iPad 2021 M1 architecture with 8/16 GB RAM — you really need to know this information

Comparing iPad 12.9" 2020 and 2012 and what to expect

GIOVANNI MARIOTTA
4 min readJun 5, 2021

This is another magical art performed by Apple: the integration of the M1 processor in the iPad Pro family. Everybody was thrilled when Apple announced during the last Apple Event. Read this article, and let’s forecast what is going to happen. Now we only now one part of the full story.

Photo by Francois Hoang on Unsplash

Got it, I received the iPad 2021 M1-based chip with 2TB storage space… and now?

Comparing the Apple iPad Pro 2021 with last year’s version is a very challenging task. Let’s chek on the main important points of the new product: display and performance.

THE DISPLAY

Only the 12.9" model packs the new mini-LED display, an upgrade that increases the quality of the photo and movie extraordinarily. This does not mean that the previous model has a defect on quality, but that we step into a new level of quality which is a great plus for professions’ usage. On paper and specs, it is much more bright than any Mac (or even TVs) you can buy.

BIG iPad but… MINI Led! Apple says that the 12.9" iPad Pro can reach 1000 nits against the 2020 model that hits around 500–600 nits. Incredible 1Million:1 contrast ratio delivery thanks to the 10.000 mini Led inside, which are more than 100 times smaller in the 2020 iPad Pro.

MicroLED displays consist of arrays of microscopic LEDs forming the individual pixel elements. When compared with widespread LCD technology, microLED displays offer better contrast, response times, and energy efficiency.

From the Tech Advisor website

In terms of resolution 2021 version packs 5.6 million pixels (2732 x 2048) same as the 2020 version.

CORE PERFOMANCE

The powerful M1 processor is now embedded into the 2021 Model. What does it mean? The iPad, Mac Book Air, Pro, Mini product lines are sharing the same processors and architecture. iPad will not get the ultimate performance experience expected in desktop/laptop version because of the absence of FAN that contribute to heat dissipation, but it is a step to open the door to new opportunities in the iPad world: running mac professional software on iPad.

From the macrumors website

Developers community and professional users are missing software that makes the step for the iPad towards a more laptop/mobility professional experience. iPad, at this point, is a good candidate to work productively, and for some use cases and workflow, it will be just great.

Apple mentions that the M1 chip is 50% faster CPU performance over the A12Z Bionic capabilities present in iPad 2020. For the first time, Apple reveals that configuration with 128/256/512 GB storage has embedded an amount of 8GB RAM, and.. listen… 1Tb/2Tb with 16GB RAM.

From benchmark the average multi-core results:

M1 Macbook Air: 7378

M1 iPad Pro: 7284

Core i9 16" Macbook Pro 6845

A12Z iPad Pro: 4656

Impressively this means that M1 iPad 2021 is faster than a i9 MacBook Pro(in multi core score).

WWDC is expected to offer new insights into what Apple is cooking. iPadOS is expected to go in the direction to enable more multi-threading app and open the opportunity to install professional apps from macOS M1 world.
XCode and Final Cut are expected by the entire community! And all is set to have it delivered with the next World Wide Developer Conference.
Gaming, simulation, and AI computation will take place fast and incredibly smoothly. Did I mention AI? The reason is related to the M1 chip. In there, the new 16 core Apple Neural Engine enhances photos to be re-processed, filtered, interpolated, and process ad hoc layers for better quality, color correction, and definition of the image.

More on coming WWDC 2021. Stay tuned.

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GIOVANNI MARIOTTA

Sw Architect — Curious about new technologies! I don’t like to only watch them… I need to touch them!