Benchmark scores for the iPad Air 2 have started coming in and as you’d expect they’re very impressive so far. But let’s put this into context: How do the Geekbench scores for the iPad Air 2 stack up against rival tablets? As you’ll see in a comparison chart made by Laptop Mag, the iPad Air 2 really only has one rival in terms of overall performance and that’s Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3.
FROM EARLIER: Benchmark suggests the iPad Air 2 will be even more powerful than you imagined
Source: Laptop Mag
As you can see, the iPad Air 2 outscored nearly every other flagship tablet on Geekbench 3, including NVIDIA’s own Shield Tablet that was designed to be a high-powered gaming tablet. That said, Apple’s newest tablet still can’t beat the overall performance of the Surface Pro 3, which remains the most powerful tablet in the world.
Of course, the Surface Pro 3 was designed to be “the tablet that can replace your laptop,” so its superior performance isn’t surprising. The Surface Pro 3 is also priced much higher than the iPad Air 2 and its cheapest version sells starting at $799 — and that’s without the Type Cover keyboard that will add an additional $130 to your bill.
The real battle in the tablet world will come next year, however, as Microsoft will release its fourth-generation Surface Pro and Apple will reportedly release its own “iPad Pro” that will be a large 12-inch tablet that will come with a keyboard attachment and will be designed specifically for work.
