Apple M2 vs Google Tensor G2

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Apple M2 CPU1 vs CPU2 Google Tensor G2
Apple M2 Google Tensor G2

CPU comparison

Apple M2 or Google Tensor G2 - 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 M2 has 8 cores with 8 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.50 GHz. Up to 24 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The Apple M2 was released in Q2/2022.

The Google Tensor G2 has 8 cores with 8 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 2.85 GHz. The CPU supports up to 12 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Google Tensor G2 was released in Q4/2022.
Apple M series Family Google Tensor
Apple M2 CPU group Google Tensor G2
2 Generation 2
M2 Architecture G2
Mobile Segment Mobile
Apple M1 Predecessor Google Tensor
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple M2 has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Apple M2 is 3.50 GHz while the Google Tensor G2 has 8 CPU cores and 8 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the Google Tensor G2 is at 2.80 GHz.

8 Cores 8
8 Threads 8
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (Prime / big.LITTLE)
No Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? No
3.50 GHz
4x Avalanche
A-Core 2.85 GHz
2x Cortex-X1
2.80 GHz
4x Blizzard
B-Core 2.35 GHz
2x Cortex-A78
-- C-Core 1.80 GHz
4x Cortex-A55

Internal Graphics

The Apple M2 or Google Tensor G2 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 M2 (10 Core) GPU ARM Mali-G710 MP7
1.40 GHz GPU frequency 0.90 GHz
GPU (Turbo)
2 GPU Generation Vallhall 3
5 nm Technology 4 nm
2 Max. displays 1
160 Execution units 7
1280 Shader
24 GB Max. GPU Memory
DirectX Version 12

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 Decode
Decode Codec AVC Decode / Encode
Decode Codec VC-1 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

The Apple M2 can use up to 24 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 102.4 GB/s. The Google Tensor G2 supports up to 12 GB of memory in 2 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 53.0 GB/s.

LPDDR5-6400 Memory LPDDR5-5500
24 GB Max. Memory 12 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
102.4 GB/s Bandwidth 53.0 GB/s
No ECC No
20.00 MB L2 Cache 8.00 MB
L3 Cache 4.00 MB
4.0 PCIe version --
PCIe lanes

Thermal Management

The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Apple M2 is 22 W, while the Google Tensor G2 has a TDP of 10 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently.

22 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 10 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
10 W TDP down --
100 °C Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Apple M2 is manufactured in 5 nm and has 20.00 MB cache. The Google Tensor G2 is manufactured in 4 nm and has a 20.00 MB cache.

5 nm Technology 4 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, iPadOS Operating systems Android
Q2/2022 Release date Q4/2022
-- 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 M2 Apple M2
8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz
1695 (100%)
Google Tensor G2 Google Tensor G2
8C 8T @ 2.85 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 M2 Apple M2
8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz
8714 (100%)
Google Tensor G2 Google Tensor G2
8C 8T @ 2.85 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 M2 Apple M2
8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz
2536 (100%)
Google Tensor G2 Google Tensor G2
8C 8T @ 2.85 GHz
1426 (56%)
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 M2 Apple M2
8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz
9691 (100%)
Google Tensor G2 Google Tensor G2
8C 8T @ 2.85 GHz
3342 (34%)
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 M2 Apple M2
8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz
1874 (100%)
Google Tensor G2 Google Tensor G2
8C 8T @ 2.85 GHz
1068 (57%)
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 M2 Apple M2
8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz
8853 (100%)
Google Tensor G2 Google Tensor G2
8C 8T @ 2.85 GHz
3149 (36%)
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 M2 Apple M2
Apple M2 (10 Core) @ 1.40 GHz
3550 (100%)
Google Tensor G2 Google Tensor G2
ARM Mali-G710 MP7 @ 0.90 GHz
700 (20%)
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 M2 Apple M2
8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz
0 (0%)
Google Tensor G2 Google Tensor G2
8C 8T @ 2.85 GHz
789419 (100%)
Show all AnTuTu 9 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 M2 Apple M2
8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz
15472 (100%)
Google Tensor G2 Google Tensor G2
8C 8T @ 2.85 GHz
0 (0%)
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 M2 Apple M2
8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz
277 (100%)
Google Tensor G2 Google Tensor G2
8C 8T @ 2.85 GHz
0 (0%)
Show all Blender 2.81 (bmw27) results



Devices using this processor

Apple M2 Google Tensor G2
Apple MacBook Air 14 (2022)
Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022)
Google Pixel 7
Google Pixel 7 Pro

News and articles for the Apple M2 and the Google Tensor G2

Most popular processors in the first half of 2022
Posted by Stefan on 2022-07-05
In the past we had repeatedly written about our most popular processors. Since this format was quiet popular, I would like to continue this today and introduce you the most popular processors in the first half of 2022.

With more than 2 million page views per month, CPU-Monkey is one of the biggest comparison sites for processors and is currently available in 16 languages.
Apple M2 Pro with more CPU cores and production in 3 nm ?
Posted by Stefan on 2022-06-28
After Apple surprisingly presented the normal Apple M2 processor as the first successor to the Apple M1 already in June 2022, the Apple M2 Pro and the Apple M2 Max may follow in autumn. The difference in performance compared to the basic version could be even greater this time and range from 25 to 40 percent.

In this article we describe how Apple could realize this and why the price should also go up.
Apple M2 vs Apple M1 - What are the differences?
Posted by Stefan on 2022-06-09
During WWDC 2022 on June 6th, 2022 Apple surprisingly presented its new Apple M2 processor. This will initially be installed in a completely revised Apple MacBook Air with 13.6 inches, a even thinner form factor and new colors. Apple also updated the already known (old) Apple MacBook Pro 13.3 with touch bar.

Many leakers had counted on Apple not presenting its new second-generation M processor until the fall. But things turned out differently. And there is very likely a reason for that: the improvements in the Apple M2 are limited compared to the predecessor.

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.


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