M3 (iPad) vs M2 (iPad)
We compared two 8-core processors: Apple M3 (iPad) (with Apple M3 GPU graphics) and M2 (iPad) (Apple M2 GPU). Here you will find the pros and cons of each chip, technical specs, and comprehensive tests in benchmarks, like AnTuTu and Geekbench.
Review
CPU Performance
Single and multi-core processor tests
Gaming Performance
GPU performance in games and OpenCL/Vulkan
Battery life
Efficiency of battery consumption
NanoReview Score
Overall chip score
Key Differences
Pros of Apple M3 (iPad)
- Has a smaller size transistor (3 versus 5 nm)
- 16% higher CPU clock speed (4050 vs 3490 MHz)
- Shows better (up to 10%) AnTuTu 11 score β 2777K vs 2536K
- Better instruction set architecture
Benchmarks
Performance tests in popular benchmarksAnTuTu 11
| CPU | 782907 | 841074 |
| GPU | 1029236 | 801119 |
| Memory | 305749 | 371059 |
| UX | 659395 | 523068 |
| Total score | 2777287 | 2536320 |
| Samples | [8 tests] | Less than 3 |
GeekBench 6
Single-Core Score
Multi-Core Score
| Asset compression | 458.1 MB/sec | 386.1 MB/sec |
| HTML 5 Browser | 270.6 pages/sec | 238.6 pages/sec |
| PDF Renderer | 299.9 Mpixels/sec | 269.5 Mpixels/sec |
| Image detection | 287.2 images/sec | 236.7 images/sec |
| HDR | 422.1 Mpixels/sec | 334.9 Mpixels/sec |
| Background blur | 48.2 images/sec | 42 images/sec |
| Photo processing | 116.1 images/sec | 106.5 images/sec |
| Ray tracing | 13.4 Mpixels/sec | 10.4 Mpixels/sec |
| Samples | 4 tests | 4 tests |
Compute Score (GPU)
| Background blur | 86.1 images/sec | 74.8 images/sec |
| Face detection | 108.3 images/sec | 93.3 images/sec |
| Horizon detection | 1.43 Gpixels/sec | 1.36 Gpixels/sec |
| Edge detection | 1.93 Gpixels/sec | 1.92 Gpixels/sec |
| Gaussian blur | 2.41 Gpixels/sec | 2.31 Gpixels/sec |
| Feature matching | 0.62 Gpixels/sec | 0.53 Gpixels/sec |
| Stereo matching | 128.9 Gpixels/sec | 129.5 Gpixels/sec |
| Particle physics | 4690 FPS | 5024.6 FPS |
| API | Metal | Metal |
| Samples | 3 tests | 3 tests |
3DMark
3DMark Steel Nomad Light
| Score | 2695 | 2474 |
| Stability | 70% | 67% |
| Graphics test | 20 FPS | 18 FPS |
3DMark Solar Bay
| Score | 10356 | 8572 |
| Stability | - | 71% |
| Graphics test | 39 FPS | 33 FPS |
| Section 1 | 52 FPS | 41 FPS |
| Section 2 | 38 FPS | 33 FPS |
| Section 3 | 28 FPS | 23 FPS |
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
| Score | - | 6808 |
| Stability | - | 71% |
| Graphics test | - | 40 FPS |
Recent User Tests
Apple M3 (iPad)
| Date | Benchmark | Result |
|---|---|---|
| π 2026-04-17 (Jacob) | AnTuTu 11 | 2015536 |
| π 2026-04-12 (Kaimen) | AnTuTu 11 | 2811760 |
| π 2026-04-08 (Bearry) | AnTuTu 11 | 2838721 |
| π 2026-03-22 (Noora) | AnTuTu 11 | 2779459 |
| π 2026-03-21 (Noora) | AnTuTu 11 | 2708158 |
Apple M2 (iPad)
No benchmark results yet
Specifications
Full list of technical specifications of M3 (iPad) and M2 (iPad)CPU
| Architecture | 4x 4.05 GHz β 4x 2.75 GHz β |
4x 3.49 GHz β Avalanche 4x 2.42 GHz β Blizzard |
| Cores | 8 | 8 |
| Frequency | 4050 MHz | 3490 MHz |
| Instruction set | ARMv8.6-A | ARMv8.5-A |
| L1 cache | 256 KB | 192 KB |
| L2 cache | 16 MB | 16 MB |
| Process | 3 nanometers | 5 nanometers |
| Transistor count | 25 billion | 20 billion |
| TDP (Sustained Power Limit) | 20 W | 20 W |
| Manufacturing | TSMC | TSMC |
Graphics
| GPU name | Apple M3 GPU | Apple M2 GPU |
| Architecture | Apple GPU | Apple GPU |
| GPU frequency | 1380 MHz | 1398 MHz |
| Pipelines | 9 | 8 |
| Shading units | 128 | 128 |
| Total shaders | 1152 | 1024 |
| FLOPS | 3179.5 Gigaflops | 2863.1 Gigaflops |
AI Accelerator
| Neural processor (NPU) | Apple Neural Engine | Apple Neural Engine |
| NPU theoretical performance | 18 TOPS | 15.8 TOPS |
Memory
| Memory type | LPDDR5 | LPDDR5 |
| Memory frequency | 3200 MHz | 3200 MHz |
| Bus | 8x 16 Bit | 8x 16 Bit |
| Max bandwidth | 102.4 Gb/s | 102.4 Gb/s |
| Max size | 24 GB | 24 GB |
Multimedia (ISP)
| Storage type | NVMe | NVMe |
| Max display resolution | 2732 x 2048 | 2732 x 2048 |
| Max camera resolution | 1x 48MP | - |
| Video capture | 4K at 60FPS | 4K at 60FPS |
| Video playback | 4K at 60FPS | 4K at 60FPS |
| Video codecs | - H.264 - H.265 - AV1 - VP9 |
- H.264 - H.265 - VP9 |
| Audio codecs | - AAC - AIFF - CAF - MP3 - MP4 - WAV |
- AAC - AIFF - CAF - MP3 - MP4 - WAV |
Connectivity
| 4G support | - | LTE Cat. 24 |
| 5G support | Yes | Yes |
| Download speed | Up to 7500 Mbps | Up to 7500 Mbps |
| Upload speed | Up to 3500 Mbps | Up to 3000 Mbps |
| Wi-Fi | 6 | 6 |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.0 |
| Navigation | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS |
Info
| Announced | October 2023 | June 2022 |
| Class | Flagship | Flagship |
| Model number | - | APL1109 |
| Successor | - | - Apple M4 (iPad) |
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Total votes: 363
