Apple has introduced M4, the latest chip for the all-new iPad Pro, boasting enhanced performance. Utilising second-generation 3-nanometer technology, M4 functions as a system on a chip (SoC), contributing to the sleek design of the iPad Pro and enhancing power efficiency. The chip also incorporates a new display engine to optimise the precision, colour, and brightness of the Ultra Retina XDR display.
The CPU of M4 features up to 10 cores, with the GPU boasting a 10-core architecture. New features such as Dynamic Caching, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and mesh shading enhance the capabilities of the iPad Pro for the first time. With a Neural Engine capable of up to 38 trillion operations per second, M4 significantly enhances the device’s performance in artificial intelligence tasks.
Source: Apple May Event
Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Technologies, highlighted the significance of custom silicon in enabling such breakthrough products. The 10-core CPU and GPU of M4 provide up to 1.5 times faster performance compared to the previous model, catering to professional workflows with demanding applications like Logic Pro and LumaFusion.
The GPU of M4 introduces new capabilities to the iPad Pro, including hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading, enhancing visual experiences in games and graphics-intensive apps. Additionally, the Neural Engine in M4 facilitates efficient AI tasks, such as subject isolation in videos and real-time musical notation generation.
The Media Engine of M4 supports popular video codecs and introduces hardware acceleration for AV1, improving power-efficient playback of high-resolution video content. The power-efficient performance of M4 contributes to the iPad Pro’s all-day battery life, aligning with Apple’s commitment to environmental sustainability.
Until we get our hands on it, we remain interested in seeing real world results.
