Apple M4
| General information | |
|---|---|
| Launched | May 15, 2024 |
| Designed by | Apple |
| Common manufacturer | |
| Architecture and classification | |
| Application | tablet (iPad Pro) |
| Technology node | 3 nm (N3E) |
| Instruction set | ARMv9.2-A |
| Physical specifications | |
| Transistors |
|
| Cores |
|
| Memory (RAM) | |
| GPU | Apple-designed integrated graphics (10 core) |
| History | |
| Predecessor | Apple M3 |
Apple M4 is an ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series, including a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural processing unit (NPU), and a digital signal processor (DSP). It was introduced in May 2024 for the iPad Pro (M4), and is the fourth generation of the M series Apple Silicon architecture, succeeding the Apple M3.[2][3][4]
The M4 SOC is built upon TSMC's second-generation 3-nanometer process, and contains 28 billion transistors.[5]
Design[edit]
The M4 features a 10-core design made up of four performance cores and six efficiency cores (with one performance core disabled on binned models), along with a 10 core graphics processing unit and a 16 core NPU. [6]
The M4 Neural Engine has been significantly improved compared to its predecessor, with the advertised capability to perform up to 38 trillion operations per second (more than double the advertised performance of the M3). The M4 NPU performs over 60x faster than the A11 Bionic, and is approximately 3x faster than the original M1 NPU. [7]
The M4 is built using LPDDR5X unified memory, supporting 120GB/sec of memory bandwidth. The SOC is currently offered in 8GB and 16GB configurations. The M4 is also Apple's first SoC to use the ARMv9 CPU architecture (specifically ARMv9.2-A).[8][2]
Performance[edit]
Apple Claims up to 50% more CPU performance and 4x more GPU performance on the M4 compared to the M2. The M4 currently is the highest-scoring consumer SOC for single-core benchmarks on the Geekbench benchmarking suite,[9] and outperforms both the M3 Max and Intel's Core i9 desktop CPUs. In multithreaded performance, the M4 performs similarly to the 12-core M3 Pro.[10]
Additional features[edit]
The M4 is the first iPad SOC to support hardware accelerated AV1 decode, as well as hardware accelerated mesh-shading and raytracing introduced to MacBooks on the M3. A new display controller has also been implemented to support the iPad Pro (7th generation)'s Tandem OLED display.[6][11]
Apple M4 products[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Smith, Ryan (May 7, 2024). "Apple Announces M4 SoC: Latest and Greatest Starts on 2024 iPad Pro". AnandTech. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
- ^ a b Leswing, Kif (May 7, 2024). "Apple announces new iPad Pro with M4, new iPad Air tablets". CNBC. NBCUniversal. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ^ Warren, Tom (May 7, 2024). "Next-gen M4 chips start arriving in Apple devices this year". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ^ "Apple introduces M4 chip" (Press release). Cupertino, CA: Apple Inc. May 7, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ^ Sohail, Omar (2024-05-07). "Apple's M4 Is Made Using Second-Generation 3nm Process, Sports Higher Core Count, Upgraded Neural Engine; New GPU Supports Mesh Shading And Other Upgrades". Wccftech. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
- ^ a b c "Apple unveils stunning new iPad Pro with the world's most advanced display, M4 chip, and Apple Pencil Pro" (Press release). Cupertino, CA: Apple Inc. May 7, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ^ "Introducing TSMC N3E As Seen In Apple M4 SoC | TechInsights". www.techinsights.com. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
- ^ Larabel, Michael (2024-06-15). "Apple M4 Support Added To The LLVM Compiler, Confirming Its ISA Capabilities". phoronix.com. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
- ^ Norem, Josh (May 10, 2024). "The Apple M4 Is the New Geekbench Single-Core Performance Champion". ExtremeTech. Ziff Davis. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
- ^ Mayo, Benjamin (May 11, 2024). "iPad Pro with M4 chip boasts impressive performance jump compared to just-released M3 MacBook Air". 9to5Mac. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
- ^ "M4 vs. M3: How much better are Apple's latest chips?". Digital Trends. 2024-05-09. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
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