The Apple A5 was a groundbreaking mobile processor that powered many popular devices in its era. This chip, based on Apple's own A5 architecture, demonstrated remarkable performance for its time. It enabled the smooth execution of demanding apps and ensured consistently responsive operation. A particularly positive feature was the powerful integrated graphics unit.

The PowerVR SGX543MP2, with its two cores, provided surprisingly smooth visuals. It even enabled a good gaming experience on mobile devices back then.32-nanometer process. This significantly contributed to the chip's high energy efficiency. Good energy efficiency was crucial for long battery life in mobile devices.

The Apple A5 also offered 1 MB of Level 2 cache, which supported the fast processing of data. Its maximum memory bandwidth of 6 GB/s further ensured the swift execution of processes. We noticed back then how responsive and smooth devices were to use with this chip. The processor definitely set important technical standards for future mobile chips and had a lasting impact on the user experience.
  • Integrated PowerVR SGX543MP2 graphics
  • Energy-efficient 32-nm manufacturing
  • Good performance for mobile applications
  • 1 MB Level 2 Cache

Performance Overview
Average performance across multiple benchmarks

Single-core performance
Rank ? / ?
In segment Smartphone / Tablet
Multi-core performance
Rank 177 / 177
In segment Smartphone / Tablet
Geekbench 6 Multi-Core

Geekbench 6 Multi-Core
Multi-core performance

MediaTek MT8168
4C / 4T · 2.00 GHz
520
MediaTek MT8766B
8C / 8T · 2.00 GHz
508
MediaTek Helio A20
4C / 4T · 1.80 GHz
476
Qualcomm Snapdragon 425
4C / 4T · 1.40 GHz
396
Apple A5
Apple A5 100 %
2C / 2T · 1.00 GHz
267
Geekbench 5, 64bit Single-Core

Geekbench 5, 64bit Single-Core
Single-core performance

Qualcomm Snapdragon 675
8C / 8T · 2.00 GHz
498
MediaTek Dimensity 800
8C / 8T · 2.00 GHz
497
Apple A5
Apple A5 100 %
2C / 2T · 1.00 GHz
496
Qualcomm Snapdragon 850
8C / 8T · 2.95 GHz
489
MediaTek Helio G90T
8C / 8T · 2.05 GHz
485
iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

Samsung Exynos 4212
ARM Mali-400 MP4
14
MediaTek MT6735P
ARM Mali-T720 MP2
14
Apple A5
Apple A5 100 %
PowerVR SGX543MP2 (2 Cores)
13
MediaTek MT6589T
PowerVR SGX544
11
MediaTek MT8389T
PowerVR SGX544
11

More benchmarks

At a glance

PropertyValue
FamilyApple A series (27)
CPU groupApple A5/A5X (2)
ArchitectureA5
Technology32 nm
SegmentSmartphone / Tablet
Socket
Generation5
Predecessor
SuccessorApple A6
Q3/2012

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

PropertyValue
CPU Cores / Threads2 / 2
Hyperthreading / SMT
Core architecturenormal
Cores: 2x Cortex-A9
Frequency: 1.00 GHz
Turbo Frequency (1 Core):
Turbo Frequency (2 Cores):
L2-Cache1.00 MB
L3-Cache
OverclockingNo

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

PropertyValue
GPU namePowerVR SGX543MP2 (2 Cores)
GPU frequency0.20 GHz
CUs / Shader4 / 32
Raytracing
Max. displays1
Max. GPU Memory
Technology32 nm
Release dateQ1/2012

Memory & PCIe

Memory typeMemory bandwidth
LPDDR2-800
6.4 GB/s
PropertyValue
Max. Memory1 GB
Memory channels2
ECC
PCIe
PCIe Bandwidth

Thermal Management

PropertyValue
TDP
TDP (PL2)
TDP up
TDP down
T. junction max.

Technical details

PropertyValue
Chip designChiplet
AES-NI
Operating systemsiOS
Instruction setArmv7-A (32 bit)
ISA extensions
Release dateQ1/2011
Release price
Documents
Apple A5
Apple A5
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