Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) vs Apple M1
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CPU comparison with benchmarks
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| Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) | Apple M1 | |
CPU comparisonApple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) or Apple M1 - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results.
The Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) has 6 cores with 6 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.23 GHz. Up to 6 GB of memory is supported in 1 memory channels. The Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) was released in Q3/2021. The Apple M1 has 8 cores with 8 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.20 GHz. The CPU supports up to 16 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Apple M1 was released in Q4/2020. |
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| Apple A series (22) | Family | Apple M series (23) |
| Apple A15 (2) | CPU group | Apple M1 (9) |
| 15 | Generation | 1 |
| A15 | Architecture | M1 |
| Mobile | Segment | Mobile |
| Apple A14 Bionic | Predecessor | -- |
| Apple A16 Bionic | Successor | Apple M2 |
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CPU Cores and Base FrequencyThe Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) has 6 CPU cores and can calculate 6 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) is 3.23 GHz while the Apple M1 has 8 CPU cores and 8 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the Apple M1 is at 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz). |
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| Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) | Characteristic | Apple M1 |
| 6 | Cores | 8 |
| 6 | Threads | 8 |
| hybrid (big.LITTLE) | Core architecture | hybrid (big.LITTLE) |
| No | Hyperthreading | No |
| No | Overclocking ? | No |
| 3.23 GHz 2x Avalanche |
A-Core | 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz) 4x Firestorm |
| 2.02 GHz 4x Blizzard |
B-Core | 0.60 GHz (2.06 GHz) 4x Icestorm |
Artificial Intelligence and Machine LearningProcessors 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. |
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| Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) | Characteristic | Apple M1 |
| Apple Neural Engine | AI hardware | Apple Neural Engine |
| 16 Neural cores @ 15.8 TOPS | AI specifications | 16 Neural cores @ 11 TOPS |
Internal GraphicsThe Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) or Apple M1 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short. The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die. |
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| Apple A15 (5 GPU Cores) | GPU | Apple M1 (8 Core) |
| 1.34 GHz | GPU frequency | 0.39 GHz |
| -- | GPU (Turbo) | 1.30 GHz |
| 12 | GPU Generation | 1 |
| 5 nm | Technology | 5 nm |
| 3 | Max. displays | 2 |
| 20 | Compute units | 128 |
| 640 | Shader | 1024 |
| No | Hardware Raytracing | No |
| No | Frame Generation | No |
| 6 GB | Max. GPU Memory | 8 GB |
| -- | DirectX Version | -- |
Hardware codec supportA 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. |
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| Apple A15 (5 GPU Cores) | GPU | Apple M1 (8 Core) |
| 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 / Encode |
| Decode / Encode | Codec VP8 | Decode |
| No | Codec AV1 | No |
| Decode | Codec AVC | Decode |
| Decode | Codec VC-1 | Decode |
| Decode / Encode | Codec JPEG | Decode / Encode |
Memory & PCIeThe Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) can use up to 6 GB of memory in 1 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 34.1 GB/s. The Apple M1 supports up to 16 GB of memory in 2 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 68.2 GB/s. |
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| Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) | Characteristic | Apple M1 |
| LPDDR4X-4266 | Memory | LPDDR4X-4266 |
| 6 GB | Max. Memory | 16 GB |
| 1 (Single Channel) | Memory channels | 2 (Dual Channel) |
| 34.1 GB/s | Max. Bandwidth | 68.2 GB/s |
| No | ECC | No |
| 16.00 MB | L2 Cache | 16.00 MB |
| 32.00 MB | L3 Cache | -- |
| -- | PCIe version | 4.0 |
| -- | PCIe lanes | -- |
| -- | PCIe Bandwidth | -- |
Thermal ManagementThe thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) is 7.25 W, while the Apple M1 has a TDP of 18 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently. |
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| Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) | Characteristic | Apple M1 |
| 7.25 W | TDP (PL1 / PBP) | 18 W |
| -- | TDP (PL2) | -- |
| -- | TDP up | 20 W |
| -- | TDP down | 10 W |
| -- | Tjunction max. | -- |
Technical detailsThe Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) is manufactured in 5 nm and has 48.00 MB cache. The Apple M1 is manufactured in 5 nm and has a 16.00 MB cache. |
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| Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) | Characteristic | Apple M1 |
| 5 nm | Technology | 5 nm |
| Chiplet | Chip design | Chiplet |
| Armv8-A (64 bit) | Instruction set (ISA) | Armv8.5-A (64 bit) |
| -- | ISA extensions | Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation |
| -- | Socket | -- |
| None | Virtualization | Apple Virtualization Framework |
| No | AES-NI | Yes |
| iOS | Operating systems | macOS |
| Q3/2021 | Release date | Q4/2020 |
| -- | Release price | -- |
| show more data | show more data | |
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8C 8T @ 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz) buy now on Amazon and save!
