Apple M3 Ultra (32-CPU 80-GPU) Apple A16 Bionic
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Apple M3 Ultra (32-CPU 80-GPU) vs Apple A16 Bionic

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The Apple A16 Bionic is an Apple-manufactured processor built on a 4 nm process, primarily developed for high-performance smartphones.

It is based on the A16 architecture, integrating a 6-core CPU (2 performance, 4 efficiency cores) and an Apple A16 (5 GPU Cores) graphics unit. With 20 MB of Level 2 Cache and 24 MB of Level 3 Cache, it offers a maximum memory bandwidth of 51 GB/s, optimized for mobile efficiency and performance with low power consumption.

It is ideal for everyday tasks, media consumption, and mobile gaming. The Apple M3 Ultra (32-CPU 80-GPU) is a high-end Apple processor for professional workstations and demanding desktop applications.

Manufactured on the more advanced 3 nm process based on the M3 architecture, it features a 32-core CPU (24 performance, 8 efficiency cores) and a very powerful Apple M3 Ultra (80 Core) graphics unit. With 80 MB of Level 2 Cache and an enormous memory bandwidth of 819 GB/s, it is equipped for data-intensive tasks, which also indicates very good AI performance.

It supports PCIe 5.0 and, despite significantly higher power consumption, offers extreme computing and graphics performance for areas such as video editing, 3D rendering, and software development. The Apple M3 Ultra surpasses the Apple A16 Bionic in single-core performance and offers significantly higher multi-core performance thanks to its 32 CPU cores.

While the A16 Bionic is optimized for mobile gaming, the M3 Ultra, with its 80-core GPU and high memory bandwidth, is suitable for demanding desktop games at the highest resolutions. Both processors are not available separately but are an integral part of end devices in their respective high-end segments.

Apple A16 Bionic

  • 4 nm manufacturing process
  • Optimized for smartphones
  • Energy efficient
  • Good performance for mobile games

Apple M3 Ultra (32-CPU 80-GPU)

  • 3 nm manufacturing process
  • For professional workstations
  • Extreme multi-core and graphics performance
  • High memory bandwidth (819 GB/s)

Performance Overview
Average performance across multiple benchmarks

Single-core performance
Rank 1 - 100 %
Apple M3 Ultra (32-CPU 80-GPU)
Rank 2 - 83 %
Apple A16 Bionic
Multi-core performance
Rank 1 - 100 %
Apple M3 Ultra (32-CPU 80-GPU)
Rank 2 - 22 %
Apple A16 Bionic
Geekbench 6 Single-Core

Geekbench 6 Single-Core
Single-core performance

Apple M3 Ultra (32-CPU 80-GPU)
32C / 32T · 4.06 GHz
3,240
Apple A16 Bionic
6C / 6T · 3.46 GHz
2,531
Geekbench 6 Multi-Core

Geekbench 6 Multi-Core
Multi-core performance

Apple M3 Ultra (32-CPU 80-GPU)
32C / 32T · 3.60 GHz
28,170
Apple A16 Bionic
6C / 6T · 3.46 GHz
6,299
Geekbench 5, 64bit Single-Core

Geekbench 5, 64bit Single-Core
Single-core performance

Apple M3 Ultra (32-CPU 80-GPU)
32C / 32T · 4.06 GHz
2,150
Apple A16 Bionic
6C / 6T · 3.46 GHz
1,890
iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

Apple M3 Ultra (32-CPU 80-GPU)
Apple M3 Ultra (80 Core)
28,400
Apple A16 Bionic
Apple A16 (5 GPU Cores)
1,789
AI performance (NPU)

AI performance (NPU)

Apple M3 Ultra (32-CPU 80-GPU)
32C / 32T · 0.70 GHz
70.0 TOPS
Apple A16 Bionic
6C / 6T · 3.46 GHz
17.0 TOPS

More benchmarks

At a glance

Wischen
Apple M3 Ultra (32-CPU 80-GPU)Apple A16 Bionic
FamilyApple M series (38)Apple A series (27)
CPU groupApple M3 Ultra (2)Apple A16 (2)
ArchitectureM3A16
Technology3 nm4 nm
SegmentDesktopSmartphone / Tablet
Socket
PredecessorApple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
SuccessorApple A17 Pro

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

Wischen
Apple M3 Ultra (32-CPU 80-GPU)Apple A16 Bionic
CPU Cores / Threads32 / 326 / 6
Hyperthreading / SMT
Core architecturehybrid (big.LITTLE)hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Core Cluster 1: 24x Palma P-Core
0.70 - 4.06 GHz
2x Everest
3.46 GHz
Core Cluster 2: 8x Palma E-Core
0.74 - 2.75 GHz
4x Sawtooth
2.02 GHz
L2-Cache80.00 MB20.00 MB
L3-Cache24.00 MB
Overclocking

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

Wischen
Apple M3 Ultra (32-CPU 80-GPU)Apple A16 Bionic
GPU nameApple M3 Ultra (80 Core)Apple A16 (5 GPU Cores)
GPU frequency0.39 - 1.40 GHz0.40 - 1.34 GHz
CUs / Shader1280 / 1024020 / 640
Raytracing
Max. displays83
Max. GPU Memory512 GB6 GB
Technology3 nm4 nm
Release dateQ1/2025Q3/2022

NPU AI performance

Wischen
Apple M3 Ultra (32-CPU 80-GPU)Apple A16 Bionic
AI hardwareApple Neural EngineApple Neural Engine
AI specifications32 Neural cores @ 70 TOPS16 Neural cores @ 17 TOPS
NPU + CPU + iGPU

Memory & PCIe

Wischen
Apple M3 Ultra (32-CPU 80-GPU)Apple A16 Bionic
MemoryLPDDR5-6400 (818.7 GB/s)
LPDDR5-6400 (51.2 GB/s)
Max. Memory512 GB6 GB
Memory channels81
ECCNoNo
PCIe5.0
PCIe Bandwidth

Thermal Management

Wischen
Apple M3 Ultra (32-CPU 80-GPU)Apple A16 Bionic
TDP180 W10 W
TDP (PL2)
TDP up
TDP down
T. junction max.100 °C

Technical details

Wischen
Apple M3 Ultra (32-CPU 80-GPU)Apple A16 Bionic
Chip designMonolithicChiplet
AES-NI
Operating systemsmacOS, iPadOSiOS
Instruction setArmv8-A (64 bit)Armv8.6-A (64 bit)
ISA extensionsRosetta 2 x86-Emulation
Release dateQ1/2025Q3/2022
Release price
Documents

Your rating

Here you can rate one or both of the processors. The average rating of Apple M3 Ultra (32-CPU 80-GPU) is 4.9 stars (452 ratings), while Apple A16 Bionic has received 4.1 stars (254 ratings).

Click on the stars to rate one or both processors.

Apple M3 Ultra (32-CPU 80-GPU)
Apple M3 Ultra (32-CPU 80-GPU)
32C / 32T · 0.70 - 4.06 GHz
Apple A16 Bionic
Apple A16 Bionic
6C / 6T · 3.46 GHz

Most popular CPUs in both categories

Apple M3 Ultra (32-CPU 80-GPU)
Apple M3 Ultra (32-CPU 80-GPU)
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