Apple A12 Bionic vs Apple A14 Bionic
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CPU comparison with benchmarks
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| Apple A12 Bionic | Apple A14 Bionic | |
CPU comparisonApple A12 Bionic or Apple A14 Bionic - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results.
The Apple A12 Bionic has 6 cores with 6 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 2.49 GHz. Up to 4 GB of memory is supported in 1 memory channels. The Apple A12 Bionic was released in Q3/2018. The Apple A14 Bionic has 6 cores with 6 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.00 GHz. The CPU supports up to 6 GB of memory in 1 memory channels. The Apple A14 Bionic was released in Q3/2020. |
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| Apple A series (22) | Family | Apple A series (22) |
| Apple A12/A12X/A12Z (3) | CPU group | Apple A14 (1) |
| 12 | Generation | 14 |
| A12 | Architecture | A14 (Firestorm/Icestorm) |
| Mobile | Segment | Mobile |
| Apple A11 Bionic | Predecessor | Apple A13 Bionic |
| Apple A13 Bionic | Successor | Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) |
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CPU Cores and Base FrequencyThe Apple A12 Bionic has 6 CPU cores and can calculate 6 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Apple A12 Bionic is 2.49 GHz while the Apple A14 Bionic has 6 CPU cores and 6 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the Apple A14 Bionic is at 3.00 GHz. |
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| Apple A12 Bionic | Characteristic | Apple A14 Bionic |
| 6 | Cores | 6 |
| 6 | Threads | 6 |
| hybrid (big.LITTLE) | Core architecture | hybrid (big.LITTLE) |
| No | Hyperthreading | No |
| No | Overclocking ? | No |
| 2.49 GHz 2x Vortex |
A-Core | 3.00 GHz 2x Firestorm |
| 1.59 GHz 4x Tempest |
B-Core | 1.82 GHz 4x Icestorm |
Artificial Intelligence and Machine LearningProcessors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor. |
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| Apple A12 Bionic | Characteristic | Apple A14 Bionic |
| Apple Neural Engine | AI hardware | Apple Neural Engine |
| 8 Neural cores @ 5 TOPS | AI specifications | 16 Neural cores @ 11 TOPS |
Internal GraphicsThe Apple A12 Bionic or Apple A14 Bionic has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short. The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die. |
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| Apple A12 | GPU | Apple A14 |
| 1.13 GHz | GPU frequency | 1.46 GHz |
| -- | GPU (Turbo) | -- |
| 9 | GPU Generation | 11 |
| 7 nm | Technology | 5 nm |
| 1 | Max. displays | 3 |
| 16 | Compute units | 16 |
| 256 | Shader | 256 |
| No | Hardware Raytracing | No |
| No | Frame Generation | No |
| 4 GB | Max. GPU Memory | 6 GB |
| -- | DirectX Version | -- |
Hardware codec supportA photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos. |
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| Apple A12 | GPU | Apple A14 |
| Decode / Encode | Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) | Decode / Encode |
| Decode / Encode | Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) | Decode / Encode |
| Decode / Encode | Codec h264 | Decode / Encode |
| Decode / Encode | Codec VP9 | Decode / Encode |
| Decode / Encode | Codec VP8 | Decode / Encode |
| No | Codec AV1 | No |
| Decode | Codec AVC | Decode |
| Decode | Codec VC-1 | Decode |
| Decode / Encode | Codec JPEG | Decode / Encode |
Memory & PCIeThe Apple A12 Bionic can use up to 4 GB of memory in 1 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 34.1 GB/s. The Apple A14 Bionic supports up to 6 GB of memory in 1 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 34.1 GB/s. |
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| Apple A12 Bionic | Characteristic | Apple A14 Bionic |
| LPDDR4X-4266 | Memory | LPDDR4X-4266 |
| 4 GB | Max. Memory | 6 GB |
| 1 (Single Channel) | Memory channels | 1 (Single Channel) |
| 34.1 GB/s | Max. Bandwidth | 34.1 GB/s |
| No | ECC | No |
| 8.00 MB | L2 Cache | 12.00 MB |
| -- | L3 Cache | 16.00 MB |
| -- | PCIe version | -- |
| -- | PCIe lanes | -- |
| -- | PCIe Bandwidth | -- |
Thermal ManagementThe thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Apple A12 Bionic is 6 W, while the Apple A14 Bionic has a TDP of 7.25 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently. |
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| Apple A12 Bionic | Characteristic | Apple A14 Bionic |
| 6 W | TDP (PL1 / PBP) | 7.25 W |
| -- | TDP (PL2) | -- |
| -- | TDP up | -- |
| -- | TDP down | -- |
| -- | Tjunction max. | -- |
Technical detailsThe Apple A12 Bionic is manufactured in 7 nm and has 8.00 MB cache. The Apple A14 Bionic is manufactured in 5 nm and has a 28.00 MB cache. |
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| Apple A12 Bionic | Characteristic | Apple A14 Bionic |
| 7 nm | Technology | 5 nm |
| Chiplet | Chip design | Chiplet |
| Armv8-A (64 bit) | Instruction set (ISA) | Armv8-A (64 bit) |
| -- | ISA extensions | -- |
| -- | Socket | -- |
| None | Virtualization | None |
| No | AES-NI | No |
| iOS | Operating systems | iOS |
| Q3/2018 | Release date | Q3/2020 |
| -- | Release price | -- |
| show more data | show more data | |
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Rate these processors
Average performance in benchmarks
⌀ Single core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
⌀ Multi core performance in 3 CPU benchmarks
Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)
Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
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Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz |
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Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.00 GHz |
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Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)
Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
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Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz |
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Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.00 GHz |
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Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.
