Apple A12 Bionic Apple A18 Pro
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Apple A12 Bionic vs Apple A18 Pro

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The Apple A12 Bionic, architecture codename A12, was designed for energy-efficient and powerful processing in integrated devices.

It is manufactured using the 7 nm manufacturing process and features an integrated Apple A12 graphics unit. Its maximum memory bandwidth is 34 GB/s. The computing performance of the Apple A12 Bionic is solid for general tasks and less demanding applications. Regarding power consumption, no specific TDP values are known.

Since it is firmly integrated into end devices, there are no direct market prices for the processor. The Apple A18 Pro, architecture codename Donan, is a newer generation developed for higher computing and graphics performance.

It is manufactured using the more advanced 3 nm manufacturing process and integrates an Apple A18 Pro (6 GPU Cores) graphics unit with a maximum memory bandwidth of 60 GB/s. The Apple A18 Pro significantly outperforms the Apple A12 Bionic in both single-core and multi-core performance.

In games, it also offers superior performance thanks to its stronger GPU and higher memory bandwidth. The 3 nm process indicates improved energy efficiency, although no specific TDP values are available. This processor is also permanently installed in devices, making direct individual prices irrelevant.

The Apple A12 Bionic is a proven platform for everyday applications. The Apple A18 Pro is the choice for maximum computing power, advanced graphics requirements, and improved energy efficiency. For demanding professional software or modern games, the Apple A18 Pro is the clear recommendation.

Apple A12 Bionic

  • 7 nm manufacturing process
  • Integrated Apple A12 graphics unit
  • Solid performance for general applications
  • Maximum memory bandwidth of 34 GB/s

Apple A18 Pro

  • 3 nm manufacturing process
  • Integrated Apple A18 Pro (6 GPU Cores) graphics unit
  • Significantly higher computing and graphics performance
  • Maximum memory bandwidth of 60 GB/s

Performance Overview
Average performance across multiple benchmarks

Single-core performance
Rank 2 - 38 %
Apple A12 Bionic
Rank 1 - 100 %
Apple A18 Pro
Multi-core performance
Rank 2 - 28 %
Apple A12 Bionic
Rank 1 - 100 %
Apple A18 Pro
Geekbench 6 Single-Core

Geekbench 6 Single-Core
Single-core performance

Apple A12 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.49 GHz
1,286
Apple A18 Pro
6C / 6T · 4.04 GHz
3,409
Geekbench 6 Multi-Core

Geekbench 6 Multi-Core
Multi-core performance

Apple A12 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.49 GHz
2,353
Apple A18 Pro
6C / 6T · 4.04 GHz
8,492
iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

Apple A12 Bionic
Apple A12
576
Apple A18 Pro
Apple A18 Pro (6 GPU Cores)
3,589
AI performance (NPU)

AI performance (NPU)

Apple A12 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.49 GHz
5.0 TOPS
Apple A18 Pro
6C / 6T · 0.70 GHz
38.0 TOPS

More benchmarks

At a glance

Wischen
Apple A12 BionicApple A18 Pro
FamilyApple A series (27)Apple A series (27)
CPU groupApple A12/A12X/A12Z (3)Apple A18 (2)
ArchitectureA12Donan
Technology7 nm3 nm
SegmentSmartphone / TabletSmartphone / Tablet
Socket
PredecessorApple A11 BionicApple A17 Pro
SuccessorApple A13 BionicApple A19 Pro

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

Wischen
Apple A12 BionicApple A18 Pro
CPU Cores / Threads6 / 66 / 6
Hyperthreading / SMT
Core architecturehybrid (big.LITTLE)hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Core Cluster 1: 2x Vortex
2.49 GHz
2x Donan P-Core
0.70 - 4.04 GHz
Core Cluster 2: 4x Tempest
1.59 GHz
4x Donan E-Core
0.74 - 2.30 GHz
L2-Cache8.00 MB20.00 MB
L3-Cache24.00 MB
Overclocking

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

Wischen
Apple A12 BionicApple A18 Pro
GPU nameApple A12Apple A18 Pro (6 GPU Cores)
GPU frequency1.13 GHz0.39 - 1.68 GHz
CUs / Shader16 / 25624 / 768
Raytracing
Max. displays11
Max. GPU Memory4 GB8 GB
Technology7 nm3 nm
Release dateQ3/2018Q3/2024

NPU AI performance

Wischen
Apple A12 BionicApple A18 Pro
AI hardwareApple Neural EngineApple Neural Engine
AI specifications8 Neural cores @ 5 TOPS16 Neural cores @ 38 TOPS
NPU + CPU + iGPU

Memory & PCIe

Wischen
Apple A12 BionicApple A18 Pro
MemoryLPDDR4X-4266 (34.1 GB/s)
LPDDR5X-7500 (60.0 GB/s)
Max. Memory4 GB8 GB
Memory channels11
ECCNoNo
PCIe
PCIe Bandwidth

Thermal Management

Wischen
Apple A12 BionicApple A18 Pro
TDP6 W12 W
TDP (PL2)
TDP up
TDP down
T. junction max.

Technical details

Wischen
Apple A12 BionicApple A18 Pro
Chip designChipletChiplet
AES-NI
Operating systemsiOSiOS
Instruction setArmv8-A (64 bit)Armv9-A (64 bit)
ISA extensions
Release dateQ3/2018Q3/2024
Release price
Documents

Your rating

Here you can rate one or both of the processors. The average rating of Apple A12 Bionic is 3.4 stars (106 ratings), while Apple A18 Pro has received 4.1 stars (508 ratings).

Click on the stars to rate one or both processors.

Apple A12 Bionic
Apple A12 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.49 GHz
Apple A18 Pro
Apple A18 Pro
6C / 6T · 0.70 - 4.04 GHz

Most popular CPUs in both categories

Apple A12 Bionic
Apple A12 Bionic
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