A18 Pro vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: GPU benchmark results show Apple's new chipset is not superior
The A18 and A18 Pro on the new iPhone 16 series deliver identical CPU performance, with both chipsets significantly outscoring the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 on Geekbench. The Qualcomm chipset already performs better than the A17 Pro, and it appears the A18 Pro doesn't necessarily bridge that gap either.
As tested by S White Review, the A18 Pro manages a score of 4410 on 3DMark's Wildlife Extreme Unlimited test. The vanilla A18 scores 3829, while last year's A17 Pro does 3665. All of those pale in comparison to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, though, which scores 5056. The Dimensity 9300+ is even more impressive, too, with a score of 5440.
It's an identical story on GFXBench's Aztec Ruin 1440p test, where the A18 Pro only records a frame rate of 73 FPS, much weaker compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3's 94 FPS. The Apple chipset consumes less power overall, though, with a power draw of 11.5 W versus the Qualcomm chipset's 13.7 W.
All things considered, the Apple A18 Pro offers worse GPU performance than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. That's exacerbated, of course, by the fact that the A18 Pro's actual rival is the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. The Qualcomm chipset is tipped to feature a significantly upgraded GPU relative to the Qualcomm 8 Gen 3's Adreno 750, further widening the gap between Qualcomm's best and the A18 Pro.
On a side note, while the A18 Pro GPU fails to catch up to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3's in terms of raw power, the Apple chipset does perform better in ray tracing tests like 3DMark's Solar Bay.
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