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Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz |
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Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.00 GHz |
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Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.
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Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz |
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Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.00 GHz |
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iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)
The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.
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Apple A12 Bionic
Apple A12 @ 1.13 GHz |
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Apple A14 Bionic
Apple A14 @ 1.46 GHz |
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AnTuTu 8 Benchmark
The AnTuTu 8 Benchmark measures the performance of a SoC. AnTuTu benchmarks the CPU, GPU, Memory as well as the UX (User Experience) by simulating browser and app usage. AnTuTu can benchmark any ARM CPU that runs under Android or iOS. Devices may not be directly compareable if the benchmark has been performed under different operating systems.
In the AnTuTu 8 benchmark, the single-core performance of a processor is only slightly weighted. The evaluation consists of the multi-core performance of the processor, the speed of the RAM and the performance of the internal graphics.
In the AnTuTu 8 benchmark, the single-core performance of a processor is only slightly weighted. The evaluation consists of the multi-core performance of the processor, the speed of the RAM and the performance of the internal graphics.
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Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz |
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Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.00 GHz |
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Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark
Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
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Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz |
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Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.00 GHz |
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Performance for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)
Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. The performance is given in the number (trillions) of arithmetic operations per second (TOPS).
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Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz |
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Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.00 GHz |
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AnTuTu 9 Benchmark
The AnTuTu 9 benchmark is very well suited to measuring the performance of a smartphone. AnTuTu 9 is quite heavy on 3D graphics and can now also use the "Metal" graphics interface. In AnTuTu, memory and UX (user experience) are also tested by simulating browser and app usage. AnTuTu version 9 can compare any ARM CPU running on Android or iOS. Devices may not be directly comparable when benchmarked on different operating systems.
In the AnTuTu 9 benchmark, the single-core performance of a processor is only slightly weighted. The rating is made up of the multi-core performance of the processor, the speed of the working memory, and the performance of the internal graphics.
In the AnTuTu 9 benchmark, the single-core performance of a processor is only slightly weighted. The rating is made up of the multi-core performance of the processor, the speed of the working memory, and the performance of the internal graphics.
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Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz |
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Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.00 GHz |
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Devices using this processor |
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| Apple A12 Bionic | Apple A14 Bionic |
| Apple iPhone XR Apple iPhone XS Apple iPhone XS Max Apple iPad mini (5. Gen) Apple iPad Air (3. Gen) |
Apple iPhone 12 mini Apple iPhone 12 Apple iPhone 12 Pro Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max Apple iPad Air (4. Gen) |
Comparison of the two processors
In the CPU comparison of the Apple A12 Bionic against the Apple A14 Bionic you can see how Apple could significantly increase the performance of generation to generation. This concerns the CPU as well as the GPU part of the APUS. Apple benefits from modern production in addition to the IPC improvement of each generation. The Apple is always one of the first manufacturers who use new manufacturing technologies.Thus, the Apple A14 BIONIC as one of the first processors is manufactured at all in the 5 nm manufacturing process at TSMC. The finer structures allow higher clock frequencies with lower heat development. Of this, the processors benefit primarily for multi-core scenarios where older processors quickly have to throttle their clock frequency to overheat.
Both mobile processors are optimized for smartphones and tablets and have a hybrid core architecture (Big.Little). In this case, strong high performance cores are combined with weaker and economical energy-saving cores. Depending on the utilization of the processor, it can distribute the requests to the optimal CPU cores. This not only saves energy but can also increase performance when all cores work together on one or more queries.
Through the finer structures, the Apple A14 Bionic now has a base frequency of 1.8 GHz, during the
Apple A12 Bionic His cores with 1.59 GHz clocks. The performance cores of the A14 can achieve clock frequencies in turbo mode for the first time of just over 3 GHz, which is currently the top spot for a smartphone processor.
In the IGPU of Apple A14 Bionic, the support of video codecs has improved in addition to the blueprint. This is how the free and new AV1 videoCODEC is supported (decoding in hardware). Both processors probably have a TDP of 6 watts and support up to 16 GB of RAM (LPDDR4X-4266 at the A12 or LPDDR5-5500 at the A14).
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