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Rate these processors
Average performance in benchmarks
⌀ Single core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
⌀ Multi core performance in 2 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.
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Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
6C 6T @ 3.23 GHz |
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz |
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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.
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Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
6C 6T @ 3.23 GHz |
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz |
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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.
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Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
6C 6T @ 3.23 GHz |
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz |
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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.
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Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
6C 6T @ 3.23 GHz |
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz |
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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.
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Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
Apple A15 (5 GPU Cores) @ 1.34 GHz |
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Apple M1
Apple M1 (8 Core) @ 1.30 GHz |
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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).
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Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
6C 6T @ 3.23 GHz |
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 0.60 GHz |
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Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)
The Cinebench 2024 benchmark is based on the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxon's 3D program Cinema 4D. The benchmark runs are each 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
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Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
6C 6T @ 3.23 GHz |
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)
The Multi-Core test of the Cinebench 2024 benchmark uses all cpu cores to render using the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxons Cinema 4D. The benchmark run is 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
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Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
6C 6T @ 3.23 GHz |
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz |
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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.
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Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
6C 6T @ 3.23 GHz |
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz |
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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.
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Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
6C 6T @ 3.23 GHz |
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz |
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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.
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.
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Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
6C 6T @ 3.23 GHz |
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 0.60 GHz |
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Blender 3.1 Benchmark
In the Blender Benchmark 3.1, the scenes "monster", "junkshop" and "classroom" are rendered and the time required by the system is measured. In our benchmark we test the CPU and not the graphics card. Blender 3.1 was presented as a standalone version in March 2022.
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Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
6C 6T @ 3.23 GHz |
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz |
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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.
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Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
6C 6T @ 3.23 GHz |
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Blender 2.81 (bmw27)
Blender is a free 3D graphics software for rendering (creating) 3D bodies, which can also be textured and animated in the software. The Blender benchmark creates predefined scenes and measures the time (s) required for the entire scene. The shorter the time required, the better. We selected bmw27 as the benchmark scene.
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Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
6C 6T @ 3.23 GHz |
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz |
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CPU performance per watt (efficiency)
Efficiency of the processor under full load in the Cinebench R23 (multi-core) benchmark. The benchmark result is divided by the average energy required (CPU package power in watts). The higher the value, the more efficient the CPU is under full load.
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Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
3.23 GHz |
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Apple M1
7,759 CB R23 MC @ 18 W |
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News and articles for the Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) and the Apple M1
MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ vs Apple A16 and Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
Posted by Stefan on 2022-09-22
With the Dimensity 9000+, Mediatek presents the latest of its smartphone chips. The successor to the Mediatek Dimensity 9000 achieves higher CPU and GPU clock frequencies thanks to better binning. The CPU clock of the prime core (A core) increases from 3.0 to 3.2 GHz. And the ARM Mali-G710 MP10 GPU can now clock at 0.9 GHz (previously 0.85 GHz).
Both are a good improvement over the Dimensity 9000 in theory but the increase in performance should not usually be noticeable in practice. In the end, the overall performance of the Mediatek Dimensity 9000+ is impressive: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is beaten in Geekbench 5 in both the single-core and multi-core benchmarks.
