Home > Smartphone processors comparison > M4 (iPad) vs M2 (iPad) – what's better?

M4 (iPad) vs M2 (iPad)

M4 (iPad)
VS
M2 (iPad)
M4 (iPad)
M2 (iPad)

We compared the 10-core Apple M4 (iPad) (custom) with the older 8-core M2 (iPad) (Apple M2 GPU) SoC. Here you will find the pros and cons of each chip, technical specs, and comprehensive tests in benchmarks, like AnTuTu and Geekbench.

  1. Review
  2. Differences
  3. Benchmarks
  4. AnTuTu v11
  5. GeekBench 6
  6. Specs
  7. Comments (5)

Review

General comparison of performance, power consumption, and other indicators
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

Main differences and advantages of each chip
Pros of Apple M4 (iPad)
  • Has a smaller size transistor (3 versus 5 nm)
  • Has 2 more cores
  • 26% higher CPU clock speed (4410 vs 3490 MHz)
  • Performs 31% better in floating-point computations
  • Supports 17% higher memory bandwidth (120 against 102.4 GB/s)
  • Shows better (up to 23%) AnTuTu 11 score – 3116K vs 2536K
  • Better instruction set architecture
  • Higher GPU frequency (~5%)

Benchmarks

Performance tests in popular benchmarks
SoC:
M4 (iPad)
vs
M2 (iPad)

AnTuTu 11

The AnTuTu Benchmark measures CPU, GPU, RAM, and I/O performance in different scenarios
M4 (iPad) +23%
3116013
M2 (iPad)
2536320
CPU 915032 841074
GPU 1135331 801119
Memory 349968 371059
UX 715682 523068
Total score 3116013 2536320
Samples [3 tests] Less than 3
Submit your AnTuTu result

GeekBench 6

The GeekBench test shows raw single-threaded and multithreaded CPU performance
Single-Core Score
M4 (iPad) +41%
3683
M2 (iPad)
2619
Multi-Core Score
M4 (iPad) +33%
13402
M2 (iPad)
10084
Asset compression 501.5 MB/sec 386.1 MB/sec
HTML 5 Browser 305.6 pages/sec 238.6 pages/sec
PDF Renderer 317.1 Mpixels/sec 269.5 Mpixels/sec
Image detection 416.7 images/sec 236.7 images/sec
HDR 461.1 Mpixels/sec 334.9 Mpixels/sec
Background blur 54.3 images/sec 42 images/sec
Photo processing 139.8 images/sec 106.5 images/sec
Ray tracing 14.9 Mpixels/sec 10.4 Mpixels/sec
Samples 7 tests 4 tests
Compute Score (GPU)
M4 (iPad) +23%
53792
M2 (iPad)
43561
Background blur 103 images/sec 74.8 images/sec
Face detection 124.8 images/sec 93.3 images/sec
Horizon detection 1.7 Gpixels/sec 1.36 Gpixels/sec
Edge detection 2.32 Gpixels/sec 1.92 Gpixels/sec
Gaussian blur 2.8 Gpixels/sec 2.31 Gpixels/sec
Feature matching 0.73 Gpixels/sec 0.53 Gpixels/sec
Stereo matching 164.7 Gpixels/sec 129.5 Gpixels/sec
Particle physics 4657.1 FPS 5024.6 FPS
API Metal Metal
Samples 6 tests 3 tests

3DMark

A cross-platform benchmark that assesses graphics performance in Vulkan (Metal)
3DMark Steel Nomad Light
M4 (iPad) +41%
3477
M2 (iPad)
2474
Score 3477 2474
Stability 71% 67%
Graphics test 26 FPS 18 FPS
3DMark Solar Bay
M4 (iPad) +67%
14286
M2 (iPad)
8572
Score 14286 8572
Stability - 71%
Graphics test 54 FPS 33 FPS
Section 1 63 FPS 41 FPS
Section 2 56 FPS 33 FPS
Section 3 43 FPS 23 FPS
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
M4 (iPad)
n/a
M2 (iPad)
6808
Score - 6808
Stability - 71%
Graphics test - 40 FPS

Recent User Tests

The latest benchmark tests that have been submitted by users
Apple M4 (iPad)
DateBenchmarkResult
πŸ“˜ 2026-09-07 (Lexapes)Geekbench 6 GPU57080
πŸ“˜ 2026-09-07 (Lexapes)Geekbench 6 CPU3907 / 15397
πŸ“˜ 2026-09-07 (Lexapes)AnTuTu 113396741
πŸ“˜ 2026-08-03 (Astreeek)AnTuTu 112940000
πŸ“˜ 2026-04-26 (BG-M4-User)Geekbench 6 GPU52952
Add View all (12)
Apple M2 (iPad)
No benchmark results yet
Add

