Apple A9 vs Apple A8X

The Apple A9 is a processor designed for high computing power and energy efficiency. It was developed to deliver improved overall performance.

The Apple A8X is also a processor designed for more demanding computing tasks, aiming for extended performance for multitasking and graphics-intensive applications.

The Apple A9 is manufactured using the 16 nm fabrication process and utilizes the A9 architecture, while the Apple A8X is manufactured using the 20 nm process and employs the A8 architecture. The Apple A9 features a 3 MB L2 cache and a 4 MB L3 cache. The Apple A8X has a 2 MB L2 cache and also a 4 MB L3 cache.

The maximum memory bandwidth for the Apple A9 is 26 GB/s, and for the Apple A8X, it is 13 GB/s. In single-core performance, the Apple A9 shows significantly higher performance in Geekbench 6 than the Apple A8X. In Cinebench R23, the single-core performances of both processors are comparable.

For multi-core performance, the Apple A9 and Apple A8X are also comparable in Geekbench 6. For gaming scenarios, the Apple A9 is generally better suited as it benefits from a newer architecture and significantly higher memory bandwidth, which positively influences the integrated graphics unit.

Specific details on power consumption, Thermal Design Power (TDP), or current market prices of these processors, which are not available individually, are not provided. An assessment of the price-performance ratio is therefore not practical. In summary, the Apple A9 is the superior choice for applications that benefit from strong single-core performance and better graphics performance.

For primarily multi-core intensive tasks, both processors are comparable, but the Apple A9 offers an overall advantage due to its technical advancements.