Very rarely if ever have I seen a manufacturer improve software over time and I think NVIDIA deserves some kudos for that.
Here is a snapshot, but if you want details, you can find them here.
NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet K1 versus $269 Apple iPad mini 2:
- 3x-2x faster on graphics and gaming benchmarks like 3DMARK, GFXBench and Basemark graphics
- 170% to 82% the performance CPU benchmarks like GeekBench, Kraken, Octane, Basemark Web.
- The mini 2 ($269) isn't the latest iPad mini, but it is the closes in pricing to the $199 Shield Tablet K1. Mini 4 is $369.
NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet K1 versus $369 Apple iPad Air:
- 3x-2x faster on graphics and gaming benchmarks like 3DMARK, GFXBench and Basemark graphics
- 157% to 80% the performance CPU benchmarks like GeekBench, Kraken, Octane, Basemark Web.
- The iPad Air ($369) isn't the latest iPad, but I thought it was illustrative to compare.
NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet K1 versus $699 Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+:
- 6X to 74% the graphics performance of the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ smartphone. This is, of course a phone, but I tested this as this is the state of the art SoC from Samsung.
- 2X to 75% the CPU performance of the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ smartphone. I tested this as this is the state of the art SoC from Samsung.
This data shows a few things. First, the Tegra K1 provides great performance on graphics and games in its price class and secondly, it's incredible how a company like NVIDIA can improve performance so much over time. I am looking forward to a CPU and GPU upgrade from NVIDIA in the future.
Above is a snapshot, but if you want details, you can find them here.
Disclosure: My firm, Moor Insights & Strategy, like all research and analyst firms, provides or had provided research, analysis, advising, and/or consulting to many high-tech companies in the industry, including NVIDIA and ARM Holdings, cited this article. No employees at the firm hold any equity positions with any companies cited in this column.
