Here Are Benchmark Results for Apple's New iPad Air With the M3 Chip

We are eagerly awaiting benchmarks for Apple's fastest-ever M3 Ultra chip in the Mac Studio, but we will have to settle with the first results for the new iPad Air for now.

M3 iPad Air
The first Geekbench 6 results for the new iPad Air with the M3 chip are entirely unsurprising, but sometimes no news is good news. Given there were already Macs with the M3 chip, we know that it is around 20% faster than the M2 chip in terms of multi-core CPU performance, and the new iPad Air has similar gains as expected.

There are currently three Geekbench 6 results for the new iPad Air, and the device has achieved an average multi-core CPU score of 11,605 so far. The previous-generation iPad Air with the M2 chip has an average multi-core CPU score of 9,817, so the M3 chip is around 18% faster than the M2 chip in the iPad Air based on these early results.

This is all good confirmation to have, but as mentioned, it will be more interesting to find out how much faster the M3 Ultra chip is compared to the M4 Max chip. Those benchmarks should surface in the coming days, so stay tuned for that.

Related Roundup: iPad Air
Buyer's Guide: iPad Air (Neutral)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
macOS Tahoe 26 Thumb

Apple Releases macOS Tahoe 26.2 With Edge Light

Friday December 12, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Tahoe 26.2, the second major update to the macOS Tahoe operating system that came out in September. macOS Tahoe 26.2 comes five weeks after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.1. Mac users can download the macOS Tahoe update by using the Software Update section of System Settings. macOS Tahoe 26.2 includes Edge Light, a feature that illuminates your face with soft...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
ipados 26 1 slide over

Apple Releases iPadOS 26.2 With Multitasking Improvements

Friday December 12, 2025 10:09 am PST by
Apple today released iPadOS 26.2, the second major update to the iPadOS 26 operating system released in September. iPadOS 26.2 comes a month after iPadOS 26.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. iPadOS 26.2 continues with the multitasking improvements that were added with iPadOS 26.1. You can now drag and...
iphone fold text

'iPhone Fold' Arrival Expected to Cement Book-Style Era for Foldables

Friday December 12, 2025 3:55 am PST by
Foldable smartphone panel shipments are projected to jump 46% year-over-year in 2026, with Apple's entry into the market serving as the main catalyst, according to Counterpoint Research's latest Foldable-Rollable Display Shipment Tracker. "Apple is the key driver as it starts to procure panels for its first foldable iPhone," said Counterpoint's Guillaume Chansin. The research firm expects...

Top Rated Comments

darkelipse04 Avatar
10 months ago
All this power for a device that can’t take full advantage of it. I’ll stick with my M2 iPad which is still overkill for day to day usage.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
joeblow7777 Avatar
10 months ago

All this power for a device that can’t take full advantage of it. I’ll stick with my M2 iPad which is still overkill for day to day usage.
I have an A14 iPad and I don't think I'm pushing it to its limit.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
10 months ago

I’d like to know what percentage of people using a m1/m2 iPad actually hit the processing limits.
It’s relevant for tasks like searching in large PDFs and rendering heavy web pages. It’s not that you “hit the limits”, it’s that things go a bit faster.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
diamond3 Avatar
10 months ago
I’d like to know what percentage of people using a m1/m2 iPad actually hit the processing limits.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rappr Avatar
10 months ago

You mean iPad Air I think.
I’d argue it’s true for both
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Plerf Avatar
10 months ago

This is all good confirmation to have, but as mentioned, it will be more interesting to find out how much faster the M3 Ultra chip is compared to the M4 Max chip. Those benchmarks should surface in the coming days, so stay tuned for that.
I’m gonna go with M4 Max is faster in single core and M3 Ultra is faster for multi core.

A controversial take, I’m sure. :p
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)