Apple M4 vs M3: Specs, performance, and more compared

Since the release of the new M4 iPads at the May 7 event, the Apple M4 vs M3 chip comparison has been an interesting one. Both are extremely capable and available for Apple's Macs, MacBooks, and iPads. The M3 lineup was only released in late 2023 and the new chipset is much more powerful than the latter. In short, the M4 chip is quite faster and better than the M3 chip, but the same can't said about its comparison with the M3 Pro and M3 Max.

In this article, we will look into the specifications of the two and discuss which one emerges as the winner in the M4 vs M3 comparison.

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Apple M4 vs M3: What are their specifications?

Apple M4 vs M3 specifications (Image via Apple)

The M4 chipset is much faster than the M3 in terms of CPU performance but remains the same in terms of GPU. It is also significantly faster as the Neural Engine in the M4 can perform up to 38 trillion operations per second, making it the fastest one ever made. Thus, it should be able to handle high-end gaming with relevant ease, considering the powerful GPU system.

The new engine is powerful enough to handle the new Ultra Retina XDR display, featuring two OLED panels. With an extremely fast memory bandwidth, the M4 chip is super powerful in terms of AI support. With 28 billion transistors built into the chip, the M4 produces high-performance, accelerated hardware, and color-accurate images.

Features	M3	M3 Pro	M3 Max	M4
Total CPU cores	8	11/12	14	9/10
Performance cores	4	5/6	10	3/4
Efficiency cores	4	6	4	6
Total GPU cores	10	14/18	30	10
Neural engine cores	16	16	16	16
Bandwidth memory	100GB/s	150GB/s	300GB/s	120GB/s

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Apple M4 vs M3: How are they performance-wise?

On paper, the M4 is much faster and more efficient in terms of performance in the M4 vs M3 comparison, but there's a catch. While the M4 performs better than the base model M3, it lacks in performance when compared to the M3 Pro and M3 Max chipsets. We will have to wait for the M4 Pro or M4 Max to do a fair comparison.

Thus, as mentioned previously, the M4 performs significantly better than the M3 chip, featuring a greater number of CPU cores, but maintaining the same number of GPU cores. Its bandwidth is up to 20GB/s faster than the M3. It also features Apple's fastest Neural Engine ever, capable of 38 trillion operations per second, compared to 18 trillion operations of the M3 chipset.

The M4 chipset focuses more on raw power and has a faster CPU with more performance cores. That said, the GPU performance remains relatively similar. The M4 also shows great improvement on the Geekbench 6 benchmark over the M3.

Features	Apple M3	Apple M4
Geekbench 6 single-core	3125	3137
Geekbench 6 multi-core	11591	13063

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Apple M4 vs M3: What are their prices?

The prices vary widely in the Apple M4 vs M3 comparison and depend on the device you're purchasing. We can't talk about the pricing of the processors alone, so we'll be discussing the devices that possess the particular chipset.

The new M4 iPad Pro variants start at $999 for the 11" variant and $1299 for the 13". The M3 MacBook Pro starts at around $1,599.00 and goes up to $3,999.00 based on display size and M3 chip variant. The M3 Pro and M3 Max are significantly higher-priced and premium options.

The base model M3 MacBook Air is priced at $1,099.00. However, it can go up to $1,699.00 based on the display. Unlike the Pro variant, the Air only features the M3 chip, thus being much more affordable.

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