Apple A9 | HiSilicon Kirin 970 | |
CPU comparisonApple A9 or HiSilicon Kirin 970 - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results.
The Apple A9 has 2 cores with 2 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 1.85 GHz. Up to 2 GB of memory is supported in 1 memory channels. The Apple A9 was released in Q3/2015. The HiSilicon Kirin 970 has 8 cores with 8 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 2.40 GHz. The CPU supports up to 8 GB of memory in 4 memory channels. The HiSilicon Kirin 970 was released in Q3/2017. |
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Apple A series (22) | Family | HiSilicon Kirin (29) |
Apple A9/A9X (2) | CPU group | HiSilicon Kirin 970 (1) |
9 | Generation | 6 |
A9 | Architecture | Cortex-A73 / Cortex-A53 |
Mobile | Segment | Mobile |
Apple A8 | Predecessor | -- |
Apple A10 Fusion | Successor | -- |
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CPU Cores and Base FrequencyThe Apple A9 has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 2 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Apple A9 is 1.85 GHz while the HiSilicon Kirin 970 has 8 CPU cores and 8 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the HiSilicon Kirin 970 is at 2.40 GHz. |
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Apple A9 | Characteristic | HiSilicon Kirin 970 |
2 | Cores | 8 |
2 | Threads | 8 |
normal | Core architecture | hybrid (big.LITTLE) |
No | Hyperthreading | No |
No | Overclocking ? | No |
1.85 GHz 2x Twister |
A-Core | 2.40 GHz 4x Cortex-A73 |
-- | B-Core | 1.84 GHz 4x Cortex-A53 |
Integrated graphics (iGPU)The Apple A9 or HiSilicon Kirin 970 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short. The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die. |
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Apple A9 | GPU | ARM Mali-G72 MP12 |
0.65 GHz | GPU frequency | 0.75 GHz |
-- | GPU (Turbo) | -- |
6 | GPU Generation | Bifrost 2 |
16 nm | Technology | 16 nm |
1 | Max. displays | 1 |
24 | Compute units | 12 |
192 | Shader | 192 |
No | Hardware Raytracing | No |
No | Frame Generation | No |
4 GB | Max. GPU Memory | 2 GB |
-- | DirectX Version | 12 |
Hardware codec supportA 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. |
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Apple A9 | GPU | ARM Mali-G72 MP12 |
No | Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) | Decode / Encode |
No | Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) | Decode / Encode |
Decode | Codec h264 | Decode / Encode |
No | Codec VP9 | Decode / Encode |
Decode | Codec VP8 | Decode / Encode |
No | Codec AV1 | No |
Decode | Codec AVC | Decode / Encode |
Decode | Codec VC-1 | Decode / Encode |
Decode / Encode | Codec JPEG | Decode / Encode |
Memory & PCIeThe Apple A9 can use up to 2 GB of memory in 1 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 25.6 GB/s. The HiSilicon Kirin 970 supports up to 8 GB of memory in 4 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to --. |
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Apple A9 | Characteristic | HiSilicon Kirin 970 |
LPDDR4-3200 | Memory | LPDDR4X-2133 |
2 GB | Max. Memory | 8 GB |
1 (Single Channel) | Memory channels | 4 (Quad Channel) |
25.6 GB/s | Max. Bandwidth | -- |
No | ECC | No |
3.00 MB | L2 Cache | -- |
4.00 MB | L3 Cache | 2.00 MB |
-- | PCIe version | -- |
-- | PCIe lanes | -- |
-- | PCIe Bandwidth | -- |
Thermal ManagementThe thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Apple A9 is 5 W, while the HiSilicon Kirin 970 has a TDP of 9 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently. |
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Apple A9 | Characteristic | HiSilicon Kirin 970 |
5 W | TDP (PL1 / PBP) | 9 W |
-- | TDP (PL2) | -- |
-- | TDP up | -- |
-- | TDP down | -- |
-- | Tjunction max. | -- |
Technical detailsThe Apple A9 is manufactured in 16 nm and has 7.00 MB cache. The HiSilicon Kirin 970 is manufactured in 10 nm and has a 2.00 MB cache. |
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Apple A9 | Characteristic | HiSilicon Kirin 970 |
16 nm | Technology | 10 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 |
Q3/2015 | Release date | Q3/2017 |
-- | Release price | -- |
show more data | show more data | |
Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz |
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HiSilicon Kirin 970
8C 8T @ 2.40 GHz |
Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz |
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HiSilicon Kirin 970
8C 8T @ 2.40 GHz |
Apple A9
Apple A9 @ 0.65 GHz |
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HiSilicon Kirin 970
ARM Mali-G72 MP12 @ 0.75 GHz |
Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz |
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HiSilicon Kirin 970
8C 8T @ 2.40 GHz |
Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz |
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HiSilicon Kirin 970
8C 8T @ 2.40 GHz |
Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz |
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HiSilicon Kirin 970
8C 8T @ 2.40 GHz |
Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz |
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HiSilicon Kirin 970
8C 8T @ 2.40 GHz |
Devices using this processor |
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Apple A9 | HiSilicon Kirin 970 |
Apple iPhone 6s Apple iPhone SE (1. Gen) |
Huawei Honor 10 Huawei Note 10 Huawei Play Huawei Honor View 10 Huawei Mate 10 Pro Huawei P20 Huawei Nova 3 Huawei Nova 4 |