Apple M1 vs Apple A14 Bionic

Last updated:

CPU comparison with benchmarks


Apple M1 CPU1 vs CPU2 Apple A14 Bionic
Apple M1 Apple A14 Bionic

CPU comparison

Apple M1 or Apple A14 Bionic - 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 M1 has 8 cores with 8 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.20 GHz. Up to 16 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The Apple M1 was released in Q4/2020.

The Apple A14 Bionic has 6 cores with 6 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.00 GHz. The CPU supports up to 6 GB of memory in 1 memory channels. The Apple A14 Bionic was released in Q3/2020.
Apple M series Family Apple A series
Apple M1 CPU group Apple A14
1 Generation 14
M1 Architecture A14 (Firestorm/Icestorm)
Mobile Segment Mobile
-- Predecessor Apple A13 Bionic
Apple M2 Successor Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple M1 has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Apple M1 is 3.20 GHz while the Apple A14 Bionic has 6 CPU cores and 6 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the Apple A14 Bionic is at 2.06 GHz.

8 Cores 6
8 Threads 6
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
No Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? No
3.20 GHz
4x Firestorm
A-Core 3.00 GHz
2x Firestorm
2.06 GHz
4x Icestorm
B-Core 1.82 GHz
4x Icestorm
-- C-Core --

Internal Graphics

The Apple M1 or Apple A14 Bionic 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 M1 (8 Core) GPU Apple A14
1.30 GHz GPU frequency 1.00 GHz
GPU (Turbo)
1 GPU Generation 11
5 nm Technology 5 nm
2 Max. displays 3
128 Execution units 64
1024 Shader 512
8 GB Max. GPU Memory 8 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.

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

Memory & PCIe

The Apple M1 can use up to 16 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 68.2 GB/s. The Apple A14 Bionic supports up to 6 GB of memory in 1 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 34.1 GB/s.

LPDDR4X-4266 Memory LPDDR4X-4266
16 GB Max. Memory 6 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 1 (Single Channel)
68.2 GB/s Bandwidth 34.1 GB/s
No ECC No
16.00 MB L2 Cache 12.00 MB
L3 Cache 16.00 MB
4.0 PCIe version --
PCIe lanes

Thermal Management

The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Apple M1 is 15 W, while the Apple A14 Bionic has a TDP of 7 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently.

15 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 7 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
20 W TDP up --
10 W TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Apple M1 is manufactured in 5 nm and has 16.00 MB cache. The Apple A14 Bionic is manufactured in 5 nm and has a 16.00 MB cache.

5 nm Technology 5 nm
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation ISA extensions
-- Socket --
Apple Virtualization Framework Virtualization None
Yes AES-NI No
macOS Operating systems iOS
Q4/2020 Release date Q3/2020
-- Release price --
show more data show more data



Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.

Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
1503 (100%)
Apple A14 Bionic Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Show all Cinebench R23 (Single-Core) results



Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.

Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
7759 (100%)
Apple A14 Bionic Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Show all Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core) results



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 M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
2369 (100%)
Apple A14 Bionic Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.00 GHz
2072 (87%)
Show all Geekbench 6 (Single-Core) results



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 M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
8576 (100%)
Apple A14 Bionic Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.00 GHz
4689 (55%)
Show all Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core) results



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 M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
1742 (100%)
Apple A14 Bionic Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.00 GHz
1590 (91%)
Show all Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core) results



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 M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
7650 (100%)
Apple A14 Bionic Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.00 GHz
4247 (56%)
Show all Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core) results



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 M1 Apple M1
Apple M1 (8 Core) @ 1.30 GHz
2610 (100%)
Apple A14 Bionic Apple A14 Bionic
Apple A14 @ 1.00 GHz
1000 (38%)
Show all iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS) results



AnTuTu 9 Benchmark

The AnTuTu 9 benchmark is very well suited to measuring the performance of a smartphone. AnTuTu 9 is quite heavy on 3D graphics and can now also use the "Metal" graphics interface. In AnTuTu, memory and UX (user experience) are also tested by simulating browser and app usage. AnTuTu version 9 can compare any ARM CPU running on Android or iOS. Devices may not be directly comparable when benchmarked on different operating systems.

In the AnTuTu 9 benchmark, the single-core performance of a processor is only slightly weighted. The rating is made up of the multi-core performance of the processor, the speed of the working memory, and the performance of the internal graphics.

Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple A14 Bionic Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.00 GHz
729968 (100%)
Show all AnTuTu 9 Benchmark results



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 M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple A14 Bionic Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.00 GHz
628047 (100%)
Show all AnTuTu 8 Benchmark results



Blender 3.1 Benchmark

In the Blender Benchmark 3.1, the scenes "monster", "junkshop" and "classroom" are rendered and the time required by the system is measured. In our benchmark we test the CPU and not the graphics card. Blender 3.1 was presented as a standalone version in March 2022.

Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
117 (100%)
Apple A14 Bionic Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Show all Blender 3.1 Benchmark results



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 M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
14463 (100%)
Apple A14 Bionic Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.00 GHz
8514 (59%)
Show all Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark results



Blender 2.81 (bmw27)

Blender is a free 3D graphics software for rendering (creating) 3D bodies, which can also be textured and animated in the software. The Blender benchmark creates predefined scenes and measures the time (s) required for the entire scene. The shorter the time required, the better. We selected bmw27 as the benchmark scene.

Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
314 (100%)
Apple A14 Bionic Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Show all Blender 2.81 (bmw27) results



V-Ray CPU-Render Benchmark

V-Ray is a 3D rendering software from the manufacturer Chaos for designers and artists. Unlike many other render engines, V-Ray is capable of so-called hybrid rendering, in which the CPU and GPU work together at the same time.

However, the CPU benchmark we used (CPU Render Mode) only uses the system's processor. The working memory used plays a major role in the V-Ray benchmark. For our benchmarks we use the fastest RAM standard approved by the manufacturer (without overclocking).

Due to the high compatibility of V-Ray (including Autodesk 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, SketchUp, Unreal Engine and Blender), it is a frequently used software. With V-Ray, for example, photorealistic images can be rendered that laypeople cannot distinguish from normal photos.

Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
4935 (100%)
Apple A14 Bionic Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Show all V-Ray CPU-Render Benchmark results



Devices using this processor

Apple M1 Apple A14 Bionic
Apple iMac 24 (2021)
Apple MacBook Pro 13 (L2020)
Apple MacBook Air (2020)
Apple Mac mini (2020)
Apple iPad Pro 11 (2021)
Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
Apple iPad Air (2022)
Apple iPhone 12 mini
Apple iPhone 12
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
Apple iPad Air (4. Gen)

News and articles for the Apple M1 and the Apple A14 Bionic


VS Description of the processor

Apple M1 against Apple A14 Bionic is a duel of the arm processors from Apple. The two processors have come out in the same year. But the purpose is a completely different from both.
Already in recent years, the high performance of ARM processors was evident. For some time you can already serve the everyday tasks easily.
In the in-house Apple world, the self-made processors then play their full strength and let the competitors not really look old.

The Apple M1 is the first in-house arm processor for use in mobile devices like notebooks. Due to the enormous performance, however, Apple also uses in desktop solutions such as Mac Mini.

The Apple M1 has a maximum clock of 3.2 GHz and has 8 cores. It is manufactured in 5nm and provides support for up to 16 GB LPDDR4x-4266 memory.
Its great strength is undoubtedly the integrated graphics solution. Using this, the Apple M1 is possible to easily accomplish complex arithmetic operations.

The Apple A14 Bionic is the conceptioned counterpart for the Apple M1 for the exclusively mobile use.
Like the M1, the A14 is also manufactured in 5nm and supports the same amount of memory. With 6W TDP (PL1) the power consumption but only almost half (the M1 has indicated 15W).
This also shows itself in performance should not be surprising on the basis of these clear differences.

The benchmark results clearly show the strength of the Apple M1 opposite its mobile brother to Apple A14 Bionic.
While the results are close to each other in the Geekbench 5 in the singel-core (M1 1,744 vs. A14 1.592), they can hardly be different in the multi-core test.
Here, the M1 beats the A14 significantly by almost 50% (M1 7,676 vs. A14 4.112).

Leaderboards

In our leaderboards, we have clearly compiled the best processors for specific categories for you. The leaderboards are always up to date and are regularly updated by us. The best processors are selected according to popularity and speed in benchmarks as well as the price-performance ratio.


Popular comparisons containing this CPUs

1. Apple M1Intel Core i9-9900K Apple M1 vs Intel Core i9-9900K
2. Apple M1Apple A14 Bionic Apple M1 vs Apple A14 Bionic
3. Apple A14 BionicApple A12Z Bionic Apple A14 Bionic vs Apple A12Z Bionic
4. Apple M1Intel Core i7-10875H Apple M1 vs Intel Core i7-10875H
5. Apple M1Intel Core i5-1038NG7 Apple M1 vs Intel Core i5-1038NG7
6. Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)Apple M1 Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) vs Apple M1
7. Apple M1Apple A12Z Bionic Apple M1 vs Apple A12Z Bionic
8. Apple M2Apple M1 Apple M2 vs Apple M1
9. Apple M1Intel Core i7-1185G7 Apple M1 vs Intel Core i7-1185G7
10. Apple M1AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Apple M1 vs AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
11. Apple A14 BionicApple A13 Bionic Apple A14 Bionic vs Apple A13 Bionic
12. Qualcomm Snapdragon 888Apple A14 Bionic Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 vs Apple A14 Bionic
13. Apple A12 BionicApple A14 Bionic Apple A12 Bionic vs Apple A14 Bionic
14. Intel Core i7-1165G7Apple M1 Intel Core i7-1165G7 vs Apple M1
15. Apple M1AMD Ryzen 7 4800H Apple M1 vs AMD Ryzen 7 4800H


back to index