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Apple A14 Bionic vs Apple A15 Bionic vs Apple A18

Apple A14 Bionic

► remove from comparison Apple A14

The Apple A14 Bionic is a System on a Chip (SoC) from Apple that is found in the iPhone 12 and iPad Air (2020) models. It was announced late 2020 and offers 6 cores divided in 2 performance cores (Firestorm) and four power efficiency cores (Icestorm). Apple states that the A14 offers a 40 percent higher CPU performance than the old A12 in the iPad Air 2019. That should translate to a modest gain of around 20% compared to the Apple A13. The A14 integrates a fast 4-core-GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine that is able to reach a maximum of 11 TOPS. The memory controller supports LPDDR4X and 4 or 6 GB are directly above the chip (package on package - PoP).

The chip is manufactured in 5nm and integrates 11.8 billion transistors.

Apple A15 Bionic

► remove from comparison Apple A15

The Apple A15 Bionic is a System on a Chip (SoC) from Apple that is found in the iPhone 13 and iPad Mini (2021) models. It was announced late 2021 and offers 6 cores divided in 2 performance cores and four power efficiency cores. The CPU performance increases only slightly compared to the A14, but GPU (in the higher end models) offers higher gains.

The chip is manufactured in 5nm and integrates 15.8 billion transistors (compared to the 11.8 of the A14).

Apple A18

► remove from comparison Apple A18

The Apple A18 is a powerful smartphone processor and formal successor to the A16. This new member of the Apple A processor series debuted in September 2024 alongside the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus; it features 2 performance cores and 4 efficient cores along with a 35 TOPS NPU and the 5-core A18 GPU.

The chip is normally paired with 8 GB of RAM. It is said to be in large part based on the v9.2A ARM microarchitecture for near-Apple M4 IPC. 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, various satellite navigation systems and NFC are all supported here.

The more expensive A18 Pro SoC has the same 2 P-cores and 4 E-cores running at slightly higher clock speeds; its graphics adapter is on the other hand significantly faster than what the A18 has. Another crucial little detail is that USB 3.x support is either missing, or disabled somehow on the A18 for USB 2.0 speeds only whereas the A18 Pro has no such issue.

Performance

Multi-threaded benchmarks put it in the same ballpark as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and the Dimensity 9300. As expected from Apple, the A-series processor delivers breathtaking single-thread performance that just about matches the significantly more power-hungry Apple M3 chip. This suggests the P-cores can almost hit the 4 GHz mark when required.

Graphics

Like any modern graphics adapter, the 5-core A18 GPU is RT-enabled. It delivers benchmark scores that are most comparable to the G715 MP11 and the G615 MP6.

Power consumption

It appears the chip is able to briefly consume up to about 9 W when under high load, with average sustained power consumption figures hovering around 3-4 W.

The pretty modern TSMC N3E manufacturing process makes the A-series chip very power-efficient, as of late 2024.

ModelApple A14 BionicApple A15 BionicApple A18
CodenameFirestorm, Icestorm
SeriesApple Apple A-SeriesApple Apple A-SeriesApple Apple A-Series
Clock1800 - 3100 MHz2020 - 3230 MHz <=3800 MHz
L2 Cache12 MB16 MB4 MB
L3 Cache16 MB32 MB
Cores / Threads6 / 66 / 66 / 6
2 x Apple A18 P-Core
4 x 4.0 GHz Apple A18 E-Core
Transistors11800 Million15800 Million
Technology5 nm5 nm3 nm
FeaturesARMv8 Instruction Set, Machine Learning Controller, 16-Core Neural Engine, Secure Enclave, Advanced Image Signal ProcessorARMv8 Instruction Set, Machine Learning Controller, 16-Core Neural Engine, Secure Enclave, Advanced Image Signal Processor16-core Neural Engine, USB 2.0 (480 Mbps)
iGPUApple A14 Bionic GPUApple A15 GPU 5-CoreApple A18 GPU
ArchitectureARMARMARM
Announced
Series: Apple A-Series
Apple A18 Pro - 4 GHz6 / 6 cores
Apple A18 - 3.8 GHz6 / 6 cores
Apple A15 Bionic « 2.02 - 3.23 GHz6 / 6 cores32 MB L3
Apple A12 Bionic - 2.49 GHz6 / 6 cores
Apple A6x1.4 GHzcores
Apple A61 GHzcores
Apple A18 Pro - 4 GHz6 / 6 cores
Apple A18 « - 3.8 GHz6 / 6 cores
Apple A15 Bionic2.02 - 3.23 GHz6 / 6 cores32 MB L3
Apple A12 Bionic - 2.49 GHz6 / 6 cores
Apple A6x1.4 GHzcores
Apple A61 GHzcores
TDP Turbo PL29 Watt

