At the heart of every Apple device is an Apple processor. Apple has been using its own chips in its iPhones and iPads for some time, while the Mac line has completed its transition to Intel chips. Every product Apple makes is powered by a chip developed in-house.
What’s remarkable about Apple silicon is its performance and power efficiency. But not all chips are created equal. Understanding the performance differences between each chip will help you with your purchasing decisions, especially when choosing between the iPhone 16 or MacBook models. Knowing the performance of each chip gives you a better idea of which products to buy and whether or not it’s worth upgrading to a higher model.
Let’s take a look at how the new processors compare to the rest of the processors in the iPhone, iPad, and Mac lineup and see how each performs and what that means for you. For consistency, we used Geekbench 6 benchmarks. Here’s each chip and how the benchmarks compare to each other.
Updated October 10, 2024: Added references for the A18 Pro and the A18 for the new iPhone 16 range.
Comparison of all current processors
The results are scores. Higher scores/longer bars are faster. The chips in this table are currently available on Apple devices.
Before we get into individual processors, let’s let the chips fall where they may. In the table above, we’ve only included chips that are part of Apple’s current product lines in order to keep the table manageable.
It’s a somewhat predictable chart, with the fastest Mac chips at the top, followed by a mix of iPads and iPhones. But there are still some fascinating results: iPad Pro owners can say that their tablet is about as fast as a MacBook Air and that wouldn’t be very accessible. And the difference between the $399 iPhone SE and the $899 iPhone 14 isn’t as huge as their price difference suggests.
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Find out how Apple’s M1 and M2 processors compare to Intel in our Mac processor guide.
iPhone processors
The results are scores. Higher scores/longer bars are faster. The chips in this table are currently available on Apple devices.
Let’s take a look at the specifications of the iPhones currently in Apple’s lineup to understand the differences between them.
| Processor | Performance kernels | Cores of efficiency | Graphics kernels | Neural engine | Memory | Thermal Design Power | Devices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A18 Pro | 2 to 4.04 GHz | 4 to 2.2 GHz | 6 | 16 hearts | 8 GB | 10W | iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max |
| A18 | 2 to 4.04 GHz | 4 to 2.2 GHz | 5 | 16 hearts | 8 GB | 9W | iPhone16 iPhone 16 Plus |
| A16 bionic | 2 to 3.46 GHz | 4 to 2.02 GHz | 5 | 16 hearts | 8 GB | 6W | iPhone15 |
| A15 Bionic | 2 to 3.22 GHz | 4 to 1.82 GHz | 5 | 16 hearts | 8 GB | 6W | iPhone14 |
| A15 Bionic | 2 to 3.22 GHz | 4 to 1.82 GHz | 4 | 16 hearts | 8 GB | 6W | iPhone SE |
Unsurprisingly, the iPhone 16 Pro’s A18 Pro is the fastest. The difference between the A18 Pro and the A18 in the iPhone 16 is that the A18 has one fewer GPU core.
Both the iPhone 14 and iPhone SE have an A15 Bionic processor, but the iPhone 14 has one more GPU core than the iPhone 13, so it offers better graphics performance.
iPad processors
The results are scores. Higher scores/longer bars are faster. The chart includes chips from discontinued Apple devices.
The staggered release of Apple’s iPad line creates a strange order of performance between the processor and its device.
| Performance kernels | Cores of efficiency | Graphics kernels | Neural engine | Memory | Transistors | Thermal Design Power | Devices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 to 4.4 GHz | 6 at 2:85 | 10 | 16 hearts | 16 GB | 28 billion | 20W | iPad Pro 13″ and 11″ |
| 3 to 4.4 GHz | 6 at 2:85 | 10 | 16 hearts | 8 GB | 28 billion | 20W | iPad Pro 13″ and 11″ |
| 4 to 3.49 GHz | 4 to 2.06 GHz | 9 | 16 hearts | 8 GB | 20 billion | 15W | iPad Air 13″ and 11″ |
| 2 to 2.93 GHz | 4 to 1.82 GHz | 5 | 16 hearts | 8 GB | 15 billion | 6W | iPadmini |
| 2 to 3.1 GHz | 4 to 1.8 GHz | 4 | 16 hearts | 6 GB | 11.8 billion | 6W | iPad (10th generation) |
| 2 to 2.66 GHz | 4 to 1.6 GHz | 4 | 8 hearts | 4GB | 8.5 billion | 6W | iPad (9th generation) |
The M4-equipped iPad Pros are the fastest models, and the gap between them and the iPad and iPad mini is significant. Additionally, the M4 is 1.5 times faster than the M2 that it replaced in previous iPad Pros and is found in the current iPad Air.
