Apple A12X Bionic Apple A18 Pro
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Apple A12X Bionic vs Apple A18 Pro

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The Apple A12X Bionic was developed for tablets in the professional sector and is based on the A12 architecture.

Manufactured in a 7-nanometer process, this processor provides a solid foundation for productive tasks. The architecture comprises a combination of computing cores designed for efficiency and computing power. In benchmarks, the Apple A12X Bionic shows consistent performance when running multiple applications simultaneously, but falls significantly behind in single-core performance by comparison.

With a memory bandwidth of 68 GB/s and an 8 MB L2 cache, it is equipped for graphics-intensive applications. The integrated Apple A12X graphics unit enables smooth gaming at moderate requirements. Since energy consumption is optimized for mobile devices, heat generation remains controlled. On the used market, this processor offers a balanced ratio between cost and performance for everyday tasks.

The Apple A18 Pro targets users who place high demands on mobile computing power. Based on the Donan architecture and manufactured in the modern 3-nanometer process, this processor offers significant advantages in efficiency.

In direct comparison, the Apple A18 Pro delivers significantly higher performance in both single-core and multi-core tests. This is due, among other things, to the expanded cache structures with 20 MB L2 and 24 MB L3 cache. In gaming scenarios, the Apple A18 Pro (6 GPU Cores) graphics unit ensures a smooth display of complex content.

Despite the high raw performance, the thermal design is engineered for low heat generation. The memory bandwidth is 60 GB/s. Due to technological innovations, this processor is aimed at users who value long-term use and high reserves for demanding software.

Apple A12X Bionic

  • Manufactured in a 7-nanometer process
  • Integrated Apple A12X graphics unit
  • Memory bandwidth of 68 GB/s
  • 8 MB Level 2 cache without Level 3 cache

Apple A18 Pro

  • Advanced 3-nanometer manufacturing technology
  • Extensive Level 2 and Level 3 cache
  • Apple A18 Pro graphics with 6 cores
  • Efficient architecture with the codename Donan

Performance Overview
Average performance across multiple benchmarks

Single-core performance
Rank 2 - 39 %
Apple A12X Bionic
Rank 1 - 100 %
Apple A18 Pro
Multi-core performance
Rank 2 - 56 %
Apple A12X Bionic
Rank 1 - 100 %
Apple A18 Pro
Geekbench 6 Single-Core

Geekbench 6 Single-Core
Single-core performance

Apple A12X Bionic
8C / 8T · 2.49 GHz
1,341
Apple A18 Pro
6C / 6T · 4.04 GHz
3,409
Geekbench 6 Multi-Core

Geekbench 6 Multi-Core
Multi-core performance

Apple A12X Bionic
8C / 8T · 2.49 GHz
4,745
Apple A18 Pro
6C / 6T · 4.04 GHz
8,492
iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

Apple A12X Bionic
Apple A12X
1,008
Apple A18 Pro
Apple A18 Pro (6 GPU Cores)
3,589
AI performance (NPU)

AI performance (NPU)

Apple A12X Bionic
8C / 8T · 2.49 GHz
5.0 TOPS
Apple A18 Pro
6C / 6T · 0.70 GHz
38.0 TOPS

More benchmarks

At a glance

Wischen
Apple A12X 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 A10X FusionApple A17 Pro
SuccessorApple A19 Pro

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

Wischen
Apple A12X BionicApple A18 Pro
CPU Cores / Threads8 / 86 / 6
Hyperthreading / SMT
Core architecturehybrid (big.LITTLE)hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Core Cluster 1: 4x 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 A12X BionicApple A18 Pro
GPU nameApple A12XApple A18 Pro (6 GPU Cores)
GPU frequency1.13 GHz0.39 - 1.68 GHz
CUs / Shader28 / 44824 / 768
Raytracing
Max. displays11
Max. GPU Memory6 GB8 GB
Technology7 nm3 nm
Release dateQ3/2018Q3/2024

NPU AI performance

Wischen
Apple A12X 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 A12X BionicApple A18 Pro
MemoryLPDDR4X-4266 (68.2 GB/s)
LPDDR5X-7500 (60.0 GB/s)
Max. Memory6 GB8 GB
Memory channels21
ECCNoNo
PCIe
PCIe Bandwidth

Thermal Management

Wischen
Apple A12X BionicApple A18 Pro
TDP15 W12 W
TDP (PL2)
TDP up
TDP down
T. junction max.

Technical details

Wischen
Apple A12X 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 A12X Bionic is 4.2 stars (81 ratings), while Apple A18 Pro has received 4.1 stars (513 ratings).

Click on the stars to rate one or both processors.

Apple A12X Bionic
Apple A12X Bionic
8C / 8T · 2.49 GHz
Apple A18 Pro
Apple A18 Pro
6C / 6T · 0.70 - 4.04 GHz

Most popular CPUs in both categories

Apple A12X Bionic
Apple A12X Bionic
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