Apple M4 vs Apple A18 Pro

Last updated:

CPU comparison with benchmarks


Apple M4 CPU1 vs CPU2 Apple A18 Pro
Apple M4 Apple A18 Pro

CPU comparison

Apple M4 or Apple A18 Pro - 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 M4 has 9 cores with 9 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.46 GHz. Up to 8 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The Apple M4 was released in Q2/2024.

The Apple A18 Pro has 6 cores with 6 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.04 GHz. The CPU supports up to 8 GB of memory in 1 memory channels. The Apple A18 Pro was released in Q3/2024.
Apple M series (32) Family Apple A series (25)
Apple M4 (7) CPU group Apple A18 Pro (2)
4 Generation 18
M4 Architecture Donan
Notebook Segment Smartphone / Tablet
Apple M3 Predecessor Apple A17 Pro
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple M4 is a 9 core processor with a clock frequency of 0.91 GHz (4.46 GHz). The Apple A18 Pro has 6 CPU cores with a clock frequency of 0.70 GHz (4.04 GHz).

Apple M4 Characteristic Apple A18 Pro
9 Cores 6
9 Threads 6
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
No Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? No
0.91 GHz (4.46 GHz)
3x Donan P-Core
A-Core 0.70 GHz (4.04 GHz)
2x Donan P-Core
0.90 GHz (2.85 GHz)
6x Donan E-Core
B-Core 0.74 GHz (2.30 GHz)
4x Donan E-Core

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 M4 Characteristic Apple A18 Pro
Apple Neural Engine AI hardware Apple Neural Engine
16 Neural cores @ 38 TOPS AI specifications 16 Neural cores @ 38 TOPS
-- NPU + CPU + iGPU --

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

The integrated graphics unit of a processor is not only responsible for the pure image output on the system, but can also significantly increase the efficiency of the system with the support of modern video codecs.

Apple M4 (10 Core) GPU Apple A18 Pro (6 GPU Cores)
0.34 GHz GPU frequency 0.39 GHz
1.58 GHz GPU (Turbo) 1.68 GHz
-- GPU Generation --
3 nm Technology 3 nm
3 Max. displays 1
160 Compute units 24
1280 Shader 768
Yes Hardware Raytracing Yes
No Frame Generation No
24 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.

Apple M4 (10 Core) GPU Apple A18 Pro (6 GPU Cores)
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
Decode Codec AV1 Decode
Decode Codec AVC Decode
Decode Codec VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

The Apple M4 supports a maximum of 8 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Apple A18 Pro can connect up to 8 GB of memory in 1 memory channels.

Apple M4 Characteristic Apple A18 Pro
LPDDR5X-7500 Memory LPDDR5X-7500
8 GB Max. Memory 8 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 1 (Single Channel)
120.0 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 60.0 GB/s
No ECC No
20.00 MB L2 Cache 20.00 MB
-- L3 Cache 24.00 MB
4.0 PCIe version --
-- PCIe lanes --
-- PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The TDP (Thermal Design Power) of a processor specifies the required cooling solution. The Apple M4 has a TDP of 20 W, that of the Apple A18 Pro is 12 W.

Apple M4 Characteristic Apple A18 Pro
20 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 12 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
15 W TDP down --
100 °C Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Apple M4 has a 20.00 MB cache, while the Apple A18 Pro cache has a total of 44.00 MB.

Apple M4 Characteristic Apple A18 Pro
3 nm Technology 3 nm
Monolithic Chip design Chiplet
Armv9-A (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) Armv9-A (64 bit)
Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation, AVX2, SME ISA extensions --
-- Socket --
Apple Virtualization Framework Virtualization None
Yes AES-NI No
macOS, iPadOS Operating systems iOS
Q2/2024 Release date Q3/2024
-- Release price --
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Apple M4 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.2 stars (732 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the Apple A18 Pro to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.0 stars (266 ratings). Rate now:

Average performance in benchmarks

Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
Apple M4 (100%)
Apple A18 Pro (90%)
Multi core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
Apple M4 (100%)
Apple A18 Pro (64%)

