The Apple A9X is a remarkable processor from Apple. It was developed in the A9 architecture. Manufactured in an advanced 16-nanometer process, it set new standards for mobile chipsets of its time. This manufacturing contributed significantly to its efficiency and strong performance. Of particular note is the integrated graphics unit, also known as Apple A9X.

It offered strong graphics performance, which rendered complex applications and games smoothly. Users benefited from an excellent visual experience on the devices.High memory bandwidth of 51 GB/s was another advantage. This not only supported the graphics, but also ensured fast data processing.

The combination of efficient manufacturing and powerful graphics made the Apple A9X a real powerhouse. It enabled demanding tasks and offered responsive use. Many applications ran very smoothly with this chip. We were surprised at the time at how powerful this mobile solution was. It was clear that Apple had taken a big step here.

The 3 MB L2 cache and 4 MB L3 cache also contributed to the fast data processing. This ensured a consistently good user experience.
  • Advanced 16-nanometer manufacturing
  • High-performance integrated graphics unit
  • High memory bandwidth (51 GB/s)
  • Efficient A9 architecture

Performance Overview
Average performance across multiple benchmarks

Single-core performance
Rank 93 / 176
In segment Smartphone / Tablet
Multi-core performance
Rank 128 / 177
In segment Smartphone / Tablet
Geekbench 6 Single-Core

Geekbench 6 Single-Core
Single-core performance

Qualcomm Snapdragon 765
8C / 8T · 2.30 GHz
774
HiSilicon Kirin 810
8C / 8T · 2.20 GHz
772
Apple A9X
Apple A9X 100 %
2C / 2T · 2.26 GHz
763
MediaTek Dimensity 800U
8C / 8T · 2.40 GHz
753
MediaTek Dimensity 810
8C / 8T · 2.40 GHz
746
Geekbench 6 Multi-Core

Geekbench 6 Multi-Core
Multi-core performance

Qualcomm Snapdragon 670
8C / 8T · 2.00 GHz
1,284
MediaTek Helio P65
8C / 8T · 2.00 GHz
1,261
Apple A9X
Apple A9X 100 %
2C / 2T · 2.26 GHz
1,251
MediaTek Helio P70
8C / 8T · 2.10 GHz
1,224
MediaTek Kompanio 500
8C / 8T · 2.00 GHz
1,224
Geekbench 5, 64bit Single-Core

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

Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G
8C / 8T · 2.20 GHz
669
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c
8C / 8T · 2.45 GHz
665
Apple A9X
Apple A9X 100 %
2C / 2T · 2.26 GHz
652
MediaTek Kompanio 820
8C / 8T · 2.20 GHz
647
MediaTek Dimensity 820
8C / 8T · 2.60 GHz
646
Geekbench 5, 64bit Multi-Core

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

MediaTek Helio G70
8C / 8T · 2.00 GHz
1,234
Qualcomm Snapdragon 670
8C / 8T · 2.00 GHz
1,234
Apple A9X
Apple A9X 100 %
2C / 2T · 2.26 GHz
1,198
HiSilicon Kirin 950
8C / 8T · 2.30 GHz
1,183
Qualcomm Snapdragon 626
8C / 8T · 2.20 GHz
1,181
iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G
Qualcomm Adreno 619
536
HiSilicon Kirin 980
ARM Mali-G76 MP10
520
Apple A9X
Apple A9X 100 %
Apple A9X
499
Qualcomm Snapdragon 765
Qualcomm Adreno 620
490
Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G
Qualcomm Adreno 618
486
AnTuTu 8 Benchmark

AnTuTu 8 Benchmark

Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
8C / 8T · 2.45 GHz
276,983 pts
Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 Plus 5G
8C / 8T · 2.20 GHz
273,594 pts
Apple A9X
Apple A9X 100 %
2C / 2T · 2.26 GHz
272,103 pts
Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
8C / 8T · 2.30 GHz
269,796 pts
Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 5G
8C / 8T · 2.00 GHz
260,173 pts

More benchmarks

At a glance

PropertyValue
FamilyApple A series (27)
CPU groupApple A9/A9X (2)
ArchitectureA9
Technology16 nm
SegmentSmartphone / Tablet
Socket
Generation9
PredecessorApple A8X
Q3/2014
SuccessorApple A10X Fusion
Q2/2017

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

PropertyValue
CPU Cores / Threads2 / 2
Hyperthreading / SMT
Core architecturenormal
Cores: 2x Twister
Frequency: 2.26 GHz
Turbo Frequency (1 Core):
Turbo Frequency (2 Cores):
L2-Cache3.00 MB
L3-Cache4.00 MB
OverclockingNo

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

PropertyValue
GPU nameApple A9X
GPU frequency0.65 GHz
CUs / Shader48 / 384
Raytracing
Max. displays1
Max. GPU Memory4 GB
Technology16 nm
Release dateQ3/2015

Memory & PCIe

Memory typeMemory bandwidth
LPDDR4-3200
51.2 GB/s
PropertyValue
Max. Memory4 GB
Memory channels2
ECC
PCIe
PCIe Bandwidth

Thermal Management

PropertyValue
TDP8 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 dateQ3/2015
Release price
Documents
Apple A9X
Apple A9X
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