IPad graphics performance

General Discussion
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Ok - love of Zwift rekindled a bit by the new map, and loving the new surroundings. Is it my imagination or are the graphics higher quality on newer iOS devices? My iPhone 12 seems to deliver better visuals than my iPad Air from c.3 years ago. Is this my imagination, or do different iOS devices run Zwift at different graphics settings?

iPad is due for replacement and if (say) one of the new M1 iPads would run Zwift noticeably better quality than my iPad Air, I’d be very tempted…

Thank you in advance, Zwift tech gurus!

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All Apple devices (excluding Macs) run bespoke profiles, so there are minor differences between them. Apple TV 4K looks better than the HD model, for example. However to date they’re all variants of Basic profile, the lowest tier of graphics available in the game. The M1 Mac devices did get High profile, but the last I heard it’s without the rider shadows High should have. Not sure if this has changed back.

PS: Zwift on the M1 iPad Pro doesn’t actually work at present, a number of threads appeared yesterday asking about it. I’m sure it’ll be fixed very soon.

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Really helpful, thank you!

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Graphics actually pretty bland on the M1 Pro 11”, meh.

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The revival of this thread and today’s game patch (1.17.2)., to add “support for new resolutions for Apple A15 based devices” has got me thinking about what I experience graphics-wise with my zwifting device.

Since joining Zwift in April 2019, I’ve been been using a 2018 model 12.9" iPad Pro (A12X chip, 264 ppi screen, model A1876) placed about 40 cm (15.7’') or less from my nose when in the saddle.
As far as I understand it from @Dave_ZPCMR 's helpful contributions in many threads, this will be running a variant of the Basic graphics profile. And yes, compared to the highest tier examples that I’ve seen on YouTube and here, the iPad Pro graphics are, as @Thomas_Tollstedt put it succinnctly, pretty bland.

I have tried Zwift very briefly on an ageing MacBook Pro and a recent 4K AppleTV. The MBP graphics weren’t remarkably different – despite the cooling fans going into worryinngly shrill overdrive anytime Zwift was running. I found the tvOS result nothing special and was quickly frustrated by having to use the Apple remote instead of the very user-friendly touch-screen. How people use that in the heat of the moment, especially when the mind isn’t all there following an all-out effort, I don’t know.

But the great thing about the iPad experience for me is that, in 540 hours of zwifting, I can count on the fingers of one hand (literally) the occasions on which I have had a problem opening Zwift, using the game as intended, or had it crash it on me while riding.
I can fully understand that a connoisseur of ultra-high-definition graphics would find what I am satisfied with disappointing but, luckily for me, I’m not used to any better and very quickly I find myself fully immersed in what I see on my small-but-close-up screen.
Every time there’s a game update, I thank my lucky stars that my experience isn’t damaged or completely broken, like so many cases we can read about on these Forums.

I suppose what I’m rambling on about here is this: would I – or you – be willing to risk the convenience and peace of mind that I’m/we’re used to for the sake of a much richer visual experience? And would/does a much richer visual aspect improve significantly the overall zwifting experience?

If there were a much higher resolution, even larger touch-screen experience available, I’d be very tempted to try it (finances permitting), but I guess for the moment I’ll go with the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ approach. :man_shrugging: I just want to ride, at the end of the day.

By the way, @Dave_ZPCMR (sorry to hassle you, but you seem to be the go-to guy here) is there a way of finding out exactly what profile this device is runnning, so that I have a benchmark from which to gauge others that I might try? Cheers. :ride_on:

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First things first, there shouldn’t be a trade off between reliability/convenience and graphics. Almost all the issues I’ve had on a dedicated Zwift PC running 4K and Ultra profile have been of my own making - overclocking too much, messing with settings, fixing things that aren’t broken and so on. Like you my experience has been rock solid for years; I turn my PC on, check for updates, ride and then turn it off. I read the threads here and it’s extremely rare I have any of the same problems. Conversely there are frequently issues raised with the platforms that are commonly hailed as flawless like Apple TV. ‘It just works’… until it doesn’t.

Fact is none of the platforms are flawless, they all have their pros and cons. But in my experience the game has been absolutely fine on PC, from day one. Comes down to your setup and environment IMO.