Benchmarks

3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited Physics
100%
1 A14 +
min: 38650     avg: 39042     median: 39161.5 (32%)     max: 39194 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Physics
100%
1 A14 +
min: 2631     avg: 2892     median: 2890 (27%)     max: 3187 Points
66%
1 A15 +
min: 1852     avg: 2027     median: 1913 (18%)     max: 2307 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Sling Shot (ES 3.0) Unlimited Physics
100%
1 A14 +
min: 2622     avg: 2953     median: 3053 (35%)     max: 3084 Points
Geekbench 6.3 - Geekbench 6.3 Single-Core
100%
1 A15 +
2332 Points (59%)
140%
1 A18 +
min: 3149     avg: 3263     median: 3263 (83%)     max: 3377 Points
Geekbench 6.3 - Geekbench 6.3 Multi-Core
100%
1 A15 +
5661 Points (22%)
142%
1 A18 +
min: 7663     avg: 8013     median: 8012.5 (31%)     max: 8362 Points
Geekbench 5.5 - Geekbench 5.1 - 5.5 64 Bit Single-Core
100%
A14 +
min: 1326     avg: 1549     median: 1588.5 (62%)     max: 1604 Points
109%
A15 +
min: 1590     avg: 1723     median: 1734 (68%)     max: 1755 Points
146%
A18 +
2327 Points (91%)
Geekbench 5.5 - Geekbench 5.1 - 5.5 64 Bit Multi-Core
100%
A14 +
min: 3476     avg: 4019     median: 4093.5 (7%)     max: 4334 Points
117%
A15 +
min: 4559     avg: 4755     median: 4788 (9%)     max: 4914 Points
150%
A18 +
6130 Points (11%)
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Kraken 1.1 Total Score *
100%
A14 +
min: 459.6     avg: 476.6     median: 462.8 (1%)     max: 547 ms
103%
A15 +
min: 413.6     avg: 455.6     median: 451 (1%)     max: 507.3 ms
161%
A18 +
min: 284.5     avg: 287.4     median: 287.4 (0%)     max: 290.2 ms
Sunspider - Sunspider 1.0 Total Score *
100%
1 A14 +
min: 85.6     avg: 85.9     median: 85.9 (1%)     max: 86.1 ms
111%
1 A15 +
77 ms (1%)
Octane V2 - Octane V2 Total Score
100%
A14 +
min: 55710     avg: 58132     median: 58528 (49%)     max: 59963 Points
109%
A15 +
min: 57143     avg: 63305     median: 64026.5 (53%)     max: 65969 Points
159%
A18 +
min: 90158     avg: 93106     median: 93106 (78%)     max: 96054 Points
WebXPRT 4 - WebXPRT 4 Score
100%
A14 +
147 Points (40%)
128%
A15 +
min: 188     avg: 188.3     median: 188 (52%)     max: 189 Points
179%
A18 +
263 Points (72%)
WebXPRT 3 - WebXPRT 3 Score
100%
1 A14 +
min: 191     avg: 196.3     median: 193.5 (35%)     max: 214 Points
129%
1 A15 +
min: 219     avg: 254.3     median: 250 (45%)     max: 279 Points
AnTuTu v8 - AnTuTu v8 UX
100%
1 A14 +
min: 64361     avg: 86794     median: 91444 (76%)     max: 96435 Points
AnTuTu v8 - AnTuTu v8 MEM
100%
1 A14 +
min: 83561     avg: 98724     median: 98475 (79%)     max: 113467 Points
AnTuTu v8 - AnTuTu v8 GPU
100%
1 A14 +
min: 211292     avg: 242531     median: 240861 (44%)     max: 264957 Points
AnTuTu v8 - AnTuTu v8 CPU
100%
1 A14 +
min: 123814     avg: 152893     median: 149088 (54%)     max: 179419 Points
AnTuTu v8 - AnTuTu v8 Total Score
100%
1 A14 +
min: 510245     avg: 580942     median: 569468 (55%)     max: 647374 Points
Antutu v9 - AnTuTu v9 Total Score
100%
1 A14 +
min: 691084     avg: 725392     median: 708280 (34%)     max: 776812 Points
113%
1 A15 +
min: 722973     avg: 788523     median: 800415 (39%)     max: 832548 Points
Antutu v9 - AnTuTu v9 CPU
100%
1 A14 +
min: 189239     avg: 198226     median: 194080 (48%)     max: 211360 Points
108%
1 A15 +
min: 192891     avg: 209810     median: 209802 (52%)     max: 227638 Points
Antutu v10 - AnTuTu v10 Total Score
100%
1 A18 +
min: 1419440     avg: 1525880     median: 1525870 (51%)     max: 1632300 Points
Antutu v10 - AnTuTu v10 CPU
100%
1 A18 +
min: 367061     avg: 397748     median: 397748 (12%)     max: 428435 Points
PassMark PerformanceTest Mobile V1 - PerformanceTest Mobile V1 CPU Tests
100%
A14 +
44785 Points (6%)
23%
A15 +
min: 10349     avg: 10411     median: 10410.5 (1%)     max: 10472 Points
28%
A18 +
12600 Points (2%)
CrossMark - CrossMark Overall
100%
A14 +
min: 987     avg: 1002     median: 1000 (37%)     max: 1022 Points
115%
A15 +
min: 1132     avg: 1156     median: 1145 (43%)     max: 1190 Points
145%
A18 +
min: 1407     avg: 1450     median: 1449.5 (54%)     max: 1492 Points
Power Consumption - Geekbench 5.5 Power Consumption 150cd *
100%
1 A14 +
7.3 Watt (3%)
168%
1 A18 +
min: 3.8     avg: 4.4     median: 4.4 (2%)     max: 4.91 Watt
Power Consumption - Idle Power Consumption 150cd 1min *
100%
1 A14 +
3.1 Watt (3%)
390%
1 A18 +
min: 0.693     avg: 0.8     median: 0.8 (1%)     max: 0.873 Watt

