Apple A16 Bionic Apple M1
VS

Apple A16 Bionic vs Apple M1

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The Apple M1, introduced in 2020, targets Apple's Mac computers, focusing on energy efficiency and performance.

The Apple A16 Bionic, released in 2022, is designed for Apple's high-end mobile devices like iPhones, optimized for mobile computing power and AI.

The Apple M1 is manufactured using a 5 nm process. The Apple A16 Bionic uses a more advanced 4 nm process. Both are System-on-a-Chip designs with integrated computing and graphics cores. In benchmarks, the Apple M1 shows significantly higher multi-core performance and superior single-core performance in workstation tests.

The Apple A16 Bionic achieves comparable values in some single-core tests, but its multi-core performance is lower. The Apple M1 with integrated Apple M1 (8 Core) graphics and 68 GB/s memory bandwidth provides a solid platform for desktop gaming. The Apple A16 Bionic with Apple A16 (5 GPU Cores) graphics and 51 GB/s memory bandwidth delivers excellent performance for mobile games.

The Apple M1 is designed for high energy efficiency in devices with more robust cooling. The Apple A16 Bionic is optimized for low power consumption in mobile devices, ensuring longer battery life. Both are tightly integrated into Apple's devices. The Apple M1 is part of Macs, the Apple A16 Bionic in premium iPhones.

Separate pricing is not available. Thanks to its higher overall and multi-core performance, the Apple M1 is ideal for demanding desktop applications. The Apple A16 Bionic is excellent for leading mobile experiences, focusing on efficiency and performance in a compact form factor.

Apple M1

  • High overall and multi-core performance
  • Energy efficient for desktop and laptop applications
  • Solid platform for desktop gaming with Apple M1 (8 Core) graphics
  • PCIe 4.0 support

Apple A16 Bionic

  • Excellent performance in mobile applications
  • Optimized for low power consumption and long battery life
  • Strong single-core performance for mobile tasks
  • Ideal for mobile games with Apple A16 (5 GPU Cores) graphics

Performance Overview
Average performance across multiple benchmarks

Single-core performance
Rank 1 - 100 %
Apple A16 Bionic
Rank 2 - 93 %
Apple M1
Multi-core performance
Rank 2 - 72 %
Apple A16 Bionic
Rank 1 - 100 %
Apple M1
Geekbench 6 Single-Core

Geekbench 6 Single-Core
Single-core performance

Apple A16 Bionic
6C / 6T · 3.46 GHz
2,531
Apple M1
Apple M1 94 %
8C / 8T · 3.20 GHz
2,369
Geekbench 6 Multi-Core

Geekbench 6 Multi-Core
Multi-core performance

Apple A16 Bionic
6C / 6T · 3.46 GHz
6,299
Apple M1
Apple M1 100 %
8C / 8T · 3.20 GHz
8,576
Geekbench 5, 64bit Single-Core

Geekbench 5, 64bit Single-Core
Single-core performance

Apple A16 Bionic
6C / 6T · 3.46 GHz
1,890
Apple M1
Apple M1 92 %
8C / 8T · 3.20 GHz
1,742
Geekbench 5, 64bit Multi-Core

Geekbench 5, 64bit Multi-Core
Multi-core performance

Apple A16 Bionic
6C / 6T · 3.46 GHz
5,465
Apple M1
Apple M1 100 %
8C / 8T · 3.20 GHz
7,650
iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

Apple A16 Bionic
Apple A16 (5 GPU Cores)
1,789
Apple M1
Apple M1 100 %
Apple M1 (8 Core)
2,610
AI performance (NPU)

AI performance (NPU)

Apple A16 Bionic
6C / 6T · 3.46 GHz
17.0 TOPS
Apple M1
Apple M1 65 %
8C / 8T · 0.60 GHz
11.0 TOPS

More benchmarks

At a glance

Wischen
Apple A16 BionicApple M1
FamilyApple A series (27)Apple M series (38)
CPU groupApple A16 (2)Apple M1 (9)
ArchitectureA16M1
Technology4 nm5 nm
SegmentSmartphone / TabletNotebook
Socket
PredecessorApple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
SuccessorApple A17 ProApple M2

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

Wischen
Apple A16 BionicApple M1
CPU Cores / Threads6 / 68 / 8
Hyperthreading / SMT
Core architecturehybrid (big.LITTLE)hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Core Cluster 1: 2x Everest
3.46 GHz
4x Firestorm
0.60 - 3.20 GHz
Core Cluster 2: 4x Sawtooth
2.02 GHz
4x Icestorm
0.60 - 2.06 GHz
L2-Cache20.00 MB16.00 MB
L3-Cache24.00 MB
Overclocking

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

Wischen
Apple A16 BionicApple M1
GPU nameApple A16 (5 GPU Cores)Apple M1 (8 Core)
GPU frequency0.40 - 1.34 GHz0.39 - 1.30 GHz
CUs / Shader20 / 640128 / 1024
Raytracing
Max. displays32
Max. GPU Memory6 GB8 GB
Technology4 nm5 nm
Release dateQ3/2022Q4/2020

NPU AI performance

Wischen
Apple A16 BionicApple M1
AI hardwareApple Neural EngineApple Neural Engine
AI specifications16 Neural cores @ 17 TOPS16 Neural cores @ 11 TOPS
NPU + CPU + iGPU

Memory & PCIe

Wischen
Apple A16 BionicApple M1
MemoryLPDDR5-6400 (51.2 GB/s)
LPDDR4X-4266 (68.2 GB/s)
Max. Memory6 GB16 GB
Memory channels12
ECCNoNo
PCIe4.0
PCIe Bandwidth

Thermal Management

Wischen
Apple A16 BionicApple M1
TDP10 W18 W
TDP (PL2)
TDP up20 W
TDP down10 W
T. junction max.

Technical details

Wischen
Apple A16 BionicApple M1
Chip designChipletMonolithic
AES-NI
Operating systemsiOSmacOS
Instruction setArmv8.6-A (64 bit)Armv8.5-A (64 bit)
ISA extensionsRosetta 2 x86-Emulation
Release dateQ3/2022Q4/2020
Release price
Documents

Your rating

Here you can rate one or both of the processors. The average rating of Apple A16 Bionic is 4.1 stars (254 ratings), while Apple M1 has received 4.5 stars (770 ratings).

Click on the stars to rate one or both processors.

Apple A16 Bionic
Apple A16 Bionic
6C / 6T · 3.46 GHz
Apple M1
Apple M1
8C / 8T · 0.60 - 3.20 GHz

Most popular CPUs in both categories

Apple A16 Bionic
Apple A16 Bionic
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