Specifications

Full list of technical specifications of M4 (iPad) and M2 (iPad)

CPU

Architecture 4x 4.41 GHz –
6x 2.85 GHz – 		4x 3.49 GHz – Avalanche
4x 2.42 GHz – Blizzard
Cores 10 8
Frequency 4410 MHz 3490 MHz
Instruction set ARMv9.2-A ARMv8.5-A
L1 cache 192 KB 192 KB
L2 cache 16 MB 16 MB
Process 3 nanometers 5 nanometers
Transistor count 28 billion 20 billion
TDP (Sustained Power Limit) - 20 W
Manufacturing TSMC TSMC

Graphics

GPU name - Apple M2 GPU
Architecture - Apple GPU
GPU frequency 1470 MHz 1398 MHz
Pipelines - 8
Shading units - 128
Total shaders - 1024
FLOPS 3763.2 Gigaflops 2863.1 Gigaflops

AI Accelerator

Neural processor (NPU) Apple Neural Engine Apple Neural Engine
NPU theoretical performance 38 TOPS 15.8 TOPS

Memory

Memory type LPDDR5X LPDDR5
Memory frequency 7500 MHz 3200 MHz
Bus 8x 16 Bit 8x 16 Bit
Max bandwidth 120 Gb/s 102.4 Gb/s
Max size 24 GB 24 GB

Multimedia (ISP)

Storage type NVMe NVMe
Max display resolution 2752 x 2064 2732 x 2048
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

Modem Snapdragon X71 -
4G support LTE Cat. 24 LTE Cat. 24
5G support Yes Yes
Download speed Up to 10000 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 May 2024 June 2022
Class Flagship Flagship
Model number - APL1109
Successor - - Apple M4 (iPad)
Further details
Notes on M4 (iPad):
    - There is slightly slower (5-7%) version of M4 that uses 3 performance + 6 efficiency cores array in 256GB/512GB models of iPad Pro.

Cast your vote

So, which SoC would you choose?
665 (75.3%)
218 (24.7%)
Total votes: 883

Related Comparisons

1. Apple M2 (iPad) vs Apple A17 Pro (6)
2. Apple M2 (iPad) vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (1)
3. Apple M2 (iPad) vs Apple A15 Bionic
4. Apple M4 (iPad) vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (2)
5. Apple M4 (iPad) vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite (Gen 4) (52)
6. Apple M4 (iPad) vs Apple A17 Pro (7)
7. Apple M4 (iPad) vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (9)
8. Apple M4 (iPad) vs Apple M1 (iPad)
9. Apple M4 (iPad) vs Apple A18 Pro (14)
10. Apple M4 (iPad) vs MediaTek Dimensity 9300 (7)
Compare other chipsets (190+)

Comments

Please give your opinion on the comparison of M2 (iPad) and M4 (iPad), or ask any questions
🌐 Register your profile and become part of NanoReview community!
Avatar
Siri May 2, 2026 at 04:26 PM
I found false information about m2.
0 Reply
Avatar
Serhii May 3, 2026 at 08:38 AM
What is wrong? I will fix the issue. Thank you for a comment.
0 Reply
Avatar
Reel April 10, 2025 at 01:53 AM
Why would I upgrade my M2 IPad Pro to M4 IPad Pro? Its seems not worth it since even M2 Pro is considered overkill
+24 Reply
Avatar
Er Bhawani September 14, 2024 at 03:12 AM
It makes sense to put Mac chips, like the M2 and M4 (new), in an iPad, as they both produce superlative performance. However, in the iPad OS, it's like "a lion in a cage." I'm using the iPad Air with the new M2 chip. My usage is limited to taking notes and occasionally reading a book or watching a video. So, I believe I'm using more than 100 percent of this chipset's power. If you have extra money to spend on this Netflix machine, then go with the Pro or Air. Otherwise, buy the 10th Gen iPad and save a lot of money. It would be more satisfying to use those savings on other things, or to create a fixed deposit or buy Apple shares. They can potentially provide satisfaction after 2-3 years. In my opinion, Apple has certainly taken advantage of consumers. The M2 chips in laptops won't be significantly better than this tab's chips, aside from regular photo editing capabilities. #The M4 is 20-30 percent more powerful compared to the M2, but this is not apparent in normal to moderate tasks. The difference is only evident in more strenuous tasks, where it results in about 5- seconds less processing time. I hope this clears things up and remember not to choose the Pro solely for the OLED display.
+53 Reply
Avatar
.... January 24, 2025 at 05:13 PM
You can obviously play modern aaa games to take full performance on your iPad or render a 3d video, maybe go for pro res video editing. You might get to see the lion out in the forest☠️
+3 Reply
EnglishРусский