Apple A8X vs Apple A9X

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Apple A8X CPU1 vs CPU2 Apple A9X
Apple A8X Apple A9X

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the Apple A8X and the Apple A9X and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the Apple A8X 3 core processor released in Q3/2014 with the Apple A9X which has 2 CPU cores and was introduced in Q3/2015.
Apple A series (22) Family Apple A series (22)
Apple A8/A8X (2) CPU group Apple A9/A9X (2)
8 Generation 9
A8 Architecture A9
Mobile Segment Mobile
Apple A6X Predecessor Apple A8X
Apple A9X Successor Apple A10X Fusion

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple A8X is a 3 core processor with a clock frequency of 1.50 GHz. The processor can compute 3 threads at the same time. The Apple A9X clocks with 2.26 GHz, has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 2 threads in parallel.

Apple A8X Characteristic Apple A9X
3 Cores 2
3 Threads 2
normal Core architecture normal
No Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? No
1.50 GHz Frequency 2.26 GHz
-- Turbo Frequency (1 Core) --
-- Turbo Frequency (All Cores) --

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 A8X Characteristic Apple A9X
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --

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 A8X GPU Apple A9X
0.45 GHz GPU frequency 0.65 GHz
-- GPU (Turbo) --
5 GPU Generation 6
20 nm Technology 16 nm
1 Max. displays 1
32 Compute units 48
256 Shader 384
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
2 GB Max. GPU Memory 4 GB
-- DirectX Version --

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 A8X GPU Apple A9X
No Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
Decode Codec h264 Decode / Encode
No Codec VP9 No
No Codec VP8 Decode
No Codec AV1 No
Decode Codec AVC Decode
Decode Codec VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

Up to 2 GB of memory in a maximum of 1 memory channels is supported by the Apple A8X, while the Apple A9X supports a maximum of 4 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s enabled.

Apple A8X Characteristic Apple A9X
LPDDR3-1600 Memory LPDDR4-3200
2 GB Max. Memory 4 GB
1 (Single Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
12.8 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 51.2 GB/s
No ECC No
2.00 MB L2 Cache 3.00 MB
4.00 MB L3 Cache 4.00 MB
-- PCIe version --
-- PCIe lanes --
-- PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The Apple A8X has a TDP of 8 W. The TDP of the Apple A9X is 8 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

Apple A8X Characteristic Apple A9X
8 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 8 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Apple A8X has 6.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 20 nm. The cache of Apple A9X is at 7.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 16 nm.

Apple A8X Characteristic Apple A9X
20 nm Technology 16 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 iOS
Q3/2014 Release date Q3/2015
-- Release price --
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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
⌀ Multi core performance in 3 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 A8X Apple A8X
3C 3T @ 1.50 GHz
386 (59%)
Apple A9X Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
652 (100%)

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 A8X Apple A8X
3C 3T @ 1.50 GHz
1075 (90%)
Apple A9X Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
1198 (100%)

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 A8X Apple A8X
3C 3T @ 1.50 GHz
427 (56%)
Apple A9X Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
763 (100%)

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 A8X Apple A8X
3C 3T @ 1.50 GHz
959 (77%)
Apple A9X Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
1251 (100%)

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 A8X Apple A8X
Apple A8X @ 0.45 GHz
230 (46%)
Apple A9X Apple A9X
Apple A9X @ 0.65 GHz
499 (100%)

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 A8X Apple A8X
3C 3T @ 1.50 GHz
2356 (94%)
Apple A9X Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
2501 (100%)

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 A8X Apple A8X
3C 3T @ 1.50 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple A9X Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
272103 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Apple A8X Apple A9X
Apple iPad Air 2 Apple iPad Pro (1. Gen)

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