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    • Every Apple iPhone and Mac chip evaluated
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    Every Apple iPhone and Mac chip evaluated

    Umito Posted on

    At the heart of every Apple device is an Apple processor. Apple has used its own chips in its iPhones and iPads for more than a decade, while Apple silicon in Macs is already in its fourth generation.

    What’s remarkable about Apple silicon is its performance and power efficiency. But not all chips are created equal. Understanding the performance differences between each chip will help you with your purchasing decisions, especially when choosing between the iPhone 16 or MacBook models. Knowing the performance of each chip gives you a better idea of ​​which products to buy and whether or not it’s worth upgrading to a higher model.

    Let’s take a look at how the new processors compare to the rest of the processors in the iPhone, iPad, and Mac lineup and see how each performs and what that means for you. For consistency, we used Geek bench 6 benchmarks. Here’s each chip and how the benchmarks compare to each other.

    Updated November 13, 2024: Added benchmarks for M4 chips.

    Comparison of all current processors

    The results are scores. Higher scores/longer bars are faster. The chips in this table are currently available on Apple devices.

    Before we get into individual processors, let’s let the chips fall where they may. In the table above, we’ve only included chips that are part of Apple’s current product lines in order to keep the table manageable. THE Mac section below includes all chips from M1 to current chip. If you’re looking for dozens of chips no longer used in Apple’s active iPhone or iPad lines (like the A12 Bionic), check out the Geekbench Browser.

    It’s a somewhat predictable chart, with the fastest Mac chips at the top, followed by a mix of iPads and iPhones. But there are still some fascinating results: iPad Pro owners can say that their tablet is about as fast as a MacBook Air and that wouldn’t be very accessible. And the difference between the $399 iPhone SE and the $899 iPhone 14 isn’t as huge as their price difference suggests.

    If you don’t see all the labels in the bar chart, it may be because your browser font is set larger than the default or your browser is maximized. You will need to set the default font size and browser display to see all the chart labels.

    Read about How Apple’s M-series processors compare to Intel in our Mac processor guide.

    iPhone processors

    The results are scores. Higher scores/longer bars are faster. The chips in this table are currently available on Apple devices.

    Let’s take a look at the specifications of the iPhones currently in Apple’s lineup to understand the differences between them.

    Processor Performance kernels Cores of efficiency Graphics kernels Neural engine Memory Thermal Design Power Devices
    A18 Pro 2 to 4.04 GHz 4 to 2.2 GHz 6 16 hearts 8 GB 10W iPhone 16 Pro
    iPhone 16 Pro Max
    A18 2 to 4.04 GHz 4 to 2.2 GHz 5 16 hearts 8 GB 9W iPhone16
    iPhone 16 Plus
    A16 Bionic 2 to 3.46 GHz 4 to 2.02 GHz 5 16 hearts 8 GB 6W iPhone15
    A15 Bionic 2 to 3.22 GHz 4 to 1.82 GHz 5 16 hearts 8 GB 6W iPhone14
    A15 Bionic 2 to 3.22 GHz 4 to 1.82 GHz 4 16 hearts 8 GB 6W iPhone SE
    Specifications of the chips used in current Apple iPhones.

    Unsurprisingly, the iPhone 16 Pro’s A18 Pro is the fastest. The difference between the A18 Pro and the A18 in the iPhone 16 is that the A18 has one fewer GPU core.

    Both the iPhone 14 and iPhone SE have an A15 Bionic processor, but the iPhone 14 has one more GPU core than the iPhone 13, so it offers better graphics performance.

    iPad processors

    The results are scores. Higher scores/longer bars are faster. The chart includes chips from discontinued Apple devices.

    The staggered release of Apple’s iPad line creates a strange order of performance between the processor and its device.

