MediaTek Helio X20 vs Apple M4

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


MediaTek Helio X20 CPU1 vs CPU2 Apple M4
MediaTek Helio X20 Apple M4

CPU comparison

MediaTek Helio X20 or Apple M4 - 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 MediaTek Helio X20 has 10 cores with 10 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 2.10 GHz. Up to 4 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The MediaTek Helio X20 was released in Q4/2015.

The Apple M4 has 9 cores with 9 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.41 GHz. The CPU supports up to 8 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Apple M4 was released in Q2/2024.
Mediatek Helio (37) Family Apple M series (25)
MediaTek Helio X20 (4) CPU group Apple M4 (2)
2 Generation 4
Cortex-A72 / Cortex-A53 Architecture M4
Mobile Segment Mobile
-- Predecessor Apple M3
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The MediaTek Helio X20 has 10 CPU cores and can calculate 10 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the MediaTek Helio X20 is 2.10 GHz while the Apple M4 has 9 CPU cores and 9 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the Apple M4 is at 0.70 GHz (4.41 GHz).

MediaTek Helio X20 Characteristic Apple M4
10 Cores 9
10 Threads 9
hybrid (Prime / big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
No Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? No
2.10 GHz
2x Cortex-A72
A-Core 0.70 GHz (4.41 GHz)
3x P-Core
1.40 GHz
4x Cortex-A53
B-Core 0.74 GHz (2.85 GHz)
6x E-Core
--
4x Cortex-A53
C-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.

MediaTek Helio X20 Characteristic Apple M4
-- AI hardware Apple Neural Engine
-- AI specifications 16 Neural cores @ 38 TOPS
-- NPU + CPU + iGPU --

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

The MediaTek Helio X20 or Apple M4 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.

ARM Mali-T880 MP4 GPU Apple M4 (10 Core)
0.78 GHz GPU frequency 0.39 GHz
0.78 GHz GPU (Turbo) 1.40 GHz
Midgard 4 GPU Generation --
16 nm Technology 3 nm
2 Max. displays 2
4 Compute units 160
64 Shader 1280
No Hardware Raytracing Yes
No Frame Generation No
-- Max. GPU Memory 24 GB
11 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.

ARM Mali-T880 MP4 GPU Apple M4 (10 Core)
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec h264 Decode / Encode
No Codec VP9 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec VP8 Decode
No Codec AV1 Decode
No Codec AVC Decode
No Codec VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

The MediaTek Helio X20 can use up to 4 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 6.4 GB/s. The Apple M4 supports up to 8 GB of memory in 2 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 120.0 GB/s.

MediaTek Helio X20 Characteristic Apple M4
LPDDR3-800 Memory LPDDR5X-7500
4 GB Max. Memory 8 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
6.4 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 120.0 GB/s
No ECC No
-- L2 Cache 18.00 MB
-- L3 Cache --
-- PCIe version 4.0
-- PCIe lanes --
-- PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the MediaTek Helio X20 is --, while the Apple M4 has a TDP of 22 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently.

MediaTek Helio X20 Characteristic Apple M4
-- TDP (PL1 / PBP) 22 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down 15 W
-- Tjunction max. 100 °C

Technical details

The MediaTek Helio X20 is manufactured in 20 nm and has 0.00 MB cache. The Apple M4 is manufactured in 3 nm and has a 18.00 MB cache.

MediaTek Helio X20 Characteristic Apple M4
20 nm Technology 3 nm
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
Armv8-A (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) Armv9-A (64 bit)
-- ISA extensions Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation, AVX2, SME
-- Socket --
None Virtualization Apple Virtualization Framework
No AES-NI Yes
Android Operating systems macOS, iPadOS
Q4/2015 Release date Q2/2024
-- Release price --
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the MediaTek Helio X20 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 1.0 stars (1 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the Apple M4 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.2 stars (95 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
MediaTek Helio X20 (8%)
Apple M4 (100%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
MediaTek Helio X20 (7%)
Apple M4 (100%)

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.
MediaTek Helio X20 MediaTek Helio X20
10C 10T @ 2.10 GHz
203 (8%)
Apple M4 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 4.41 GHz
2491 (100%)

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.
MediaTek Helio X20 MediaTek Helio X20
10C 10T @ 2.10 GHz
240 (7%)
Apple M4 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 4.41 GHz
3630 (100%)

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.
MediaTek Helio X20 MediaTek Helio X20
10C 10T @ 2.10 GHz
958 (7%)
Apple M4 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 0.70 GHz
13060 (100%)

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.
MediaTek Helio X20 MediaTek Helio X20
10C 10T @ 2.10 GHz
1153 (100%)
Apple M4 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 0.70 GHz
0 (0%)

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.
MediaTek Helio X20 MediaTek Helio X20
ARM Mali-T880 MP4 @ 0.78 GHz
106 (100%)
Apple M4 Apple M4
Apple M4 (10 Core) @ 1.40 GHz
0 (0%)

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.
MediaTek Helio X20 MediaTek Helio X20
10C 10T @ 2.10 GHz
84536 (100%)
Apple M4 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 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.
MediaTek Helio X20 MediaTek Helio X20
10C 10T @ 2.10 GHz
1729 (100%)
Apple M4 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 0.70 GHz
0 (0%)

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).
MediaTek Helio X20 MediaTek Helio X20
10C 10T @ 2.10 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M4 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 0.70 GHz
38 (100%)

Devices using this processor

MediaTek Helio X20 Apple M4
Unknown Apple iPad Pro 11 (2024)

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