Geekbench 6 Single-Core

Geekbench 6 is a partial load benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. In the single-core test, only the fastest CPU core is measured. The test run simulates the performance in practice.
Apple M4 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 4.46 GHz
3767 (100%)
Apple A18 Pro Apple A18 Pro
6C 6T @ 4.04 GHz
3409 (90%)

Geekbench 6 Multi-Core

The practical Geekbench 6 multi-core benchmark tests the system's performance under partial load. The processor's maximum power consumption is far from being used up.
Apple M4 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 0.91 GHz
13295 (100%)
Apple A18 Pro Apple A18 Pro
6C 6T @ 4.04 GHz
8492 (64%)

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 M4 Apple M4
Apple M4 (10 Core) @ 1.58 GHz
4260 (100%)
Apple A18 Pro Apple A18 Pro
Apple A18 Pro (6 GPU Cores) @ 1.68 GHz
2580 (61%)

AI performance (NPU)

The performance values of the processor's AI unit. The isolated NPU performance is given here, the total AI performance (NPU+CPU+iGPU) can be higher.

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 M4 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 0.91 GHz
38 (100%)
Apple A18 Pro Apple A18 Pro
6C 6T @ 0.70 GHz
38 (100%)

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 M4 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 4.46 GHz
175 (100%)
Apple A18 Pro Apple A18 Pro
6C 6T @ 4.04 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 M4 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 4.46 GHz
860 (100%)
Apple A18 Pro Apple A18 Pro
6C 6T @ 4.04 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 M4 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 4.46 GHz
2281 (100%)
Apple A18 Pro Apple A18 Pro
6C 6T @ 4.04 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 M4 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 0.91 GHz
11575 (100%)
Apple A18 Pro Apple A18 Pro
6C 6T @ 4.04 GHz
0 (0%)

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 M4 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 4.46 GHz
2491 (100%)
Apple A18 Pro Apple A18 Pro
6C 6T @ 4.04 GHz
0 (0%)

AnTuTu 10 Benchmark

The AnTuTu 10 benchmark is one of the best-known benchmarks for mobile processors, which is now available in version 10. There is a version for Android-based smartphones and tablets, as well as a version for Apple mobile devices, i.e. iPhones and iPads.

The Antutu 10 benchmark has 3 phases. In the first phase, the device's RAM is tested, in phase 2 the graphics are tested and in the final phase the entire device is pushed to its performance limits by rendering 3D graphics.

Antutu 10 is therefore ideal for comparing the performance of different devices.
Apple M4 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 0.91 GHz
2608620 (100%)
Apple A18 Pro Apple A18 Pro
6C 6T @ 0.70 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 M4 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 0.91 GHz
22270 (100%)
Apple A18 Pro Apple A18 Pro
6C 6T @ 4.04 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 M4 Apple M4
11,575 CB R23 MC @ 18 W
643 (100%)
Apple A18 Pro Apple A18 Pro
0.70 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

Apple M4 Apple A18 Pro
Apple iPad Pro 11 (2024) Apple iPhone 16 Pro
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Popular comparisons containing this CPUs

1. Apple M4Apple M1 Apple M4 vs Apple M1
2. Apple M2Apple M4 Apple M2 vs Apple M4
3. Apple M4Intel Core i9-14900K Apple M4 vs Intel Core i9-14900K
4. Apple M4Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) Apple M4 vs Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
5. Apple M4Apple M3 Apple M4 vs Apple M3
6. Apple M4Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M4 vs Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
7. Apple M2 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)Apple M4 Apple M2 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) vs Apple M4
8. Apple M2 Pro (12-CPU 19-GPU)Apple M4 Apple M2 Pro (12-CPU 19-GPU) vs Apple M4
9. Apple A18 ProApple M2 Apple A18 Pro vs Apple M2
10. Apple M3 Pro (11-CPU 14-GPU)Apple M4 Apple M3 Pro (11-CPU 14-GPU) vs Apple M4


back to index