The updated iPad Air that is expected to debut at Tuesday’s “Peek Performance” event could be powered by the same M1 chip that is used in the 2021 iPad Pro, says a report from 9to5Mac.
The 2021 iPad Pro was the first iPad to boast an M-series chip, which had previously been only used in Apple’s Mac lineup. An M1-powered iPad Air would put the Air’s performance on par with the current iPad Pro, as well as the 2020 MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro.
We’ve seen rumors that the new iPad Air will boast the same A15 chip as the iPad mini, while also boasting 5G connectivity in cellular models. The M1 would bring the iPad Air to a similar performance level as the top-of-the-line iPad Pro. That means the main differences between the two models would be the Air’s lack of a ProMotion display technology and the LiDAR camera used in the Pro.
Since the M1 chip features an 8-core CPU and a 7 to 8-core GPU, and the A15 chip has a 6-core CPU and 5-core GPU, the M1 does offer some performance improvements over the A-series chips.
Apple’s “Peek Performance” event will take place at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on Tuesday, March 8. It will be live-streamed through multiple sources. If you aren’t able to view the event live, you can visit MacTrast afterward, as we’ll be reporting on all of the highlights after the event.