Anyway the way to check your profile, resolution and frame rate is to put a log file into Zwiftalizer. This can be done on iPad by using the hidden method to email your log files to yourself, but you don’t need to bother since your model of iPad Pro is present in the historical data:

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What is absolutely fair to point out is the amount of effort required to get to that level of reliability. If you buy an Apple device for Zwift, it’s extremely simple and easy, is self-contained and the cost is known and consistent. There’s virtually nothing to do.

That’s not the case with a PC for Zwift, where it’s easy to spend way too much, or spend money in the wrong places. It takes effort to configure. Prices are constantly changing. Windows updates can muck stuff up (though again it’s not something I’ve had much of). Even if you buy something off the shelf and accept paying over the odds, it’ll probably be rammed full of bloatware.

So I’d agree there is a convenience factor but that it’s in the initial setup, rather than on an ongoing basis and with the game itself. That’s the bit that you need to put some* effort into, if you want the best graphics experience and reliability, with good value for money. Fortunately I enjoy it. :wink:

*Not much, but I accept that it’s completely subjective.

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The other thing to bear in mind is that there is a middle ground between what you get on almost all Apple devices and a PC with a [relatively speaking] expensive dedicated graphics card intended for Ultra and 4K. Most people want to jump straight to the top and so they overlook the Medium profile, which is honestly hugely underrated. Provided 1080p resolution is satisfactory, an upgraded old office PC coupled with a GT 1030 (GDDR5) absolutely obliterates an Apple TV in terms of the graphical experience in Zwift. At the same cost or less.

Again, this takes some effort rather than three clicks on Amazon. But given that I am literally paying money to stare at the game, I’d argue all day long that it’s worth it.

I’ll stop now. :rofl:

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Don’t feel you have to stop, Dave - it’s all gold as far as I’m concerned. :+1:
This is an area I’m not clued up on and you’re filling in glaring holes in my knowledge – and I’m sure it’s the same for many others – all the time.

I don’t want to hijack the thread either, of course.

If there were a way to have the simplicity of a tablet experience with a higher resolution (i.e. that Medium profile), it sounds like a goldilocks solution.

It’s probably a rare situation, but the iPad also works perfectly for me because of physical constraints. I am zwifting in a confined space (front to back) and having a tablet on a custom stand (self-built) above my front axle allows me to do what I couldn’t do if I had to mount a larger screen further away. Now that I’m used to a touch-screen experience with both the Companion and the game, I can’t see myself opting for a keyboard and mouse/trackpad (or a remote) any time soon, even though thousands will say that those solutions work perfectly for them.

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I would say it depend on how much time you are spending to stare at a game. If you are only using Zwift 2 hours a week then maybe 3 clicks is for you but using it for 12 hours a week deserve the extra effort.

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Have you tried running on your iPad and Airplaying to the TV? Not sure how the graphics would turn out. But at least it would get the screen away from your face.

I must be jaded because I do not think the graphics on ATV or anywhere else are too bad. But I used to use BKool and its graphics were primitive a couple of years ago (have not checked lately). Plus I grew up on Pong and Space Invaders.

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Yeah the touchscreen thing is definitely a factor, there are plenty of aspects of the UI which feel like they’re designed for it. I’m not sure what the newest A15 devices get in terms of profile after last night’s update but it does surprise me that even the M1 devices don’t have rider shadows. I feel like it’s probably a bug tbh, since those devices were previously given High, but if so I’m unsure why it hasn’t been fixed. If they did, the M1 iPad would be the closest thing to what you’re suggesting. Though they’re very expensive IMO.

This might be of interest, though as mentioned the M1 devices don’t actually get rider shadows at present:

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PS: Yes, M1 is integrated. :wink:

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I know what you mean, @chris_benten1. My formative years were spent on Sinclair Spectrum 48K games plugged into a small cathode ray TV, so the basic resolution in Zwift is fantastic as far as I’m concerned.
Don’t get me wrong, I like having the iPad screen close. It means I’m fully immersed, despite the relatively small surface area, and I can bang out the individual Ride-Ons on the right-hand column (probably) quicker than anyone using a mouse. :smiley: