Apple A9X vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 845

Last updated:

CPU comparison with benchmarks


Apple A9X CPU1 vs CPU2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
Apple A9X Qualcomm Snapdragon 845

CPU comparison

Apple A9X or Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 - 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 A9X has 2 cores with 2 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 2.26 GHz. Up to 4 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The Apple A9X was released in Q3/2015.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 has 8 cores with 8 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 2.80 GHz. The CPU supports up to 10 GB of memory in 4 memory channels. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 was released in Q1/2018.
Apple A series (22) Family Qualcomm Snapdragon (103)
Apple A9/A9X (2) CPU group Qualcomm Snapdragon 845/850 (2)
9 Generation 5
A9 Architecture Kryo 385
Mobile Segment Mobile
Apple A8X Predecessor Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
Apple A10X Fusion Successor Qualcomm Snapdragon 855

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple A9X has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 2 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Apple A9X is 2.26 GHz while the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 has 8 CPU cores and 8 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 is at 2.80 GHz.

Apple A9X Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
2 Cores 8
2 Threads 8
normal Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
No Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? No
2.26 GHz
2x Twister
A-Core 2.80 GHz
4x Kryo 385 Gold
-- B-Core 1.80 GHz
4x Kryo 385 Silver

NPU AI performance

The performance values of the processor's AI unit. The isolated NPU performance is specified here, the total AI performance (NPU+CPU+iGPU) can be higher. Processors with support for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors.

Apple A9X Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --
-- NPU + CPU + iGPU --

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

The Apple A9X or Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 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.

Apple A9X GPU Qualcomm Adreno 630
0.65 GHz GPU frequency 0.70 GHz
-- GPU (Turbo) --
6 GPU Generation 4
16 nm Technology 10 nm
1 Max. displays 2
48 Compute units --
384 Shader 256
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
4 GB Max. GPU Memory 8 GB
-- 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 A9X GPU Qualcomm Adreno 630
No Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode
Decode / Encode Codec h264 Decode / Encode
No Codec VP9 Decode
Decode Codec VP8 Decode
No Codec AV1 No
Decode Codec AVC Decode
Decode Codec VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

The Apple A9X can use up to 4 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 51.2 GB/s. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 supports up to 10 GB of memory in 4 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 52.0 GB/s.

Apple A9X Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
LPDDR4-3200 Memory LPDDR4X-3733
4 GB Max. Memory 10 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 4 (Quad Channel)
51.2 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 52.0 GB/s
No ECC No
3.00 MB L2 Cache 1.50 MB
4.00 MB L3 Cache 2.00 MB
-- PCIe version --
-- PCIe lanes --
-- PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Apple A9X is 8 W, while the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 has a TDP of --. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently.

Apple A9X Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
8 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) --
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Apple A9X is manufactured in 16 nm and has 7.00 MB cache. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 is manufactured in 10 nm and has a 3.50 MB cache.

Apple A9X Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
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 Q1/2018
-- Release price --
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Apple A9X to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 0 stars (0 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 3.7 stars (14 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
Apple A9X (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (75%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 3 CPU benchmarks
Apple A9X (64%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (100%)

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 A9X Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
652 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
8C 8T @ 2.80 GHz
504 (77%)

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 A9X Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
1198 (55%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
8C 8T @ 2.80 GHz
2165 (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 A9X Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
763 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
8C 8T @ 2.80 GHz
552 (72%)

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 A9X Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
1251 (62%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
8C 8T @ 2.80 GHz
2022 (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 A9X Apple A9X
Apple A9X @ 0.65 GHz
499 (68%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
Qualcomm Adreno 630 @ 0.70 GHz
737 (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 A9X Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
272103 (75%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
8C 8T @ 2.80 GHz
361498 (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 A9X Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
2501 (76%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
8C 8T @ 2.80 GHz
3276 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Apple A9X Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
Apple iPad Pro (1. Gen) OnePlus 6
OnePlus 6T
Vivo NEX S
Asus Zenfone 5z
Razer Phone 2
Asus ROG Phone
Sony Xperia XZ2

Popular comparisons containing this CPUs

1. Qualcomm Snapdragon 845Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G
2. Qualcomm Snapdragon 732GQualcomm Snapdragon 845 Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
3. Qualcomm Snapdragon 888Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
4. Qualcomm Snapdragon 765GQualcomm Snapdragon 845 Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
5. Apple A9XApple A14 Bionic Apple A9X vs Apple A14 Bionic
6. Apple A12 BionicApple A9X Apple A12 Bionic vs Apple A9X
7. Apple A9XApple A10 Fusion Apple A9X vs Apple A10 Fusion
8. Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 4GQualcomm Snapdragon 845 Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 4G vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
9. MediaTek Helio G99Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 MediaTek Helio G99 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
10. Apple A13 BionicApple A9X Apple A13 Bionic vs Apple A9X


back to index