On the coronary heart of each Apple gadget is an Apple processor. Apple has been utilizing its personal chips in its iPhones and iPads for greater than a decade, whereas Apple silicon within the Mac is already in its fourth technology.
What’s exceptional about Apple silicon is its efficiency and energy effectivity. However all chips aren’t created equally. Understanding the efficiency variations between every chip will assist along with your shopping for choices, particularly while you’re deciding between iPhone 16 or MacBook fashions. Understanding how every chip performs offers you a greater thought of what merchandise to purchase and whether or not or not it’s value your cash to step as much as a better mannequin.
Let’s check out how the brand new processors evaluate with the remainder of the processors within the iPhone, iPad, and Mac lineup and see how every performs and what meaning to you. For the sake of consistency, we’ve used Geekbench 6 benchmarks. Right here’s each chip and the way the benchmarks evaluate with one another.
Replace November 13, 2024: Added benchmarks for the M4 chips.
Each present processor in contrast
Outcomes are scores. Greater scores/longer bars are quicker. Chips on this chart are at present obtainable in Apple gadgets.
Earlier than we get into the person processors, let’s let the chips fall the place they might. Within the above chart, we’ve solely included chips which might be in Apple’s present product lineups for the sake of retaining the chart manageable. The Mac part beneath contains the entire chips, from the M1 to the present chip. In the event you’re searching for scores of chips which might be not being utilized in Apple’s energetic iPhone or iPad lineups (such because the A12 Bionic), try the Geekbench Browser.
It’s a considerably predictable chart, with the quickest Mac chips on the high, adopted by a mixture of iPads and iPhones. However there are nonetheless some fascinating outcomes: house owners of the iPad Professional can say their pill is about as quick as a MacBook Air and that wouldn’t be a lot of a attain. And the distinction between the $399 iPhone SE and the $899 iPhone 14 isn’t as large as their value distinction signifies.
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Examine how Apple’s M sequence processors evaluate to Intel in our Mac processor information.
iPhone processors
Outcomes are scores. Greater scores/longer bars are quicker. Chips on this chart are at present obtainable in Apple gadgets.
Let’s take a look at the specs of the iPhones at present in Apple’s lineup so we will perceive the variations between them.
| Processor | Efficiency cores | Effectivity cores | Graphics cores | Neural Engine | Reminiscence | Thermal Design Energy | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A18 Professional | 2 at 4.04GHz | 4 at 2.2GHz | 6 | 16-core | 8GB | 10W | iPhone 16 Professional iPhone 16 Professional Max |
| A18 | 2 at 4.04GHz | 4 at 2.2GHz | 5 | 16-core | 8GB | 9W | iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus |
| A16 Bionic | 2 at 3.46GHz | 4 at 2.02GHz | 5 | 16-core | 8GB | 6W | iPhone 15 |
| A15 Bionic | 2 at 3.22GHz | 4 at 1.82GHz | 5 | 16-core | 8GB | 6W | iPhone 14 |
| A15 Bionic | 2 at 3.22GHz | 4 at 1.82GHz | 4 | 16-core | 8GB | 6W | iPhone SE |
Not surprisingly, the A18 Professional within the iPhone 16 Professional is the quickest. The distinction between the A18 Professional and the A18 within the iPhone 16 is that the A18 has one fewer GPU core.
The iPhone 14 and iPhone SE each have an A15 Bionic processor, however the iPhone 14 has yet another GPU core than the iPhone 13, so it presents higher graphics efficiency.
iPad processors
Outcomes are scores. Greater scores/longer bars are quicker. Chart contains chips in discontinued Apple gadgets.
The staggered launch of Apple’s iPad lineup creates an odd-looking efficiency order of CPU and its gadget.
