Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU) Apple A18
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Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU) vs Apple A18

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The Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU), introduced in 2021, is designed for smartphones and tablets.

It is manufactured using the 5 nm process under the "A15" architecture. It features 6 CPU cores (2 performance, 4 efficiency cores) and 4 GPU cores. With 16 MB L2 and 32 MB L3 cache, as well as 34 GB/s memory bandwidth, it offers solid performance for everyday tasks. The Apple A18 is a newer processor, expected to be released in 2024, for high-end smartphones and tablets.

Manufactured using the more advanced 3 nm process based on the "Donan" architecture, it has 6 CPU cores and 5 GPU cores. It features 20 MB L2 and 24 MB L3 cache. Its maximum memory bandwidth of 60 GB/s is significantly higher. Performance in Benchmarks: The Apple A18 surpasses the Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU) in single-core performance by over 40 percent and in multi-core performance by over 45 percent.

Performance in Gaming Scenarios: Thanks to additional GPU cores and higher memory bandwidth, the Apple A18 offers noticeably better gaming performance with smoother frame rates. Power Consumption and TDP: The 3 nm manufacturing process of the Apple A18 ensures superior energy efficiency compared to the 5 nm process of the Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU).

Price-Performance Ratio: The Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU) offers a good price-performance ratio in older devices. The Apple A18 justifies its higher price with top performance and efficiency. Summary and Recommendation: The Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU) is ideal for budget-conscious everyday use.

The Apple A18 is the choice for maximum performance and future-proofing in demanding applications.

Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU)

  • 5 nm manufacturing process
  • Solid performance for everyday tasks
  • Good price-performance ratio in older devices
  • 4 GPU cores

Apple A18

  • 3 nm manufacturing process
  • Superior single-core and multi-core performance
  • Better gaming performance with 5 GPU cores
  • Higher energy efficiency

Performance Overview
Average performance across multiple benchmarks

Single-core performance
Rank 2 - 70 %
Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU)
Rank 1 - 100 %
Apple A18
Multi-core performance
Rank 2 - 68 %
Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU)
Rank 1 - 100 %
Apple A18
Geekbench 6 Single-Core

Geekbench 6 Single-Core
Single-core performance

Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU)
6C / 6T · 3.23 GHz
2,370
Apple A18
Apple A18 100 %
6C / 6T · 4.04 GHz
3,384
Geekbench 6 Multi-Core

Geekbench 6 Multi-Core
Multi-core performance

Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU)
6C / 6T · 3.23 GHz
5,726
Apple A18
Apple A18 100 %
6C / 6T · 4.04 GHz
8,430
iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU)
Apple A15 (4 GPU Cores)
1,370
Apple A18
Apple A18 100 %
Apple A18 (5 GPU Cores)
2,150
AI performance (NPU)

AI performance (NPU)

Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU)
6C / 6T · 3.23 GHz
15.8 TOPS
Apple A18
Apple A18 100 %
6C / 6T · 0.70 GHz
38.0 TOPS

More benchmarks

At a glance

Wischen
Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU)Apple A18
FamilyApple A series (27)Apple A series (27)
CPU groupApple A15 (2)Apple A18 (2)
ArchitectureA15Donan
Technology5 nm3 nm
SegmentSmartphone / TabletSmartphone / Tablet
Socket
PredecessorApple A16 Bionic
SuccessorApple A16 Bionic (5-CPU 4-GPU)Apple A19

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

Wischen
Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU)Apple A18
CPU Cores / Threads6 / 66 / 6
Hyperthreading / SMT
Core architecturehybrid (big.LITTLE)hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Core Cluster 1: 2x Avalanche
3.23 GHz
2x Donan P-Core
0.70 - 4.04 GHz
Core Cluster 2: 4x Blizzard
2.02 GHz
4x Donan E-Core
0.74 - 2.30 GHz
L2-Cache16.00 MB20.00 MB
L3-Cache32.00 MB24.00 MB
Overclocking

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

Wischen
Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU)Apple A18
GPU nameApple A15 (4 GPU Cores)Apple A18 (5 GPU Cores)
GPU frequency1.34 GHz0.39 - 1.68 GHz
CUs / Shader16 / 51220 / 640
Raytracing
Max. displays31
Max. GPU Memory6 GB8 GB
Technology5 nm3 nm
Release dateQ3/2021Q3/2024

NPU AI performance

Wischen
Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU)Apple A18
AI hardwareApple Neural EngineApple Neural Engine
AI specifications16 Neural cores @ 15.8 TOPS16 Neural cores @ 38 TOPS
NPU + CPU + iGPU

Memory & PCIe

Wischen
Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU)Apple A18
MemoryLPDDR4X-4266 (34.1 GB/s)
LPDDR5X-7500 (60.0 GB/s)
Max. Memory6 GB8 GB
Memory channels11
ECCNoNo
PCIe
PCIe Bandwidth

Thermal Management

Wischen
Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU)Apple A18
TDP10 W12 W
TDP (PL2)
TDP up
TDP down
T. junction max.

Technical details

Wischen
Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU)Apple A18
Chip designChipletChiplet
AES-NI
Operating systemsiOSiOS
Instruction setArmv8-A (64 bit)Armv9-A (64 bit)
ISA extensions
Release dateQ3/2021Q3/2024
Release price
Documents

Your rating

Here you can rate one or both of the processors. The average rating of Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU) is 4.4 stars (98 ratings), while Apple A18 has received 4.0 stars (215 ratings).

Click on the stars to rate one or both processors.

Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU)
Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU)
6C / 6T · 3.23 GHz
Apple A18
Apple A18
6C / 6T · 0.70 - 4.04 GHz

Most popular CPUs in both categories

Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU)
Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU)
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