Apple A12 Bionic Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
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Apple A12 Bionic vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 865

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The Apple A12 Bionic was introduced in September 2018 and is primarily aimed at users of compact devices.

Manufactured using the 7 nm process, the chip is based on the A12 architecture. It combines six cores for different load scenarios. In single-task calculations, the Apple A12 Bionic demonstrates efficient operation, while the integrated Apple A12 graphics unit ensures smooth workflows in graphic applications.

With a memory bandwidth of 34 GB/s and a level 2 cache of 8 MB, it provides a stable basis for everyday applications. In gaming scenarios, the processor benefits from software optimization, ensuring reliable performance. Power consumption remains moderate, which reduces thermal stress in slim housings.

In terms of price, it is mainly found in used or refurbished devices. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 was released in early 2020 as a solution for mobile high-end systems.

Also manufactured using the 7 nm process, this processor uses the Kryo 585 architecture with eight cores. In direct comparison, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 offers higher multi-core performance, making it ideal for parallel tasks and multitasking. Additionally, it achieves higher speeds in certain scenarios when using individual cores.

The Qualcomm Adreno 650 graphics solution ensures a high frame rate in games and supports complex visual effects. Thanks to a memory bandwidth of 44 GB/s and a level 3 cache of 4 MB, the system processes volumes of data quickly. The thermal design power is optimized for mobile cooling systems. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 is often available in older flagship models, which creates a balanced price-performance ratio.

It is recommended for users with a focus on multitasking.

Apple A12 Bionic

  • 7 nm manufacturing process
  • A12 architecture
  • 8 MB Level 2 Cache
  • Integrated Apple A12 Graphics

Qualcomm Snapdragon 865

  • Kryo 585 architecture
  • Qualcomm Adreno 650 Graphics
  • 44 GB/s memory bandwidth
  • 4 MB Level 3 Cache

Performance Overview
Average performance across multiple benchmarks

Single-core performance
Rank 1 - 100 %
Apple A12 Bionic
Rank 2 - 85 %
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
Multi-core performance
Rank 2 - 77 %
Apple A12 Bionic
Rank 1 - 100 %
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
Geekbench 6 Single-Core

Geekbench 6 Single-Core
Single-core performance

Apple A12 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.49 GHz
1,286
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
8C / 8T · 2.84 GHz
1,176
Geekbench 6 Multi-Core

Geekbench 6 Multi-Core
Multi-core performance

Apple A12 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.49 GHz
2,353
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
8C / 8T · 2.84 GHz
3,244
Geekbench 5, 64bit Single-Core

Geekbench 5, 64bit Single-Core
Single-core performance

Apple A12 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.49 GHz
1,116
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
8C / 8T · 2.84 GHz
886
Geekbench 5, 64bit Multi-Core

Geekbench 5, 64bit Multi-Core
Multi-core performance

Apple A12 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.49 GHz
2,731
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
8C / 8T · 2.84 GHz
3,295
iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

Apple A12 Bionic
Apple A12
576
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
Qualcomm Adreno 650
1,250
AnTuTu 8 Benchmark

AnTuTu 8 Benchmark

Apple A12 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.49 GHz
425,605 pts
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
8C / 8T · 2.84 GHz
598,103 pts
AI performance (NPU)

AI performance (NPU)

Apple A12 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.49 GHz
5.0 TOPS
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
8C / 8T · 2.84 GHz
15.0 TOPS

More benchmarks

At a glance

Wischen
Apple A12 BionicQualcomm Snapdragon 865
FamilyApple A series (27)Qualcomm Snapdragon (105)
CPU groupApple A12/A12X/A12Z (3)Qualcomm Snapdragon 865/870 (3)
ArchitectureA12Kryo 585
Technology7 nm7 nm
SegmentSmartphone / TabletSmartphone / Tablet
Socket
PredecessorApple A11 Bionic
SuccessorApple A13 Bionic

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

Wischen
Apple A12 BionicQualcomm Snapdragon 865
CPU Cores / Threads6 / 68 / 8
Hyperthreading / SMT
Core architecturehybrid (big.LITTLE)hybrid (Prime / big.LITTLE)
Core Cluster 1: 2x Vortex
2.49 GHz
1x Kryo 585 Prime
2.84 GHz
Core Cluster 2: 4x Tempest
1.59 GHz
3x Kryo 585 Gold
2.42 GHz
Core Cluster 3: 4x Kryo 585 Silver
1.80 GHz
L2-Cache8.00 MB1.75 MB
L3-Cache4.00 MB
Overclocking

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

Wischen
Apple A12 BionicQualcomm Snapdragon 865
GPU nameApple A12Qualcomm Adreno 650
GPU frequency1.13 GHz0.25 - 0.59 GHz
CUs / Shader16 / 2562 / 512
Raytracing
Max. displays11
Max. GPU Memory4 GB
Technology7 nm7 nm
Release dateQ3/2018Q4/2019

NPU AI performance

Wischen
Apple A12 BionicQualcomm Snapdragon 865
AI hardwareApple Neural EngineQualcomm AI engine
AI specifications8 Neural cores @ 5 TOPS
NPU + CPU + iGPU

Memory & PCIe

Wischen
Apple A12 BionicQualcomm Snapdragon 865
MemoryLPDDR4X-4266 (34.1 GB/s)
LPDDR5-5500 (44.0 GB/s)
LPDDR4X-4266 (34.1 GB/s)
Max. Memory4 GB16 GB
Memory channels14
ECCNoNo
PCIe
PCIe Bandwidth

Thermal Management

Wischen
Apple A12 BionicQualcomm Snapdragon 865
TDP6 W10 W
TDP (PL2)
TDP up
TDP down
T. junction max.

Technical details

Wischen
Apple A12 BionicQualcomm Snapdragon 865
Chip designChipletChiplet
AES-NI
Operating systemsiOSAndroid
Instruction setArmv8-A (64 bit)Armv8-A (64 bit)
ISA extensions
Release dateQ3/2018Q4/2019
Release price
DocumentsTechnical data sheet

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 Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 has received 4.1 stars (102 ratings).

Click on the stars to rate one or both processors.

Apple A12 Bionic
Apple A12 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.49 GHz
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
8C / 8T · 2.84 GHz

Most popular CPUs in both categories

Apple A12 Bionic
Apple A12 Bionic
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