iPad mini 7 Is 4 Percent Slower Than Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max In Single-Core & Multi-Core Results, Despite The A17 Pro Operating At The Same Clock Speeds

Apple’s updated iPad mini 7 received a major performance and efficiency boost compared to the iPad mini 6 as the latest compact tablet was introduced with the A17 Pro. The chipset choice caught us by surprise, as we were expecting the A18 Pro to be a part of the innards, but according to a new benchmark leak, you are likely to be further perplexed. In the single-core and multi-core result, last year’s iPhone 15 Pro Max is actually faster than the iPad mini 7, despite both devices being outfitted with the same chipset.

The benchmark leak shows the A17 Pro is operating at the same clock speeds on both the iPad mini 7 and iPhone 15 Pro Max; software version might be responsible for the variation in scores

On Geekbench 6, the latest iPad mini 7 scores show a single-core and multi-core result of 2,817 and 6,982. While these figures show that the A17 Pro is doing the work, when we compared the same result with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, there was a 4 percent difference in the single-core and multi-core results. Now, you might be thinking that the score variations exist because Apple has used a slower A17 Pro in the iPad mini 6.

Well, you are right on this occasion, but not quite, as the iPad mini 6’s A17 Pro is equipped with a 5-core GPU instead of a 6-core one in the iPhone 15 Pro Max. When comparing the CPU configuration, both SoCs are identical, with their performance cores running at the same 3.78GHz clock speeds. The only explanation we have now is the different software versions are causing the performance variation.

If you look at the comparison, the iPad mini 7 was tested running iOS 18, while the newer iOS 18.0.1 was running on the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Previously, an in-depth reviewer found that Apple introduced a slight delay in the CPU boost frequency in iOS 18, resulting in lower Geekbench 6 scores, but the plus side was that it resulted in increased power efficiency, leading to better battery life.

With the newer iOS 18 versions, Apple seems to have backtracked on its original decision, which may be why we are seeing a difference in the scores. Hopefully, we can have another look at these results when the iPad mini 7 gets updated to iOS 18.0.1, so stay tuned for those updates.

News Source: Geekbench 6