| Processor | Efficiency cores | Effectivity cores | Graphics cores | Neural Engine | Reminiscence | Transistors | Thermal Design Energy | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M4 | 4 at 4.4GHz | 6 at 2.85 | 10 | 16-core | 16GB | 28 billion | 20W | 13″ & 11″ iPad Professional |
| M4 | 3 at 4.4GHz | 6 at 2.85 | 10 | 16-core | 8GB | 28 billion | 20W | 13″ & 11″ iPad Professional |
| M2 | 4 at 3.49GHz | 4 at 2.06GHz | 9 | 16-core | 8GB | 20 billion | 15W | 13″ & 11″ iPad Air |
| A17 Professional | 2 at 3.78GHz | 4 at 2.11GHz | 5 | 16-core | 8GB | 19 billion | 8W | iPad mini |
| A14 Bionic | 2 at 3.1GHz | 4 at 1.8GHz | 4 | 16-core | 6GB | 11.8 billion | 6W | iPad (Tenth gen) |
| A13 Bionic | 2 at 2.66GHz | 4 at 1.6GHz | 4 | 8-core | 4GB | 8.5 billion | 6W | iPad (ninth gen) |
The M4-equipped iPad Professionals are the quickest fashions, and the hole between them and the iPad and iPad mini is important. Moreover, the M4 is 1.5 occasions quicker than the M2 that it changed within the earlier iPad Professionals and is within the present iPad Air.
The Tenth-gen iPad that was launched within the fall of 2022 has an A14 Bionic, an improve from the A13 Bionic within the earlier mannequin. Apple says the brand new Tenth-gen iPad presents a 20 % CPU enhance and a ten % graphics improve.
Mac processors
Outcomes are scores. Greater scores/longer bars are quicker. Chart contains chips in discontinued Apple gadgets.
With Apple’s M-series of chips for the Mac, the corporate’s launch schedule includes the bottom model within the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Professional, Mac mini, and iMac. Apple then modifies it to create higher-end variations.
The most recent M-Sequence chip is the M4, which was launched with the brand new iMac, Mac mini, and the MacBook Professional within the fall of 2024. The M4 Professional and Max have been additionally launched within the MacBook Professional, changing the M3 Professional and Max in these laptops. The M3 Extremely has not been launched, so the Mac Studio and Mac Professional nonetheless use the M2 Extremely. The MacBook Air makes use of the M3 chip.
| Processor | Efficiency cores | Effectivity cores | Graphics cores | Neural Engine | Base reminiscence | Transistors | Thermal Design Energy | Gadget |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M2 Extremely | 16 at 3.49GHz | 8 at 2.4GHz | 76 | 32-core | 64GB | 134 billion | 60W | Mac Studio, Mac Professional |
| M2 Extremely | 16 at 3.49GHz | 8 at 2.4GHz | 60 | 32-core | 64GB | 134 billion | 60W | Mac Studio, Mac Professional |
| M4 Max | 12 at 4.52GHz | 4 at 2.59GHz | 40 | 16-core | 48GB | 70W | 14″ & 16″ MacBook Professional | |
| M4 Max | 10 at 4.52GHz | 4 at 2.59GHz | 32 | 16-core | 36GB | 62W | 14″ & 16″ MacBook Professional | |
| M2 Max | 8 at 3.7GHz | 4 at 2.4GHz | 38 | 16-core | 32GB | 67 billion | 30W | Mac Studio |
| M2 Max | 8 at 3.7GHz | 4 at 2.4GHz | 30 | 16-core | 32GB | 67 billion | 30W | Mac Studio |
| M4 Professional | 10 at 4.52GHz | 4 at 2.59GHz | 20 | 16-core | 24GB | 46W | 14″ & 16″ MacBook Professional. Mac mini | |
| M4 Professional | 8 at 4.52GHz | 4 at 2.59GHz | 16 | 16-core | 24GB | 38W | 14″ MacBook Professional, Mac mini | |
| M4 | 4 at 4.41GHz | 6 at 2.59GHz | 10 | 16-core | 16GB | 28 billion | 22W | iMac, 14″ MacBook Professional |
| M4 | 4 at 4.41GHz | 4 at 2.59GHz | 8 | 16-core | 16GB | 28 billion | 20W | iMac |
| M2 | 4 at 3.49GHz | 4 at 2.4GHz | 8 | 16-core | 16GB | 20 billion | 15W | 13″ MacBook Air |
The M4 Max is a beast of a chip, blazing in each CPU and GPU efficiency. The M2 Extremely is within the Mac Professional, which has PCIe growth slots. In the event you don’t want such slots, you possibly can go for an M2 Extremely Mac Studio. The M2 Extremely is quick, but it surely’s a two-year-old chip now surpassed by the M4 Professional and Max. The Mac Professional and Mac Studio are rumored to get the brand new M4 Extremely chip in 2025.
The chip that began all of it, the great ol’ M1, could seem sluggish in comparison with Apple’s extra present chips—however that’s to not undermine Apple’s authentic Mac processor. Keep in mind, the M1 blows previous the Intel processors it changed, leading to a major value/efficiency worth.