The new 10th generation iPad released in fall 2022 features an A14 Bionic, an upgrade from the previous model’s A13 Bionic. Apple says the new 10th generation iPad offers a 20% CPU boost and a 10% graphics boost.
Mac processors
The results are scores. Higher scores/longer bars are faster. The chart includes chips from discontinued Apple devices.
With Apple’s M series of chips for Macs, the company’s release schedule involves the base version of the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac. Apple then modifies it to create more high-end versions.
The latest chip in the M series is the M3, which launched with the new iMac and MacBook Pro in fall 2023. The M3 Pro and Max were also launched in the MacBook Pro, replacing the M2 Pro and Max in these laptops. The M3 Ultra hasn’t been released, so Mac Studio and Mac Pro still use the M2 Ultra.
| Processor | Performance kernels | Cores of efficiency | Graphics kernels | Neural engine | Basic memory | Transistors | Thermal Design Power | Device |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M2 Ultra | 16 to 3.49 GHz | 8 to 2.4 GHz | 76 | 32 hearts | 64 GB | 134 billion | 60W | Mac Studio, Mac Pro |
| M2 Ultra | 16 to 3.49 GHz | 8 to 2.4 GHz | 60 | 32 hearts | 64 GB | 134 billion | 60W | Mac Studio, Mac Pro |
| M3 Max | 12 to 3.7 GHz | 4 to 2.4 GHz | 40 | 16 hearts | 36 GB | 92 billion | 30W | MacBook Pro 14″ and 16″ |
| M3 Max | 10 to 3.7 GHz | 4 to 2.4 GHz | 30 | 16 hearts | 36 GB | 92 billion | 30W | MacBook Pro 14″ and 16″ |
| M2 maximum | 8 to 3.7 GHz | 4 to 2.4 GHz | 38 | 16 hearts | 32 GB | 67 billion | 30W | Mac Studio |
| M2 maximum | 8 to 3.7 GHz | 4 to 2.4 GHz | 30 | 16 hearts | 32 GB | 67 billion | 30W | Mac Studio |
| M3 Pro | 6 to 3.7 GHz | 6 to 2.4 GHz | 18 | 16 hearts | 18 GB | 37 billion | 30W | MacBook Pro 14″ and 16″ |
| M3 Pro | 5 to 3.7 GHz | 6 to 2.4 GHz | 14 | 16 hearts | 18 GB | 37 billion | 30W | MacBook Pro 14″ |
| M3 | 4 to 3.7 GHz | 4 to 2.4 GHz | 10 | 16 hearts | 8 GB | 25 billion | 15W | iMac, MacBook Pro 14″ |
| M3 | 4 to 3.7 GHz | 4 to 2.4 GHz | 8 | 16 hearts | 8 GB | 25 billion | 15W | iMac |
| M2 | 4 to 3.49 GHz | 4 to 2.4 GHz | 8 | 16 hearts | 8 GB | 20 billion | 15W | MacBook Air 13″ |
The M2 Ultra is a beast of a chip, blazing in terms of CPU and GPU performance. The M2 Ultra is present in the Mac Pro, which has PCIe expansion slots. If you don’t need such slots, you can opt for an M2 Ultra Mac Studio. The M2 Max Mac Studio offers a nice combination of price and performance.
The chip that started it all, the good old M1, may seem slow compared to Apple’s newer chips, but that doesn’t mean Apple’s original Mac processor is compromised. Remember, the M1 outperforms the Intel processors it replaced, resulting in a significant price/performance ratio.
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