Apple M1 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Apple M1 CPU1 vs CPU2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c
Apple M1 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the Apple M1 and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the Apple M1 8 core processor released in Q4/2020 with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c which has 8 CPU cores and was introduced in Q4/2019.
Apple M series (23) Family Qualcomm Snapdragon (102)
Apple M1 (9) CPU group Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c (1)
1 Generation 1
M1 Architecture Kryo 490
Mobile Segment Mobile
-- Predecessor --
Apple M2 Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple M1 is a 8 core processor with a clock frequency of 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz). The processor can compute 8 threads at the same time. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c clocks with 2.45 GHz, has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.

Apple M1 Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c
8 Cores 8
8 Threads 8
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
No Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? No
0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz)
4x Firestorm
A-Core 2.45 GHz
4x Kryo 490 Gold
0.60 GHz (2.06 GHz)
4x Icestorm
B-Core 1.80 GHz
4x Kryo 490 Silver

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 M1 Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c
Apple Neural Engine AI hardware Qualcomm AI engine
16 Neural cores @ 11 TOPS AI specifications Hexagon 690 @ 7 TOPS

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 M1 (8 Core) GPU Qualcomm Adreno 675
0.39 GHz GPU frequency 0.25 GHz
1.30 GHz GPU (Turbo) 0.59 GHz
1 GPU Generation 5
5 nm Technology 7 nm
2 Max. displays 1
128 Compute units 7
1024 Shader 672
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
8 GB Max. GPU Memory 4 GB
-- DirectX Version 12.0

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 M1 (8 Core) GPU Qualcomm Adreno 675
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode
Decode / Encode Codec h264 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec VP9 Decode
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

Up to 16 GB of memory in a maximum of 2 memory channels is supported by the Apple M1, while the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c supports a maximum of 16 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 34.1 GB/s enabled.

Apple M1 Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c
LPDDR4X-4266 Memory LPDDR4X-4266
16 GB Max. Memory 16 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 4 (Quad Channel)
68.2 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 34.1 GB/s
No ECC No
16.00 MB L2 Cache 2.00 MB
-- L3 Cache 3.00 MB
4.0 PCIe version --
-- PCIe lanes --
-- PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The Apple M1 has a TDP of 18 W. The TDP of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c is 7 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

Apple M1 Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c
18 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 7 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
20 W TDP up --
10 W TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Apple M1 has 16.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 5 nm. The cache of Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c is at 5.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 7 nm.

Apple M1 Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c
5 nm Technology 7 nm
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
Armv8.5-A (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) Armv8-A (64 bit)
Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation ISA extensions --
-- Socket --
Apple Virtualization Framework Virtualization None
Yes AES-NI No
macOS Operating systems Android, Windows 10 (ARM)
Q4/2020 Release date Q4/2019
-- Release price --
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Apple M1 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.9 stars (170 ratings). Rate now:
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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
⌀ Multi core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks

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%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c
8C 8T @ 2.45 GHz
665 (38%)

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%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c
8C 8T @ 2.45 GHz
2574 (34%)

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%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c
Qualcomm Adreno 675 @ 0.59 GHz
1550 (59%)

Performance for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

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. The performance is given in the number (trillions) of arithmetic operations per second (TOPS).
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 0.60 GHz
11 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c
8C 8T @ 2.45 GHz
7 (64%)

Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)

The Cinebench 2024 benchmark is based on the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxon's 3D program Cinema 4D. The benchmark runs are each 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
112 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c
8C 8T @ 2.45 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)

The Multi-Core test of the Cinebench 2024 benchmark uses all cpu cores to render using the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxons Cinema 4D. The benchmark run is 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
509 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c
8C 8T @ 2.45 GHz
0 (0%)

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%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c
8C 8T @ 2.45 GHz
0 (0%)

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%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c
8C 8T @ 2.45 GHz
0 (0%)

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%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c
8C 8T @ 2.45 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 M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
8576 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c
8C 8T @ 2.45 GHz
0 (0%)

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%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c
8C 8T @ 2.45 GHz
0 (0%)

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%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c
8C 8T @ 2.45 GHz
0 (0%)

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%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c
8C 8T @ 2.45 GHz
0 (0%)

CPU performance per watt (efficiency)

Efficiency of the processor under full load in the Cinebench R23 (multi-core) benchmark. The benchmark result is divided by the average energy required (CPU package power in watts). The higher the value, the more efficient the CPU is under full load.
Apple M1 Apple M1
7,759 CB R23 MC @ 18 W
431 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c
2.45 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

Apple M1 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c
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)
Unknown

News and articles for the Apple M1 and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c


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