Hi all, there have been a handful of threads here over the years about Zwift’s limited graphic performance on certain platforms - most egregiously iPad, but really all of mobile and yet still Mac. I wanted to throw some data together to help illustrate the issue, especially as there frequently seems to be questions about these devices, and I know not everyone keeps up with the details of hardware evolution (including Zwift?).
Below is a survey of supported devices, with details pulled from either my own testing or Zwiftalizer. I understand the grain of salt required around benchmarks, but I’ve also pulled performance ratings from GeekBench, which seems to be one of the more solid all-platform tools, and the idea is really just to give a sense of the class of hardware we’re dealing with. Last disclaimer - I pulled the “Ultra PC” build from Zwift Insider’s Ultimate Guide.
| Cat. | iPhone 6S | iPad Pro | Mac mini | iPhone 16 Pro | Ultra PC | iPad Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2015 | 2017 | 2023 | 2024 | 2024 | 2024 |
| Processor | A9 | A10X | M2 | A18 Pro | i5-12600K / GTX 980 | M4 |
| CPU (single) | 643 | 973 | 2518 | 3560 | 2309 | 3650 |
| CPU (multi) | 1078 | 2364 | 9525 | 8778 | 11399 | 13137 |
| GPU | 3179 | 9329 | 30430 | 32997 | 31196 | 53480 |
| Profile | Basic | Basic | High | Basic | Ultra | Basic |
| Resolution | 1080 | 1080 | 1440 | 1080 | 2160 | 1536 |
| Avg. FPS | 28 | 28 | 120 | 30 | 59 | 30 |
| Sources | 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 | 1 2 | 1 2 3 | 1 2 |
As the table tries to show, despite 10 years of hardware updates bringing iPad (and even iPhone, and I’m sure Android devices) on par with and noticeably better than the top-level Zwift PCs, these devices are still stuck with Basic graphics profiles, 1080p, and 30Hz locks.
There were some unpublished changes in a recent update, which is why the M4 iPad Pro now runs at 1536p, but why not native 2064p? Why not native 120Hz? Ultra settings?
macOS got some attention last year, but even then, why did it stop at High? There are far more powerful Macs than the mini featured here, but they are also stuck at High.
I know there are parts of Zwift that value these accessible platforms - razer-thin, easily mountable, all-in-one, touch interface, auto-updating, etc. The Zwift Ride ads almost universally feature a tablet running Zwift (sometimes, deceptively, suggesting the platform gets rider shadows…)
Please Zwift, unlock your mobile apps and let our hardware stretch its legs!
P.S. Thought I’d share a little comparison between three pieces of equipment, although keep in mind that screenshots are only part of the equation - 30Hz vs 120Hz is a world of difference (and probably a handicap in racing…)
iPad Pro (2017)
iPad Pro (2024) - seven years later…
Ultra PC (2024, borrowed from @GPLama 's Grade preview - thank you!)
