Ahead of the official launch, early Geekbench results for the new M4 iPad Air have surfaced online, giving you a clear look at how the upgraded model performs compared to the previous M3 iPad Air. These preliminary numbers focus on CPU performance and show measurable gains in both single core and multi core tasks, which directly affect how fast apps open, how smoothly you edit photos, and how well the tablet handles demanding workloads.
The benchmarks specifically cover the 13 inch M4 iPad Air with Wi Fi + Cellular, identified as iPad16,11. The data shows that Apple has tuned the M4 chip in this model differently from the M4 used in the iPad Pro, and that difference reflects in the final performance gap between the Air and Pro lines.
According to Geekbench 6.6.0 results uploaded on March 3, 2026, the M4 iPad Air posted single core scores of 3438 and 3714, along with multi core scores of 12885 and 12296.
“Single-Core Score 3438”
“Multi-Core Score 12885”
When you average the two runs, the M4 iPad Air reaches a single core score of 3576 and a multi core score of 12591. In comparison, the prior generation 13 inch M3 iPad Air averages 3048 in single core and 11667 in multi core. That translates to a 17.3 percent improvement in single core performance and a 7.9 percent gain in multi core performance.
How It Compares to M4 iPad Pro
Apple equips the M4 iPad Air with an 8 core CPU that includes three performance cores and five efficiency cores, along with a 9 core GPU. By contrast, the M4 in the 13 inch iPad Pro features up to a 10 core CPU and up to a 10 core GPU, which gives it a clear edge.
The 13 inch M4 iPad Pro records a single core score of 3704 and a multi core score of 13805. That makes it 3.6 percent faster in single core tasks and 9.6 percent faster in multi core workloads compared to the M4 iPad Air.
The new M4 iPad Air opens for pre orders at 6:15 a.m. Pacific Time, with availability beginning March 11, and these early benchmark results suggest you can expect steady gains over the M3 model without stepping into full iPad Pro territory.
