We are waiting still for M1 Support on iPad…
I don‘t think iPad will ever get a better graphics profile than basic.
Did Zwift ever confirm that they were releasing a better graphics profile for the M1?
It’s starting to feel like someone has jumped the gun here, confirming something they shouldn’t have and now just ignoring customer requests. Zwift really don’t do customer service that well do they?
Maybe if we start asking for M5 support now it could arrive for next year, haha (or maybe M8… 
)
I do wish we could be kept updated, especially considering the approach of indoor season and holiday sales, even if the answer is (like the Apple Watch) that they’re running into more challenges than expected.
Maybe if integration of better assets and higher resolution is a hurdle, in the meantime the framerate could be unlocked?
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@AlanZ could you provide any updates on support of M4 chip for higher resolution on Ipad Pro? Also, will this change affect M2 chips on Ipad Air?
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If @AlanZ can’t help, can @evan-zwift ?
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Hi folks,
Sharing a few clarifying details regarding the visual improvements that went live with the Game 1.69 update for M1, M2, and M4 iPads:
- Higher resolution rendering for the game world
- Higher shadow resolution
- Improved material appearance
- Improved water reflections
- Anti-aliasing enabled
- Bloom effect enabled
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Update 1.69??? So we’ve had it for a few months and no one noticed any difference. What does that tell you? Come on, you can do much better than this.
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What happened to M4 IPads getting ultra graphics?
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Thanks for the update, this is promising! Have been waiting to hear something before jumping back in, so looking forward to checking out the difference soon.
Not sure Zwift still operates under the Basic/Medium/High/Ultra nomenclature, but does this amount to Ultra for the M4? A bit surprised no increases to model geometry or explicitly lighting (maybe AA+shadow+bloom is all it is).
Any adjustment to frame rate? The 30hz lock has always been super painful given these 120hz screens. To the point it almost feels like a penalty in races.
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Thank you for the update. Can you clarify if there are additional changes coming, e.g. rider shadows (which from my perspective add a lot of realism)?
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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!)
In terms of the Zwift Ride Ad I’m not sure that it’s actually gameplay from the iPad. It could be a video recording being played directly on the iPad, or screen replacing editing in post.
Oh yes, for sure it’s in post (see motion blur on everything else). I’m just suggesting it’s evidence that Zwift does in fact value both mobile hardware and their game visuals. Just not together. People who use the accessible hardware setup presented get an arbitrarily lesser experience.
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Great work pulling all this together. However this will be ignored by Zwift because they have ZERO interest in making the their game look better on Apple devices. Their latest IPad update was completely laughable, no one was even aware it had been updated.
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Fully agree that Zwift have got their priorities right. Ridiculous to be complaining about not getting top notch visual quality when your commitment to getting the best viewing experience is a 12" tablet positioned at arms length.
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Thanks, but I think it’s still worth discussing, and replies and votes here might help pull some attention eventually. It’s worth noting Zwift has started tagging these threads in a way that makes me wonder if they might be tracking the issue - or maybe, as you’re alluding, they think it’s resolved after the recent resolution bump? (In any case, some communication would be well appreciated!)
Not sure I understand this reasoning. Some people run Zwift on a 15” laptop 10 feet away - does that mean Zwift should limit all PCs to 30fps? If you’ve never tried it, a 13” tablet mounted to your handlebars actually takes up a fair percentage of your vision, and makes the blocky textures, poor lighting, and crappy frame rate very apparent. It’s also worth noting that tablets, phones, and Macs are perfectly capable of connecting or streaming to any display (though I think the iPad’s dual-OLED is one of the best displays I’ve seen).
Desktop PCs aren’t exactly a booming market, and would just like to think some of my $20/month might go toward allowing Zwift to run well on all platforms.
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Who said ‘Desktop PC’ - not me. Plenty of laptops come with proper graphics cards (mine hosts an Nvidia RTX 3050 and is used with a 24-inch monitor) - and the Zwift visual experience was part of the reason for choosing it (You’ve rocked up to a road race on a mountain bike and are now complaining that your gears keep spinning out - I deliberately picked a racing bike).
Hi,
Apple just released the new series of Mac with an M4 chip, like the new MacMini, which at 700euro is an excellent sweet price for a small dedicated device.
I saw there was some thread in the past to support M4 on iPads, and I think that even M1 or M2 are not fully supported and give the “ultra” graphic. Any idea if that is coming eventually?
The Mac Mini should get the High profile which to me looks quite good even compared to Ultra, much better than what you get with any tablet or phone or Apple TV. It also won’t be capped at 30fps and relatively low resolution, so it’s already a decent option. I haven’t heard whether Ultra is really coming or not for devices without a discrete GPU but we do know that they test it periodically to see how it performs.
Well my apologies - I know what it’s like when people overlook the power of your small-screen devices 
An RTX 3050 is about as powerful as an M4 from the benchmarks I can find. So I’d say it’s more like we’ve both shown up to the supermarket of Zwift in our monster trucks and even though they’re overkill I’m for some reason restricted to a single bag of groceries. Would just like to see all platforms be able to perform to their fullest!
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