Apple A18 Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
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Apple A18 vs Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)

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The Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) is an established mobile processor. Manufactured using the 5 nm process, it features a 6-core architecture with 16 MB L2 and 32 MB L3 cache.

Its internal graphics unit, Apple A15 (5 GPU Cores), offers a maximum memory bandwidth of 34 GB/s and delivers good performance for most applications and gaming scenarios. The Apple A18 is Apple's newer generation of mobile processors for high-end devices.

It utilizes the more advanced 3 nm process and offers an optimized 6-core architecture with 20 MB L2 and 24 MB L3 cache. Its graphics unit, Apple A18 (5 GPU Cores), achieves a maximum memory bandwidth of 60 GB/s. In core performance, the Apple A18 significantly surpasses the Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU), with over 40 percent higher single-core performance and more than 45 percent higher multi-core performance.

This is due to the newer architecture and the 3 nm manufacturing process, which also enables improved energy efficiency. For gaming scenarios, the Apple A18 is the better choice, as its higher memory bandwidth and more efficient manufacturing lead to smoother frame rates. The Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) offers good value for money for users seeking proven, strong performance.

The Apple A18, on the other hand, is designed for users who desire peak performance, a superior gaming experience, and maximum future-proofing, which is reflected in its premium price segment.

Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)

  • Proven and reliable performance
  • Good energy efficiency for 5 nm
  • Balanced price-performance ratio in respective devices

Apple A18

  • Significantly higher core performance
  • Superior graphics performance for gaming
  • Improved energy efficiency through 3 nm manufacturing
  • High future-proofing

Performance Overview
Average performance across multiple benchmarks

Single-core performance
Rank 1 - 100 %
Apple A18
Rank 2 - 70 %
Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
Multi-core performance
Rank 1 - 100 %
Apple A18
Rank 2 - 68 %
Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
Geekbench 6 Single-Core

Geekbench 6 Single-Core
Single-core performance

Apple A18
Apple A18 100 %
6C / 6T · 4.04 GHz
3,384
Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
6C / 6T · 3.23 GHz
2,370
Geekbench 6 Multi-Core

Geekbench 6 Multi-Core
Multi-core performance

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

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

Apple A18
Apple A18 100 %
Apple A18 (5 GPU Cores)
2,150
Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
Apple A15 (5 GPU Cores)
1,713
AI performance (NPU)

AI performance (NPU)

Apple A18
Apple A18 100 %
6C / 6T · 0.70 GHz
38.0 TOPS
Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
6C / 6T · 3.23 GHz
15.8 TOPS

More benchmarks

At a glance

Wischen
Apple A18Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
FamilyApple A series (27)Apple A series (27)
CPU groupApple A18 (2)Apple A15 (2)
ArchitectureDonanA15
Technology3 nm5 nm
SegmentSmartphone / TabletSmartphone / Tablet
Socket
PredecessorApple A16 BionicApple A14 Bionic
SuccessorApple A19Apple A16 Bionic

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

Wischen
Apple A18Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
CPU Cores / Threads6 / 66 / 6
Hyperthreading / SMT
Core architecturehybrid (big.LITTLE)hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Core Cluster 1: 2x Donan P-Core
0.70 - 4.04 GHz
2x Avalanche
3.23 GHz
Core Cluster 2: 4x Donan E-Core
0.74 - 2.30 GHz
4x Blizzard
2.02 GHz
L2-Cache20.00 MB16.00 MB
L3-Cache24.00 MB32.00 MB
Overclocking

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

Wischen
Apple A18Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
GPU nameApple A18 (5 GPU Cores)Apple A15 (5 GPU Cores)
GPU frequency0.39 - 1.68 GHz1.34 GHz
CUs / Shader20 / 64020 / 640
Raytracing
Max. displays13
Max. GPU Memory8 GB6 GB
Technology3 nm5 nm
Release dateQ3/2024Q3/2021

NPU AI performance

Wischen
Apple A18Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
AI hardwareApple Neural EngineApple Neural Engine
AI specifications16 Neural cores @ 38 TOPS16 Neural cores @ 15.8 TOPS
NPU + CPU + iGPU

Memory & PCIe

Wischen
Apple A18Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
MemoryLPDDR5X-7500 (60.0 GB/s)
LPDDR4X-4266 (34.1 GB/s)
Max. Memory8 GB6 GB
Memory channels11
ECCNoNo
PCIe
PCIe Bandwidth

Thermal Management

Wischen
Apple A18Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
TDP12 W10 W
TDP (PL2)
TDP up
TDP down
T. junction max.

Technical details

Wischen
Apple A18Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
Chip designChipletChiplet
AES-NI
Operating systemsiOSiOS
Instruction setArmv9-A (64 bit)Armv8-A (64 bit)
ISA extensions
Release dateQ3/2024Q3/2021
Release price
Documents

Your rating

Here you can rate one or both of the processors. The average rating of Apple A18 is 4.0 stars (215 ratings), while Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) has received 4.2 stars (195 ratings).

Click on the stars to rate one or both processors.

Apple A18
Apple A18
6C / 6T · 0.70 - 4.04 GHz
Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
6C / 6T · 3.23 GHz

Most popular CPUs in both categories

Apple A18
Apple A18
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