It looks like the iPad Air just lost a GPU core

In a surprising twist a month after its release, Apple has changed the configuration of the GPU in the new iPad Air. As reported by 9to5Mac, the technical specifications for the iPad Air now say that its M2 chip has a 9-core GPU, instead of the 10 cores stated during the product’s release at the “Let Loose” event in May.

Update 6/3/24 1:30 p.m. PT: Apple confirmed that the iPad Air has a 9-core GPU and that the previous statement of a 10-core GPU is incorrect.

Apple’s iPad Air press release and the iPad Air specifications page in the support section of Apple.com (different from the specs on the product page) had listed a 10-core GPU as of this writing on Monday morning. Both of those web pages have since been corrected. During the iPad Air section of the “Let Loose” event video, Apple doesn’t actually state the M2’s number of CPU and GPU cores.

Apple told 9to5Mac that all of its GPU performance claims is based on a 9-core GPU and that the company is working to correct its documentation on its website.

It’s not clear when the change was made on the iPad Air product page. The Internet Archive shows the 10-core GPU on the specs page recorded on May 21, but another snapshot wasn’t taken until June 1, which shows the 9-core GPU.

Based on Apple’s correction, the iPad Air reviews that have been posted and include benchmarks show results of a 9-core GPU. A quick survey of five online reviews all discuss graphics performance but do not specify the number of GPU cores in their tested iPad Air.

In its review of the M2 iPad Air, Macworld’s German sister site, Macwelt, recorded a Geekbench Metal Score of 41902. The 2023 M2 13-inch MacBook Air has two GPU scores we can look at to compare: 46001 for the 10-core GPU M2, and 38953 for the 8-core CPU M2. The iPad Air’s score falls in between the Air scores, so it seems likely that the Air always had a 9-core GPU and Apple posted the 10-core GPU specification in error.

Using these scores, the difference between the 9- and 10-core GPU is 10 percent. That’s a small difference that users aren’t going to notice in everyday use. Even with graphically demanding apps (games, for example), the difference will be difficult to see on an iPad.

The 9-core GPU is a change from previous iterations of the M2. The M2 used in the 2023 13-inch MacBook Air was available with either an 8- or 10-core GPU, while the 2023 15-inch MacBook Air, 2023 13-inch MacBook Pro, and the current base model Mac mini have a 10-core GPU.

Get more information about Apple’s newest tablet in our iPad Air superguide.