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Apple A12 Bionic Benchmark, Test and specs
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The Apple A12 Bionic has 6 cores with 6 threads and is based on the 12. gen of the Apple A series series. The processor was released in Q3/2018. The Apple A12 Bionic scores 1,116 points in the Geekbench 5 single-core benchmark. In the Geekbench 5 multi-core benchmark, the result is 2,731 points.
| Name: | Apple A12 Bionic |
|---|---|
| Family: | Apple A series (25) |
| CPU group: | Apple A12/A12X/A12Z (3) |
| Architecture: | A12 |
| Technology: | 7 nm |
| Segment: | Smartphone / Tablet |
| Generation: | 12 |
| Predecessor: | Apple A11 Bionic |
| Successor: | Apple A13 Bionic |
CPU Cores and Base Frequency
The Apple A12 Bionic has 6 CPU cores and can calculate 6 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Apple A12 Bionic is 2.49 GHz. The number of CPU cores greatly affects the speed of the processor and is an important performance indicator.
| CPU Cores / Threads: | 6 / 6 |
|---|---|
| Core architecture: | hybrid (big.LITTLE) |
| A-Core: | 2x Vortex |
| B-Core: | 4x Tempest |
| Hyperthreading / SMT: | No |
|---|---|
| Overclocking: | No |
| A-Core Frequency: | 2.49 GHz |
| B-Core Frequency: | 1.59 GHz |
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.
| AI hardware: | Apple Neural Engine |
|---|---|
| AI specifications: | 8 Neural cores @ 5 TOPS |
| NPU + CPU + iGPU: | -- |
Integrated graphics (iGPU)
The Apple A12 Bionic has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short. Specifically, the Apple A12 Bionic uses the Apple A12, which has 256 texture shaders and 16 execution units. The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
| GPU name: | Apple A12 |
|---|---|
| GPU frequency: | 1.13 GHz |
| GPU (Turbo): | No turbo |
| Compute units: | 16 |
| Shader: | 256 |
| Hardware Raytracing: | No |
| Release date: | Q3/2018 |
| Max. displays: | 1 |
|---|---|
| Generation: | 9 |
| Direct X: | -- |
| Technology: | 7 nm |
| Max. GPU Memory: | 4 GB |
| Frame Generation: | No |
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.
| h265 / HEVC (8 bit): | Decode / Encode |
|---|---|
| h265 / HEVC (10 bit): | Decode / Encode |
| h264: | Decode / Encode |
| VP8: | Decode / Encode |
| VP9: | Decode / Encode |
| AV1: | No |
|---|---|
| AVC: | Decode |
| VC-1: | Decode |
| JPEG: | Decode / Encode |
Memory & PCIeThe processor can use up to 4 GB memory in 1 (Single Channel) memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 34.1 GB/s. The memory type as well as the amount of memory can greatly affect the speed of the system. |
|
| Memory type: | Memory bandwidth: |
|---|---|
| LPDDR4X-4266 | 34.1 GB/s |
| Max. Memory: | 4 GB |
| Memory channels: | 1 (Single Channel) |
| ECC: | No |
| PCIe: | |
| PCIe Bandwidth: | -- |
Thermal ManagementThe thermal design power (TDP for short) of the processor is 6 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently. The TDP usually gives a rough idea of the actual power consumption of the CPU. |
|
|---|---|
| TDP (PL1 / PBP): | 6 W |
| TDP (PL2): | -- |
| TDP up: | -- |
| TDP down: | -- |
| Tjunction max.: | -- |
Technical details
The Apple A12 Bionic is made in 7 nm. The smaller the manufacturing process of a CPU, the more modern and energy-efficient it is. Overall, the processor has 8.00 MB cache. A large cache can greatly speed up the processor's speed in some cases such as games.
| Technology: | 7 nm |
|---|---|
| Chip design: | Chiplet |
| Socket: | -- |
| L2-Cache: | 8.00 MB |
| L3-Cache: | -- |
| AES-NI: | No |
| Operating systems: | iOS |
| Virtualization: | None |
|---|---|
| Instruction set (ISA): | Armv8-A (64 bit) |
| ISA extensions: | -- |
| Release date: | Q3/2018 |
| Release price: | -- |
| Part Number: | -- |
| Documents: | -- |
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Benchmark results
The benchmark results for the Apple A12 Bionic have been carefully checked by us. We only publish benchmark results that have been created by us or that have been submitted by a visitor and then checked by a team member. All results are based on and fullfill our benchmark guidelines.
Screenshots:
Screenshots:
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.
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Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz |
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Samsung Exynos 2100
8C 8T @ 2.90 GHz |
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz |
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Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz |
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz |
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+
8C 8T @ 3.10 GHz |
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
8C 8T @ 2.84 GHz |
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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.
