answer that as the devices begin shipping at the end of March.
Citações Notáveis
We don't know if iPad 11,2 is an iPad mini 5 or a 10.5-inch iPad Air, but we suspect both use the same clock speed and RAM.— MacRumors
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