    Processor Performance kernels Cores of efficiency Graphics kernels Neural engine Memory Transistors Thermal Design Power Devices
    M4 4 to 4.4 GHz 6 at 2:85 10 16 hearts 16 GB 28 billion 20W iPad Pro 13″ and 11″
    M4 3 to 4.4 GHz 6 at 2:85 10 16 hearts 8 GB 28 billion 20W iPad Pro 13″ and 11″
    M2 4 to 3.49 GHz 4 to 2.06 GHz 9 16 hearts 8 GB 20 billion 15W iPad Air 13″ and 11″
    A17 Pro 2 to 3.78 GHz 4 to 2.11 GHz 5 16 hearts 8 GB 19 billion 8W iPadmini
    A14 Bionic 2 to 3.1 GHz 4 to 1.8 GHz 4 16 hearts 6 GB 11.8 billion 6W iPad (10th generation)
    A13 Bionic 2 to 2.66 GHz 4 to 1.6 GHz 4 8 hearts 4GB 8.5 billion 6W iPad (9th generation)
    Specifications of the chips used in current Apple iPads.

    The M4-equipped iPad Pros are the fastest models, and the gap between them and the iPad and iPad mini is significant. Additionally, the M4 is 1.5 times faster than the M2 it replaced in previous iPad Pros and is found in the current iPad Air.

    The 10th generation iPad released in fall 2022 features A14 Bionic, an upgrade from the previous model’s A13 Bionic. Apple says the new 10th generation iPad offers a 20% CPU boost and a 10% graphics boost.

    Mac processors

    The results are scores. Higher scores/longer bars are faster. The chart includes chips from discontinued Apple devices.

    With Apple’s M series of chips for Macs, the company’s release schedule involves the base version of the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac. Apple then modifies it to create more high-end versions.

    The latest chip in the M series is the M4, which launched with the new iMac, Mac mini, and MacBook Pro in fall 2024. The M4 Pro and Max also launched in the MacBook Pro, replacing the M3 Pro and Max. in these laptops. The M3 Ultra hasn’t been released, so Mac Studio and Mac Pro still use the M2 Ultra. The MacBook Air uses the M3 chip.

    Processor Performance kernels Cores of efficiency Graphics kernels Neural engine Basic memory Transistors Thermal Design Power Device
    M2 Ultra 16 to 3.49 GHz 8 to 2.4 GHz 76 32 hearts 64 GB 134 billion 60W Mac Studio, Mac Pro
    M2 Ultra 16 to 3.49 GHz 8 to 2.4 GHz 60 32 hearts 64 GB 134 billion 60W Mac Studio, Mac Pro
    M4 Max 12 to 4.52 GHz 4 to 2.59 GHz 40 16 hearts 48 GB 70W MacBook Pro 14″ and 16″
    M4 Max 10 to 4.52 GHz 4 to 2.59 GHz 32 16 hearts 36 GB 62W MacBook Pro 14″ and 16″
    M2 maximum 8 to 3.7 GHz 4 to 2.4 GHz 38 16 hearts 32 GB 67 billion 30W Mac Studio
    M2 maximum 8 to 3.7 GHz 4 to 2.4 GHz 30 16 hearts 32 GB 67 billion 30W Mac Studio
    M4 Pro 10 to 4.52 GHz 4 to 2.59 GHz 20 16 hearts 24 GB 46W MacBook Pro 14″ and 16″. Mac-mini
    M4 Pro 8 to 4.52 GHz 4 to 2.59 GHz 16 16 hearts 24 GB 38W MacBook Pro 14″, Mac mini
    M4 4 to 4.41 GHz 6 to 2.59 GHz 10 16 hearts 16 GB 28 billion 22W iMac, MacBook Pro 14″
    M4 4 to 4.41 GHz 4 to 2.59 GHz 8 16 hearts 16 GB 28 billion 20W iMac
    M2 4 to 3.49 GHz 4 to 2.4 GHz 8 16 hearts 16 GB 20 billion 15W MacBook Air 13″
    Specifications of chips used in current Apple Macs.

    The M4 Max is a beast of a chip, blazing in terms of CPU and GPU performance. The M2 Ultra is present in the Mac Pro, which has PCIe expansion slots. If you don’t need such slots, you can opt for an M2 Ultra Mac Studio. The M2 Ultra is fast, but it’s a two-year-old chip now surpassed by the M4 Pro and Max. The Mac Pro and Mac Studio are rumored to receive the new M4 Ultra chip in 2025.

    The chip that started it all, the good old M1, may seem slow compared to Apple’s more current chips, but that doesn’t mean Apple’s original Mac processor is compromised. Remember, the M1 outperforms the Intel processors it replaced, which translates to significant value for money.

    Umito
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