Apple hits it out of the park with its M1 SoC - first reviews are in

The first reviews of Apple's M1-based computers have dropped and they're in-line with the numbers we saw the last couple of days on social media! For Apple's first attempt at a computer processor, and this being a low-end model with integrated graphics, the performance is truly stunning.

You can check out AnandTech's test over here, the site tested the new Mac mini. The conclusion is that Apple's M1 SoC is significantly faster than Intel-based Macs, but not as fast as AMD's most powerful offerings. Performance for applications that haven't been ported yet to native Apple silicon is also very good as even while using Apple's Rosetta2 to emulate x86-64, the M1 is still plenty fast.

Additionally, Apple's in-house GPU is also remarkably fast. It scores on par with systems equipped with the discrete NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 and AMD Radeon RX 560X. All this is achieved at a very good performance-per-Watt too.

AnandTech says the M1 is a game-changer:

What’s really important for the general public and Apple’s success is the fact that the performance of the M1 doesn’t feel any different than if you were using a very high-end Intel or AMD CPU. Apple achieving this in-house with their own design is a paradigm shift, and in the future will allow them to achieve a certain level of software-hardware vertical integration that just hasn’t been seen before and isn’t achieved yet by anybody else.

The Verge tested the M1 based MacBook Air and concludes it's the most impressive laptop seen in years. In terms of battery life, the new MacBook Air lasts longer than most other laptops in its class. With real-life use, which includes Rosetta 2 translation, the reviewer gets about eight to ten hours of battery life. He says that's almost 50 percent better than the previous MacBook Air.

There are more reviews if you want to learn more but this first computer processor from Apple has definitely exceeded all expectations. It's almost absurd to see it executing x86 code via Rosetta2 emulation faster than native x86 CPUs from Intel.