Apple A8X vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 429

Last updated:

CPU comparison with benchmarks


Apple A8X CPU1 vs CPU2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 429
Apple A8X Qualcomm Snapdragon 429

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the Apple A8X and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the Apple A8X 3 core processor released in Q3/2014 with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 which has 4 CPU cores and was introduced in Q3/2018.
Apple A series (22) Family Qualcomm Snapdragon (102)
Apple A8/A8X (2) CPU group Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 (1)
8 Generation 4
A8 Architecture Cortex-A53
Mobile Segment Mobile
Apple A6X Predecessor --
Apple A9X Successor --

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 Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 clocks with 1.95 GHz, has 4 CPU cores and can calculate 4 threads in parallel.

Apple A8X Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 429
3 Cores 4
3 Threads 4
normal Core architecture normal
No Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? No
1.50 GHz Frequency 1.95 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 Qualcomm Snapdragon 429
-- AI hardware Qualcomm AI engine
-- AI specifications Hexagon 536

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 Qualcomm Adreno 504
0.45 GHz GPU frequency 0.50 GHz
-- GPU (Turbo) 0.50 GHz
5 GPU Generation 5
20 nm Technology 12 nm
1 Max. displays 0
32 Compute units --
256 Shader --
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
2 GB Max. GPU Memory --
-- DirectX Version 11

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 Qualcomm Adreno 504
No Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
Decode Codec h264 Decode / Encode
No Codec VP9 No
No Codec VP8 No
No Codec AV1 No
Decode Codec AVC No
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 Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 supports a maximum of 4 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 8.5 GB/s enabled.

Apple A8X Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 429
LPDDR3-1600 Memory LPDDR3-1066
2 GB Max. Memory 4 GB
1 (Single Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
12.8 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 8.5 GB/s
No ECC No
2.00 MB L2 Cache --
4.00 MB L3 Cache --
-- PCIe version --
-- PCIe lanes --
-- PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The Apple A8X has a TDP of 8 W. The TDP of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 is --. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

Apple A8X Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 429
8 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) --
-- 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 Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 is at 0.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 12 nm.

Apple A8X Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 429
20 nm Technology 12 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 Android
Q3/2014 Release date Q3/2018
-- Release price --
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Apple A8X to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 5.0 stars (3 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.0 stars (1 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
Apple A8X (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 (43%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
Apple A8X (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 (46%)

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 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 Qualcomm Snapdragon 429
4C 4T @ 1.95 GHz
167 (43%)

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 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 Qualcomm Snapdragon 429
4C 4T @ 1.95 GHz
558 (52%)

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 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 Qualcomm Snapdragon 429
4C 4T @ 1.95 GHz
952 (40%)

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 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 Qualcomm Snapdragon 429
4C 4T @ 1.95 GHz
0 (0%)

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 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 Qualcomm Snapdragon 429
4C 4T @ 1.95 GHz
0 (0%)

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 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 Qualcomm Snapdragon 429
Qualcomm Adreno 504 @ 0.50 GHz
0 (0%)

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%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 Qualcomm Snapdragon 429
4C 4T @ 1.95 GHz
77389 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Apple A8X Qualcomm Snapdragon 429
Apple iPad Air 2 Unknown

Popular comparisons containing this CPUs

1. Apple A8XApple A12 Bionic Apple A8X vs Apple A12 Bionic
2. Apple A8XApple A10 Fusion Apple A8X vs Apple A10 Fusion
3. Apple A8XApple A9 Apple A8X vs Apple A9
4. Apple A13 BionicApple A8X Apple A13 Bionic vs Apple A8X
5. Apple A8XApple A14 Bionic Apple A8X vs Apple A14 Bionic
6. Apple A8XApple M1 Apple A8X vs Apple M1
7. Apple A8XApple A8 Apple A8X vs Apple A8
8. Apple A8XApple A9X Apple A8X vs Apple A9X
9. Apple A7Apple A8X Apple A7 vs Apple A8X
10. Apple A8XApple A10X Fusion Apple A8X vs Apple A10X Fusion


back to index