The Apple A8 was an important processor that significantly shaped the performance of mobile devices in its era. As the centerpiece of many smartphones and tablets of that time, it provided a solid and reliable foundation. This chip was manufactured using the then state-of-the-art 20-nanometer process.

This contributed significantly to energy efficiency and compact size. The Apple A8 integrated a powerful graphics unit directly on the chip. It ensured smooth graphics rendering and a pleasant user experience in everyday use. A special feature was the generous cache system. With 1 MB L2 cache and 4 MB L3 cache, it improved the fast availability of data.

This led to a noticeably better responsiveness of the applications. The maximum memory bandwidth was 13 GB/s. This was absolutely adequate for mobile systems of the time. This processor was designed to offer a balanced mix of computing power and battery life. It proved its qualities in numerous devices that were still usable even after years.

The A8 was a prime example of Apple's innovation in chip design at that time.
  • Efficient 20-nanometer manufacturing
  • Integrated, powerful graphics unit
  • Generous cache system (1 MB L2, 4 MB L3)
  • Adequate memory bandwidth of 13 GB/s

Performance Overview
Average performance across multiple benchmarks

Single-core performance
Rank 126 / 176
In segment Smartphone / Tablet
Multi-core performance
Rank 171 / 177
In segment Smartphone / Tablet
Geekbench 6 Single-Core

Geekbench 6 Single-Core
Single-core performance

Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 4G
8C / 8T · 2.40 GHz
416
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
8C / 8T · 2.45 GHz
416
Apple A8
Apple A8 100 %
2C / 2T · 1.50 GHz
412
Samsung Exynos 8890
8C / 8T · 2.60 GHz
410
MediaTek Helio G80
8C / 8T · 2.00 GHz
406
Geekbench 6 Multi-Core

Geekbench 6 Multi-Core
Multi-core performance

MediaTek Helio P23
8C / 8T · 2.50 GHz
705
MediaTek MT8173
4C / 4T · 1.80 GHz
610
Apple A8
Apple A8 100 %
2C / 2T · 1.50 GHz
588
MediaTek MT6750
8C / 8T · 1.50 GHz
521
MediaTek MT8168
4C / 4T · 2.00 GHz
520
Geekbench 5, 64bit Single-Core

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

HiSilicon Kirin 955
8C / 8T · 2.50 GHz
330
Samsung Exynos 9610
8C / 8T · 2.30 GHz
329
Apple A8
Apple A8 100 %
2C / 2T · 1.50 GHz
324
HiSilicon Kirin 710
8C / 8T · 2.20 GHz
322
Qualcomm Snapdragon 636
8C / 8T · 1.80 GHz
322
Geekbench 5, 64bit Multi-Core

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

MediaTek MT6750T
8C / 8T · 1.50 GHz
638
Qualcomm Snapdragon 430
8C / 8T · 1.40 GHz
635
Apple A8
Apple A8 100 %
2C / 2T · 1.50 GHz
607
MediaTek MT6750
8C / 8T · 1.50 GHz
596
MediaTek MT6750N
8C / 8T · 1.50 GHz
572
iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

Qualcomm Snapdragon 808
Qualcomm Adreno 418
154
Samsung Exynos 5433
ARM Mali-T760 MP6
143
Apple A8
Apple A8 100 %
Apple A8
136
Qualcomm Snapdragon 805
Qualcomm Adreno 420
128
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625
Qualcomm Adreno 506
125

More benchmarks

At a glance

PropertyValue
FamilyApple A series (27)
CPU groupApple A8/A8X (2)
ArchitectureA8
Technology20 nm
SegmentSmartphone / Tablet
Socket
Generation8
PredecessorApple A7
Q3/2013
SuccessorApple A9
Q3/2015

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

PropertyValue
CPU Cores / Threads2 / 2
Hyperthreading / SMT
Core architecturenormal
Cores: 2x Typhoon
Frequency: 1.50 GHz
Turbo Frequency (1 Core):
Turbo Frequency (2 Cores):
L2-Cache1.00 MB
L3-Cache4.00 MB
OverclockingNo

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

PropertyValue
GPU nameApple A8
GPU frequency0.53 GHz
CUs / Shader16 / 128
Raytracing
Max. displays1
Max. GPU Memory4 GB
Technology20 nm
Release dateQ3/2014

Memory & PCIe

Memory typeMemory bandwidth
LPDDR3-1600
12.8 GB/s
PropertyValue
Max. Memory1 GB
Memory channels1
ECC
PCIe
PCIe Bandwidth

Thermal Management

PropertyValue
TDP5 W
TDP (PL2)
TDP up
TDP down
T. junction max.

Technical details

PropertyValue
Chip designChiplet
AES-NI
Operating systemsiOS
Instruction setArmv8-A (64 bit)
ISA extensions
Release dateQ3/2014
Release price
Documents
Apple A8
Apple A8
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