How does the performance of the iPad 4th Gen compare to the iPad 3rd Gen, iPad 2, and original iPad mini? Which is fastest?

Please note that the iPad 3rd Gen, iPad 4th Gen, and original iPad mini all have been discontinued. However, this Q&A can be quite useful for anyone considering one of these models on the used market.

In the company press release, Apple notes that the iPad 4th Gen models -- the iPad 4th Gen (Wi-Fi Only), iPad 4th Gen (Wi-Fi/AT&T/GPS), and iPad 4th Gen (Wi-Fi/Verizon & Sprint/GPS) -- features a "new Apple-designed A6X chip that delivers up to twice the CPU performance and up to twice the graphics performance of the A5X chip" in the iPad 3rd Gen models.

The iPad 2 and original iPad mini models use the older and slower Apple A5 processor, so it's definitely a safe bet that the iPad 4th Gen models are significantly faster than both the iPad mini introduced at the same time as well as the older iPad 2.

How much faster, however, requires benchmarks and real world testing.

Performance Overview

For a solid general overview of the performance differences between the iPad 4th Gen and the iPad 3rd Gen model it replaced as well as the iPad 2 and the original iPad mini, Everyi.com's own Ultimate iComparison makes it quick to compare side-by-side Geekbench benchmark averages for each device.

Using Geekbench, the iPad 4th Gen models are roughly 132% faster than the iPad 3rd Gen models and around 135% faster than the iPad 2 and iPad mini models.

Third-Party Benchmark Tests

Although Geekbench can be great for the overall theoretical performance difference between devices, other benchmarks also can be useful, particularly for graphics performance.

The always excellent BareFeats compared the iPad 4th Gen to all earlier iPad models as well as the iPhone 5 with Sunspider Javascript, Linpack, and the GLBenchmark 2.5 Offscreen and Onscreen graphics tests. The entire piece should be reviewed in its entirety, but BareFeats concludes that the iPad 4th Gen "delivers what speed junkies crave" and prefers the iPhone 5 "with great speed and a Retina display" over the slower iPad mini.

AnandTech also hit the iPad 4th Gen with a barrage of both processor and graphics processor tests and found that "theoretical numbers validate Apple's '2x faster'" marketing claims. However, real-world use was much less dramatic:

The real world responsiveness benefit from the faster CPU cores seems to be in the 10-30% range depending on what you're doing. The problem is at the lower end of the scale, it can be difficult to really feel if you're comparing the 3rd and 4th gen iPads.

Real-World Performance

Although benchmarks and commentary are helpful, perhaps nothing beats a side-by-side video of the iPad 4th Gen and the iPad 3rd Gen.

This video, from TLDToday, compares the two models with benchmarks as well as gaming tests:

As you can see, the iPad 4th Gen (on the left) is faster than its predecessor, but not twice as fast in the real-world.

Performance Summary

The iPad 4th Gen models are significantly faster than the iPad 3rd Gen models as well as the iPad 2 and original iPad mini. The performance difference isn't close to twice as fast in real-world use -- particularly when comparing the iPad 4th Gen and the iPad 3rd Gen -- but the iPad 4th Gen can be noticeably faster, nevertheless.

Ultimately, for those most interested in performance and only considering these three older models, clearly the iPad 4th Gen is the top iPad of these three. For those who place more importance on size and/or price than performance, another iPad is a better choice.