New iPad Pro's first benchmark results disappoint

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The 2020 iPad Pro is only 1% faster than its predecessor, according to a new report

iPad Pro 2020
(Image credit: Apple)

Apple is selling its latest iPad Pro on the promise that it's more powerful than a regular laptop. But apparently it's not much more powerful than the iPad Pro it's replacing, at least according to some fresh benchmarks.

MySmartPrice spotted some early results for the benchmarking app AnTuTu. The results show that the new 2020 iPad Pro scored a total of 712,218 points overall. The 2019 iPad Pro scored 705,585. That's a difference of 6,633 points, or a paltry-sounding 0.9 % increase.

(Image credit: MySmartPrice)

Looking at the breakdown, the CPU benchmarks are almost identical, differing by only 1,394 points (0.8%) but these aren't the whole story. 

(Image credit: MySmartPrice)

The 2019 iPad Pro surprisingly has faster RAM performance, scoring 95,118 points to the 2020 model's 74,998 points. The benchmarks also reveal that the 2020 iPad Pro has 6GB of RAM on all versions, rather than just the 1TB storage version like the previous generation, which otherwise got 4GB. These two numbers don't make sense together, so hopefully with a little optimisation the new iPad Pro can get a larger performance boost in future.

It's not all bad news

Fortunately, the graphics power has increased by 10% between generations, thanks to a new 8-core GPU in the 2020 iPad Pro, achieving a score of 373,781 to the 2019 iPad Pro's 345,016. 

The new iPad Pro has other benefits over its predecessor, including a second rear camera with an ultra-wide lens, a LiDAR for improved performance in AR applications and cursor support for more precise navigation. This May the iPad Pro will have a Magic Keyboard option, complete with trackpad support.

So even if the A12Z CPU isn't significantly more powerful than the A12X CPU, there's still some good reasons why the newer iPad Pro will be a better option for shoppers. However, if you're looking to get one of Apple's flagship tablets for as cheap as possible, you might want to keep an eye out for sales on the previous 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

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Richard Priday
Richard Priday
Assistant Phones Editor

Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.