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c+ Gen 3
8C 8T @ 2.40 GHz |
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus
8C 8T @ 2.96 GHz |
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Apple A10X Fusion
6C 6T @ 2.36 GHz |
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Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz |
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MediaTek Dimensity 7020
8C 8T @ 2.20 GHz |
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3
8C 8T @ 0.70 GHz |
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MediaTek Dimensity 800
8C 8T @ 2.00 GHz |
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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.
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Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz |
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Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz |
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz |
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Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz |
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz |
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
8C 8T @ 2.84 GHz |
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Google Tensor G2
8C 8T @ 2.85 GHz |
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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.
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MediaTek Dimensity 1000L
8C 8T @ 2.20 GHz |
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Samsung Exynos 990
8C 8T @ 2.73 GHz |
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MediaTek Dimensity 930
8C 8T @ 2.20 GHz |
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Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz |
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Qualcomm QCM6490
8C 8T @ 2.71 GHz |
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 860
8C 8T @ 2.96 GHz |
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus
8C 8T @ 2.96 GHz |
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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.
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Samsung Exynos 9820
ARM Mali-G76 MP12 @ 0.70 GHz |
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Samsung Exynos 9825
ARM Mali-G76 MP12 @ 0.70 GHz |
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G
Qualcomm Adreno 620 @ 0.75 GHz |
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Apple A12 Bionic
Apple A12 @ 1.13 GHz |
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MediaTek Dimensity 820
ARM Mali-G57 MP5 @ 0.90 GHz |
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
Qualcomm Adreno 540 @ 0.71 GHz |
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Samsung Exynos 9810
ARM Mali-G72 MP18 @ 0.85 GHz |
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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.
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.
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MediaTek Dimensity 1000L
8C 8T @ 2.20 GHz |
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
8C 8T @ 2.84 GHz |
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MediaTek Dimensity 1000C
8C 8T @ 2.00 GHz |
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Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz |
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HiSilicon Kirin 980
8C 8T @ 2.60 GHz |
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MediaTek Dimensity 820
8C 8T @ 2.60 GHz |
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HiSilicon Kirin 985 5G
8C 8T @ 2.58 GHz |
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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.
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MediaTek Dimensity 1200
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz |
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MediaTek Dimensity 920
8C 8T @ 2.50 GHz |
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 780G
8C 8T @ 2.40 GHz |
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Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz |
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MediaTek Dimensity 900
8C 8T @ 2.40 GHz |
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2
8C 8T @ 2.55 GHz |
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G
8C 8T @ 2.20 GHz |
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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).
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).
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 765
8C 8T @ 2.30 GHz |
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G
8C 8T @ 2.40 GHz |
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 768G
8C 8T @ 2.80 GHz |
||
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Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz |
||
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2
8C 8T @ 2.55 GHz |
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c
8C 8T @ 2.40 GHz |
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
8C 8T @ 2.30 GHz |
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Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (SC)
1,883 entries
1,883 entries
Geekbench 6 (MC)
1,817 entries
1,817 entries
Geekbench 5 (SC)
2,509 entries
2,509 entries
Geekbench 5 (MC)
2,476 entries
2,476 entries
FP32 SP (iGPU)
2,154 entries
2,154 entries
AnTuTu 8 Benchmark
118 entries
118 entries
PassMark CPU-Mark
2,456 entries
2,456 entries
AI performance (NPU)
181 entries
181 entries
Description of the processor
The Apple A12 Bionic processor commissioned by Apple is manufactured by the Taiwanese company TSMC using the 7-nanometer FinFET process. It was first installed in the iPhone XR and iPhone XS, which were launched in the third quarter of 2018. In 2019 it was also installed in the new third-generation iPad Air and in the fifth-generation iPad Mini. The Apple A14 Bionic came onto the market in 2020, but the 8th generation standard iPad was then given the Apple A12 Bionic again.The Apple A12 Bionic consists of 2 high-performance cores (Vortex) and 4 efficiency cores (Tempest). The Vortex cores clock at up to 2.49 gigahertz and the Tempest cores at up to 1.59 gigahertz. Due to the hybrid processor design, the Apple A12 Bionic is very efficient, since the built-in high-performance cores are only used for really computing-intensive tasks. The six cores of the Apple A12 Bionic cannot be overclocked, nor does the processor have hyperthreading.
The Apple A12 Bionics own graphics are made up of 32 execution units and 256 shaders. Like the processor, it is manufactured with a structure width of 7 nanometers, has a fixed clock rate of 1.13 gigahertz and thus achieves an FP32 computing power (single precision) of 576 gigaFLOPS.
LPDDR4X-4266 type RAM is installed in the Apple A12 Bionic. In the Apple A12 Bionic, this main memory achieves a maximum bandwidth of 34.1 gigabits per second. the maximum size of the RAM with which the Apple A12 Bionic is equipped is 4 gigabytes and is used in the iPhone XS.
In the Geekbench 5 benchmark, the Apple A12 Bionic achieves a single-core value of 1116 points and a multi-core value of 2731 points.
On our partner site www.check-mac.com you will find an overview of all Apple devices with the Apple A12 Bionic: www.check-mac.com/de/cpu-apple_a12_bionic
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