Both are a good improvement over the Dimensity 9000 in theory but the increase in performance should not usually be noticeable in practice. In the end, the overall performance of the Mediatek Dimensity 9000+ is impressive: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is beaten in Geekbench 5 in both the single-core and multi-core benchmarks.
What we know about the new Apple A16 Bionic in Apples iPhone 14
Posted by Stefan on 2022-08-23
Every year Apple releases a new iPhone series and with the release of the series always the latest Apple A processor. This has become even more important in recent years, as it has also formed the basis for Apple's M processor series since 2020. The Apple M processors are based on the same core architecture as the Apple A processors, but have been significantly upgraded in many areas such as memory bandwith, amount of memory or cache.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is more powerful and efficient
Posted by Stefan on 2022-07-11
Qualcomm is changing the contract manufacturer from Samsung to TSMC for the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. By switching to the TSMC 4 nm manufacturing process, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is not only 10 percent faster but also 15 percent more efficient than its predecessor. This makes Qualcomm's TOP SoC one of the fastest smartphone chips on the market.
Apple M2 Pro with more CPU cores and production in 3 nm ?
Posted by Stefan on 2022-06-28
After Apple surprisingly presented the normal Apple M2 processor as the first successor to the Apple M1 already in June 2022, the Apple M2 Pro and the Apple M2 Max may follow in autumn. The difference in performance compared to the basic version could be even greater this time and range from 25 to 40 percent.
In this article we describe how Apple could realize this and why the price should also go up.
In this article we describe how Apple could realize this and why the price should also go up.
Apple M2 vs Apple M1 - What are the differences?
Posted by Stefan on 2022-06-09
During WWDC 2022 on June 6th, 2022 Apple surprisingly presented its new Apple M2 processor. This will initially be installed in a completely revised Apple MacBook Air with 13.6 inches, a even thinner form factor and new colors. Apple also updated the already known (old) Apple MacBook Pro 13.3 with touch bar.
Many leakers had counted on Apple not presenting its new second-generation M processor until the fall. But things turned out differently. And there is very likely a reason for that: the improvements in the Apple M2 are limited compared to the predecessor.
Many leakers had counted on Apple not presenting its new second-generation M processor until the fall. But things turned out differently. And there is very likely a reason for that: the improvements in the Apple M2 are limited compared to the predecessor.
Comparison of the two processors
Although the Apple A15 Bionic and the Apple M1 SoC are based on the same technology, the processors have been designed for completely different areas of application.The Apple A15 Bionic is a smartphone SoC that is currently used in the Apple iPhone 13 / Apple iPhone 13 Pro as well as in the new Apple iPad mini (2021). The Apple A15 Bionic is manufactured in an improved 5 nm process (5 nm +) at TSMC and is even more energy efficient than the Apple M1.
The Apple M1 processor is Apple's first proprietary processor based on ARM technology and used in a notebook (Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2020) and Apple MacBook Air (2020)). For this purpose, the macOS operating system was adapted to ARM processors.
Many software manufacturers such as Adobe have already natively adapted their software to Apple's new processor architecture. Software that has not been adapted will still run on the new Apple M1 processor thanks to the "Rosetta 2" translation level. For this purpose, the software is automatically adapted to the new processor in the background once it is started for the first time. The performance can then be between 70 and 95% of how fast the program would run on an x86-64 processor.
The Apple A15 Bionic has 6 CPU cores, 2 of which are performance cores that work with another 4 small CPU cores in a cluster. Apple also uses a similar structure in the Apple M1 processor, but it has 4 high-performance and 4 small CPU cores. This structure is called a hybrid structure, since CPU cores of different sizes are combined here. This structure was first seen in classic ARM processors. This architecture is based on Apple's processors, but in a heavily adapted form.
Both processors still use LPDDR4X memory, although many competing products already use LPDDR5 memory.
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