iPad 2 vs iPad 1 in Infinity Blade graphics benchmark bloodbath

The iPad 2 promises blistering speed improvements over the first iPad, thanks to its dual-core processor and separate GPU for crunching graphics. And in our test, it delivers the goods like an Ocado van strapped to a cruise missile.

We ran our benchmarks using the GLBenchmark app, which is free to download from the iTunes store if you want to try it yourself. We tested an iPad 2 and an original iPad running the latest iOS 4.3. Both had the same apps installed, too.

In some areas, such as CPU integer performance (a measurement of the speed it completes simple mathematical functions), we didn't see any improvement. But, almost across the board, we saw advances in graphics performance. The iPad 2 was vastly better at rendering textures and triangles, in particular. The improvement was big enough to be obvious to the naked eye, as you can see in our video at the end of this story.

Here's what these benchmarks mean for the iPad 2 in practice. In our hands-on tests, we found that the iPad 2 is fast, but many of its speed improvements come from the iOS 4.3 update. After we put the same update on an original iPad, the two tablets ran close to neck-in-neck for most tasks, such as opening apps and loading Web pages.

But for graphics-hungry tasks, like games, the GPU kicks in to give more detail and texture, and more plentiful enemies or other animated objects on the screen at one time. 

Apple poster-boy Infinity Blade has released an update specifically for the iPad 2. Its makers called the iPad 2 "fantastic for gaming", but didn't fess up about exactly how they had to tweak their game to take advantage of the iPad 2's muscle. Whatever they did, we can vouch for the fact that it worked. Running the same updated version of the game on the iPad 2 and the iPad, it was clear that textures were more complex and edges were smoother on the newer tablet.

Bump up the resolution to full 720p and go full-screen to attempt to see the difference in our shakycam footage. The contrast between the two was obvious in person. Both screens were set to full brightness during this test, and the white iPad on the right is the iPad 2.

If that video doesn't do it for you, here is the biggest table ever published on Crave with all the benchmark numbers. In every case, higher is better.