NVIDIA Tegra X1 vs Apple M4

The NVIDIA Tegra X1, introduced in 2015, is a 20 nm System-on-a-Chip manufactured for embedded systems and game consoles.

It uses a big.LITTLE architecture (Cortex-A57/-A53), has 3 MB of L2 cache, and a maximum memory bandwidth of 26 GB/s. The integrated NVIDIA Tegra X1 (Maxwell) graphics unit provides performance for basic requirements. Its single-core and multi-core performance is designed for simple tasks, and power consumption is moderate.

The Apple M4, introduced by Apple in 2024, is a state-of-the-art 3 nm System-on-a-Chip for demanding mobile devices.

It is based on a custom M4 architecture with performance and efficiency cores, has 20 MB of L2 cache, and a maximum memory bandwidth of 120 GB/s. The powerful Apple M4 (10 Core) graphics unit enables superior display. Its single-core and multi-core performance significantly surpasses the Tegra X1, with leading energy efficiency.

In a direct comparison, the Apple M4 shows many times higher computing and graphics performance, which clearly makes it superior for modern gaming scenarios and complex applications. Thanks to 3 nm manufacturing, it also offers significantly better performance per watt. The NVIDIA Tegra X1 is more suitable for older, cost-effective, or specific embedded applications.

A direct price evaluation is not possible for either as integrated SoCs. For current performance requirements, the Apple M4 is the better choice.