The new iPad vs iPad 2 - How much better is it?

A more powerful SoC

We ran a couple of benchmark apps to see how much of a difference there really is between the two. In iBenchmark Test, we ran the disk write test where the new iPad recorded a speed of 42.5 MB/s, as compared to 26.7 MB/s for the iPad 2. The read tests don’t show much of a difference with both clocking in at 182 MB/s. In the GLBenchmark app, we ran the GLBenchmark 2.1 Pro offscreen to gauge the difference between the two models and the new iPad clearly wins. It got a score of 12202 frames at 244 fps as compared to 7338 frames at 147 fps with the iPad 2. Interestingly, in the GLBenchmark 2.1 Egypt standard test, the iPad 2 gets a higher score than the new iPad. The newer model got a score of 3797 with 34 fps, as compared to 4354 with 38 fps on the older model.

Camera
The biggest improvement on the new iPad after the screen is the camera. Apples call it iSight, but what it is essentially is the same 5MP camera on the iPhone 4, but with slightly beefed up features, thanks to the more powerful processor. The 5MP autofocus camera features the same backside illumination sensor allowing it to capture a lot more detail even in poor lighting conditions. Thanks to the faster processor, the new iPad also supports 1080p video recording. Today, we’ll focus on the still images itself and compare the differences. You can have a look at the rest of the image comparisons in the gallery.

Captures colours very well

The difference is quite stark and you can easily see it even while capturing the image. The time taken to capture the image also feels snappier, not that the iPad 2 was slouchy in any way.

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