Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 vs Apple A12X Bionic

Last updated:

CPU comparison with benchmarks


Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 CPU1 vs CPU2 Apple A12X Bionic
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 Apple A12X Bionic

CPU comparison

Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 or Apple A12X Bionic - 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 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 has 8 cores with 8 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.00 GHz. Up to 16 GB of memory is supported in 8 memory channels. The Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 was released in Q3/2019.

The Apple A12X Bionic has 8 cores with 8 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 2.49 GHz. The CPU supports up to 6 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Apple A12X Bionic was released in Q3/2018.
Qualcomm Snapdragon (102) Family Apple A series (22)
Qualcomm Snapdragon SQ1/SQ2 (2) CPU group Apple A12/A12X/A12Z (3)
1 Generation 12
Kryo 495 Architecture A12
Mobile Segment Mobile
-- Predecessor Apple A10X Fusion
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 is a 8 core processor with a clock frequency of 3.00 GHz. The Apple A12X Bionic has 8 CPU cores with a clock frequency of 2.49 GHz.

Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 Characteristic Apple A12X Bionic
8 Cores 8
8 Threads 8
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
No Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? No
3.00 GHz
4x Kryo 495 Gold
A-Core 2.49 GHz
4x Vortex
1.80 GHz
4x Kryo 495 Silver
B-Core 1.59 GHz
4x Tempest

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

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. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.

Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 Characteristic Apple A12X Bionic
-- AI hardware Apple Neural Engine
-- AI specifications 8 Neural cores @ 5 TOPS

Internal Graphics

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.

Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU Apple A12X
0.25 GHz GPU frequency 1.13 GHz
0.65 GHz GPU (Turbo) --
5 GPU Generation 9
7 nm Technology 7 nm
2 Max. displays 1
8 Compute units 28
1536 Shader 448
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
4 GB Max. GPU Memory 6 GB
12.0 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.

Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU Apple A12X
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 Codec VP9 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec VP8 Decode / Encode
No Codec AV1 No
Decode Codec AVC Decode
Decode Codec VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

The Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 supports a maximum of 16 GB of memory in 8 memory channels. The Apple A12X Bionic can connect up to 6 GB of memory in 2 memory channels.

Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 Characteristic Apple A12X Bionic
LPDDR4X-4266 Memory LPDDR4X-4266
16 GB Max. Memory 6 GB
8 (Octa Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
34.1 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 68.2 GB/s
No ECC No
-- L2 Cache 8.00 MB
2.00 MB L3 Cache --
-- PCIe version --
-- PCIe lanes --
-- PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The TDP (Thermal Design Power) of a processor specifies the required cooling solution. The Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 has a TDP of 7 W, that of the Apple A12X Bionic is 15 W.

Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 Characteristic Apple A12X Bionic
7 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 15 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 has a 2.00 MB cache, while the Apple A12X Bionic cache has a total of 8.00 MB.

Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 Characteristic Apple A12X Bionic
7 nm Technology 7 nm
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
Armv8-A (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) Armv8-A (64 bit)
-- ISA extensions --
-- Socket --
None Virtualization None
No AES-NI No
Android, Windows 10 (ARM) Operating systems iOS
Q3/2019 Release date Q3/2018
-- Release price --
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 0 stars (0 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the Apple A12X Bionic to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.0 stars (6 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
⌀ Multi core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks

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.
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
724 (64%)
Apple A12X Bionic Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
1124 (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.
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
2808 (60%)
Apple A12X Bionic Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
4718 (100%)

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.
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1
Qualcomm Adreno 685 @ 0.65 GHz
2030 (100%)
Apple A12X Bionic Apple A12X Bionic
Apple A12X @ 1.13 GHz
1008 (50%)

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.
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
45 (100%)
Apple A12X Bionic Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 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.
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
200 (100%)
Apple A12X Bionic Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 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.
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple A12X Bionic Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
991 (100%)

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.
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple A12X Bionic Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
4539 (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.
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple A12X Bionic Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
1341 (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.
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple A12X Bionic Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
4745 (100%)

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.
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple A12X Bionic Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
713640 (100%)

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.
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple A12X Bionic Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
10921 (100%)

Performance for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

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).
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple A12X Bionic Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
5 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 Apple A12X Bionic
Microsoft Surface X Apple iPad Pro 2018

Popular comparisons containing this CPUs

1. Apple M1Apple A12X Bionic Apple M1 vs Apple A12X Bionic
2. Apple A12X BionicApple A14 Bionic Apple A12X Bionic vs Apple A14 Bionic
3. Apple A12Z BionicApple A12X Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic vs Apple A12X Bionic
4. Apple A12X BionicApple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) Apple A12X Bionic vs Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
5. Apple A13 BionicApple A12X Bionic Apple A13 Bionic vs Apple A12X Bionic
6. Apple M2Apple A12X Bionic Apple M2 vs Apple A12X Bionic
7. Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1Apple M1 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 vs Apple M1
8. Apple A10X FusionApple A12X Bionic Apple A10X Fusion vs Apple A12X Bionic
9. Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ2 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ1
10. Apple A12X BionicApple A12 Bionic Apple A12X Bionic vs Apple A12 Bionic


back to index