But knowing what youre getting is important, and youll discover all the essential information below.
Overall Findings
Available in the 2024 iPad Pro.
One variation of the chip as of August 2024.
Offers performance upgrades compared to previous iPad chips.
Allows iPads to run intense programs more effectively.
Up to 16GB of unified memory.
Available across the 2023 Mac suite.
Three models: M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max.
Considered the markets most powerful personal computer chips.
Capable of up to 128GB of unified memory.
Not available with the Mac mini or Mac Pro.
The M3 and M4 chip are both upgraded versions of Apples previous M2 chips for their respective devices.
equipment Availability: Available on Completely Different Apple Products
11-inch 2024 iPad Pro .
13-inch 2024 iPad Pro.
13-inch 2023 MacBook Air.
15-inch 2023 MacBook Air.
14-inch 2023 MacBook Pro (M3, M3 Pro, M3 Max).
16-inch 2023 MacBook Pro (M3 Pro, M3 Max).
24-inch iMac (M3).
Apple has only released the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max in its 2023 MacBook suite.
Youll find the chip in the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and iMac.
The M3 chip is available in 2023 MacBooks and iMacs of all screen sizes.
Moreover, you cant get the M3 Pro or Max unless you buy a MacBook Pro.
The 16-inch MacBook Pro has the M3 Pro and M3 Max, but not the base chip.
The M4 chip is only available in the 2024 iPad Pro.
We expect that to change, however.
Performance and Efficiency: Both Are Big Upgrades Over the M2
28 billion transistors.
Up to 16GB unified memory.
Up to 128GB unified memory.
The M4 chip has 28 billion transistors, which is slightly higher than the M3s 25 billion.
The M3 Pro has 37 billion transistors, and the M3 Max has 92 billion.
If you use the M3 Max, you could have up to 128GB of unified memory.
The M4 chip has much less than this at up to 16GB.
CPU and GPU: The M3s Advanced Chips Prevail
10-core CPU.
M3: 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU.
M3 Pro: 12-core CPU, 10-core GPU.
M3 Max: 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU.
Both have the same number of cores in their respective GPUs.
However, the differences become clearer with the M3 Pro and M3 Max.
If you buy a MacBook with the M3 Pro chip, youll have a 10-core GPU and 12-core CPU.
Meanwhile, the M3 Max has a 16-core CPU and 40-core GPU.
Neural Engine: The M4 Chip Is Apples Fastest Yet
Up to 38 trillion operations per second.
Up to 18 trillion operations per second.
Because of this, the iPad Pro is capable of efficiently performing several machine-learning tasks.
The M3 chip is capable of performing up to 18 trillion operations per second.
However, while this isnt as comprehensive as the M4 chip, its still pretty impressive.
The Neural Engine is one of many ways that Apple uses AI.
They have different strengths and weaknesses.
