Apple A13 Bionic vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Apple A13 Bionic CPU1 vs CPU2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx
Apple A13 Bionic Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the Apple A13 Bionic and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the Apple A13 Bionic 6 core processor released in Q3/2019 with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx which has 8 CPU cores and was introduced in Q4/2018.
Apple A series (22) Family Qualcomm Snapdragon (102)
Apple A13 (1) CPU group Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx (2)
13 Generation 2
A13 (Lightning / Thunder) Architecture Kryo 495
Mobile Segment Mobile
Apple A12 Bionic Predecessor --
Apple A14 Bionic Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple A13 Bionic is a 6 core processor with a clock frequency of 2.65 GHz. The processor can compute 6 threads at the same time. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx clocks with 2.84 GHz, has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.

Apple A13 Bionic Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx
6 Cores 8
6 Threads 8
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
No Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? No
2.65 GHz
2x Lightning
A-Core 2.84 GHz
4x Kryo 495 Gold
1.80 GHz
4x Thunder
B-Core 1.80 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 A13 Bionic Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx
Apple Neural Engine AI hardware Qualcomm AI engine
8 Neural cores @ 6 TOPS AI specifications Hexagon 685 @ 3 TOPS

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 A13 GPU Qualcomm Adreno 680
1.35 GHz GPU frequency 0.25 GHz
-- GPU (Turbo) 0.59 GHz
10 GPU Generation 5
7 nm Technology 7 nm
1 Max. displays 2
16 Compute units 8
256 Shader 768
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
4 GB Max. GPU Memory 4 GB
-- 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 A13 GPU Qualcomm Adreno 680
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 4 GB of memory in a maximum of 1 memory channels is supported by the Apple A13 Bionic, while the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx supports a maximum of 16 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 68.2 GB/s enabled.

Apple A13 Bionic Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx
LPDDR4X-4266 Memory LPDDR4X-4266
4 GB Max. Memory 16 GB
1 (Single Channel) Memory channels 8 (Octa Channel)
34.1 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 68.2 GB/s
No ECC No
8.00 MB L2 Cache --
-- L3 Cache 2.00 MB
-- PCIe version --
-- PCIe lanes --
-- PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The Apple A13 Bionic has a TDP of 6 W. The TDP of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx is 7 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

Apple A13 Bionic Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx
6 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 7 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Apple A13 Bionic has 8.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 7 nm. The cache of Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx is at 2.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 7 nm.

Apple A13 Bionic Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx
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)
Q3/2019 Release date Q4/2018
-- Release price --
show more data show more data


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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
⌀ Multi core performance in 1 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.
Apple A13 Bionic Apple A13 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.65 GHz
1336 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx
8C 8T @ 2.84 GHz
724 (54%)

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 A13 Bionic Apple A13 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.65 GHz
3429 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx
8C 8T @ 2.84 GHz
2808 (82%)

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 A13 Bionic Apple A13 Bionic
Apple A13 @ 1.35 GHz
691 (38%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx
Qualcomm Adreno 680 @ 0.59 GHz
1843 (100%)

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 A13 Bionic Apple A13 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.65 GHz
6 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx
8C 8T @ 2.84 GHz
3 (50%)

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 A13 Bionic Apple A13 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.65 GHz
1710 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx
8C 8T @ 2.84 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 A13 Bionic Apple A13 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.65 GHz
3599 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx
8C 8T @ 2.84 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 A13 Bionic Apple A13 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.65 GHz
648406 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx
8C 8T @ 2.84 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 A13 Bionic Apple A13 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.65 GHz
523650 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx
8C 8T @ 2.84 GHz
0 (0%)

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.
Apple A13 Bionic Apple A13 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.65 GHz
5368 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx
8C 8T @ 2.84 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

Apple A13 Bionic Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx
Apple iPhone 11
Apple iPhone 11 Pro
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPhone SE
Lenovo Flex 5G
Lenovo Yoga C 5G
Samsung Galaxy Book S

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