Average Benchmarks Apple A14 Bionic → 100% n=7

Average Benchmarks Apple A15 Bionic → 101% n=7

Average Benchmarks Apple A18 → 138% n=7

- Range of benchmark values for this graphics card
red legend - Average benchmark values for this graphics card
* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance
1 This benchmark is not used for the average calculation

v1.28
log 14. 06:33:05

#0 ran 0s before starting gpusingle class +0s ... 0s

#1 checking url part for id 12759 +0s ... 0s

#2 checking url part for id 13825 +0s ... 0s

#3 checking url part for id 18007 +0s ... 0s

#4 redirected to Ajax server, took 1739511184s time from redirect:1 +0s ... 0s

#5 did not recreate cache, as it is less than 5 days old! Created at Thu, 13 Feb 2025 10:56:05 +0100 +0s ... 0s

#6 composed specs +0.008s ... 0.008s

#7 did output specs +0s ... 0.008s

#8 getting avg benchmarks for device 12759 +0.001s ... 0.008s

#9 got single benchmarks 12759 +0.007s ... 0.015s

#10 getting avg benchmarks for device 13825 +0.001s ... 0.016s

#11 got single benchmarks 13825 +0.007s ... 0.023s

#12 getting avg benchmarks for device 18007 +0.001s ... 0.023s

#13 got single benchmarks 18007 +0.004s ... 0.027s

#14 got avg benchmarks for devices +0s ... 0.027s

#15 min, max, avg, median took s +0.022s ... 0.049s

#16 return log +0s ... 0.049s

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Benchmarks / Tech > Processor Comparison - Head 2 Head
Redaktion, 2017-09- 8 (Update: 2023-07- 1)