Apple A12Z Bionic vs Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Apple A12Z Bionic CPU1 vs CPU2 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2
Apple A12Z Bionic Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the Apple A12Z Bionic and the Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2 and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the Apple A12Z Bionic 8 core processor released in Q1/2020 with the Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2 which has 8 CPU cores and was introduced in Q3/2020.
Apple A series (22) Family Qualcomm Snapdragon (102)
Apple A12/A12X/A12Z (3) CPU group Qualcomm Snapdragon SQ1/SQ2 (2)
12 Generation 1
A12 Architecture Kryo 495
Mobile Segment Mobile
Apple A10X Fusion Predecessor --
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple A12Z Bionic is a 8 core processor with a clock frequency of 2.49 GHz. The processor can compute 8 threads at the same time. The Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2 clocks with 3.15 GHz, has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.

Apple A12Z Bionic Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2
8 Cores 8
8 Threads 8
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
No Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? No
2.49 GHz
4x Vortex
A-Core 3.15 GHz
4x Kryo 495 Gold
1.59 GHz
4x Tempest
B-Core 2.42 GHz
4x Kryo 495 Silver

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

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. 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.

Apple A12Z Bionic Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2
Apple Neural Engine AI hardware --
8 Neural cores @ 5 TOPS AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

Graphics (iGPU) integrated into the processor not only enable image output without having to rely on a dedicated graphics solution, but can also efficiently accelerate video playback.

Apple A12Z GPU Qualcomm Adreno 690
1.13 GHz GPU frequency --
-- GPU (Turbo) --
9 GPU Generation 6
7 nm Technology 7 nm
1 Max. displays 0
32 Compute units --
512 Shader --
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
6 GB Max. GPU Memory --
-- DirectX Version 12.0

Hardware codec support

A 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.

Apple A12Z GPU Qualcomm Adreno 690
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
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 & PCIe

Up to 6 GB of memory in a maximum of 2 memory channels is supported by the Apple A12Z Bionic, while the Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2 supports a maximum of 16 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 68.3 GB/s enabled.

Apple A12Z Bionic Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2
LPDDR4X-4266 Memory LPDDR4X-2133
6 GB Max. Memory 16 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 8 (Octa Channel)
68.2 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 68.3 GB/s
No ECC No
8.00 MB L2 Cache --
-- L3 Cache --
-- PCIe version --
-- PCIe lanes --
-- PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The Apple A12Z Bionic has a TDP of 15 W. The TDP of the Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2 is --. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

Apple A12Z Bionic Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2
15 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) --
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Apple A12Z Bionic has 8.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 7 nm. The cache of Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2 is at 0.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 7 nm.

Apple A12Z Bionic Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2
7 nm Technology 7 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 Android, Windows 10 (ARM)
Q1/2020 Release date Q3/2020
-- Release price --
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Apple A12Z Bionic to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.1 stars (18 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 1.0 stars (2 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
Apple A12Z Bionic (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2 (71%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
Apple A12Z Bionic (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2 (65%)

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.
Apple A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
1124 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2
8C 8T @ 3.15 GHz
793 (71%)

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.
Apple A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
4718 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2
8C 8T @ 3.15 GHz
3053 (65%)

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Apple A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
991 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2
8C 8T @ 3.15 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Apple A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
4539 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2
8C 8T @ 3.15 GHz
0 (0%)

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.
Apple A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
1351 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2
8C 8T @ 3.15 GHz
0 (0%)

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.
Apple A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
4798 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2
8C 8T @ 3.15 GHz
0 (0%)

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.
Apple A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
Apple A12Z @ 1.13 GHz
1152 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2
Qualcomm Adreno 690 @ 0.00 GHz
0 (0%)

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.
Apple A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
779044 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2
8C 8T @ 3.15 GHz
0 (0%)

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.
Apple A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
717401 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2
8C 8T @ 3.15 GHz
0 (0%)

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).
Apple A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
5 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2
8C 8T @ 3.15 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

Apple A12Z Bionic Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2
Apple iPad Pro 2020 Microsoft Surface Pro X

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