Apple A10 Fusion vs Apple M3

The Apple A10 Fusion (codename A10) was manufactured in 2016 using the 10 nm process and was Apple's processor for mobile devices such as iPhones and iPads.

It was aimed at users who sought balanced performance for everyday mobile tasks. It features a quad-core architecture with two high-performance and two energy-efficient cores. The L2 cache is 3 MB, the L3 cache is 4 MB, and the maximum memory bandwidth is 26 GB/s. In single-core applications, the Apple A10 Fusion offers a basic measured performance.

In multi-core applications, it delivers solid performance for common mobile applications. The integrated graphics unit is sufficient for older and less demanding mobile games. As a mobile processor, it is designed for high energy efficiency. A current price/performance evaluation is not directly possible, as it is no longer built into new devices.

The Apple M3 (codename M3) was manufactured by Apple at the end of 2023 using the advanced 3 nm process and is designed for current Mac models such as iMacs and MacBooks.

It targets users who need high performance and energy efficiency for demanding tasks. The M3 typically has 8 cores (four high-performance and four efficiency cores) and features a 20 MB L2 cache. The maximum memory bandwidth is 102 GB/s and it supports PCIe 4.0. In single-core operation, the Apple M3 delivers significantly superior performance.

In multi-core applications, it also shows considerably higher performance compared to older generations. The integrated graphics unit (Apple M3 (10 Core)) offers significantly higher performance for demanding gaming and graphics-intensive applications. Thanks to 3 nm manufacturing, the M3 is extremely energy-efficient, leading to low power consumption and good heat dissipation.

It offers excellent performance per watt in modern Apple devices.