Apple's A18 and A18 Pro Chips: A Leap in iPhone Performance

Apple A18 Pro vs A17 Pro: Apple Delivers Meaningful Upgrades

The NPU remains almost the same, however, the A18 Pro packs faster memory and is aided by an internal thermal substructure for better heat dissipation. The newly launched iPhone 16 Pro series is powered by Apple's latest A18 Pro chipset. Apple says the A18 Pro is the most powerful mobile chipset in the world. Indeed, it is built on TSMC's much-improved N3E process node and packs an updated CPU, but what new upgrades does it bring over its predecessor, the Apple A17 Pro? To find out, we have compared A17 Pro and A18 Pro chipsets, including their CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine performance. Starting with the CPU, the Apple A18 Pro is built on TSMC's 2nd-generation 3nm process node, which is TSMC's N3E. The A18 Pro packs six CPU cores including two performance cores that can reportedly reach up to an unprecedented 4.05GHz frequency, a first for a mobile chipset. And the chipset also includes 4x efficiency cores that are likely clocked up to 2.20GHz. The most interesting part about the A18 Pro is that Apple has adopted the Armv9.2 architecture with this chipset. While it doesn't have SVE (Scalable Vector Extensions) support for high-computing workloads, A18 Pro brings two SME (Scalable Matrix Extension) units for faster performance in AI/ML workloads. Apple is calling it ML accelerators. As for last year's A17 Pro, it was built on TSMC's 1st generation 3nm (N3B) process node with the same six-core CPU setup. The 2x performance cores can reach up to 3.78GHz and the 4x efficiency cores can boost the frequency up to 2.11GHz. Overall, Apple says the A18 Pro CPU is 15% faster than the A17 Pro CPU. Not only that, the A18 Pro CPU consumes 20% less power than the A17 Pro CPU. Moving to GPU, Apple has not made substantial changes to the GPU microarchitecture this year. The 6-core GPU on the Apple A18 Pro is almost the same as last year except that the GPU frequency has been increased. In addition, the faster LPDDR5 memory (7500 MT/s) that offers 17% faster memory speed helps the GPU achieve better graphics performance. Not to mention, the new aluminum internal frame and thermal substructure will enable the GPU to sustain peak performance for much longer. Overall, Apple says the 6-core GPU on the A18 Pro offers 20% faster graphics performance compared to the A17 Pro 6-core GPU. In addition, hardware-accelerated Ray Tracing is now 2x faster than the A17 Pro. As for Neural Engine, Apple says the 16-core Neural Engine on both A18 Pro and A17 Pro can deliver up to 35 TOPS (trillion operations per second). It seems there is no change to the Neural Engine on the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max. However, with 17% faster memory, the Neural Engine can deliver faster performance in AI/ML tasks. The new Neural Engine on A18 Pro is capable enough to deliver Apple Intelligence features locally, on the device. Finally, on the connectivity front, Apple is likely using Qualcomm's Snapdragon X75 5G modem on the Apple A18 Pro. Last year's A17 Pro included the Snapdragon X70 5G modem, the same modem found on the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3. The peak download/upload speed is the same for both modems, however, the X75 modem promises better coverage and efficiency. For local connectivity, the Apple A18 Pro is equipped with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3. The A17 Pro supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. To sum up, the latest A18 Pro chipset offers meaningful upgrades over the year-old A17 Pro in the CPU and GPU departments. With the adoption of Armv9.2 architecture and the addition of SME units in the CPU, AI/ML performance would be much faster. Most importantly, Apple has worked on improving the thermal performance by adding a thermal substructure that allows the CPU and GPU to sustain peak performance for a longer period. So, as a whole package, the iPhone 16 Pro series, powered by the A18 Pro chipset, turns out to be a substantial upgrade as you get faster performance without compromising on efficiency. However, to reach a definitive conclusion, we need to run various benchmarks and measure performance. Stay tuned for future updates!

Apple A18 vs A18 Pro: What's the Difference?

The NPU and the 5G model on both chipsets are the same and you get faster memory on both A18 and A18 Pro as well. Apple finally unveiled the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro models, laced with cool Apple Intelligence features. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus models are powered by the new A18 chipset and the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max feature the more powerful A18 Pro chipset. But what is the difference between A18 and A18 Pro? To answer your question, we have compared the A18 and A18 Pro considering their performance and efficiency. So without further ado, let's get started. The new A18 chipset for iPhone 16 and 16 Plus seems to be a binned version of the more powerful A18 Pro. Both chipsets are manufactured on TSMC's second-gen 3nm (N3E) process node and pack six CPU cores including 2x performance cores and 4x efficiency cores. While currently we don't know the CPU frequency of A18 and A18 Pro, Apple may (or may not) have downclocked the CPU frequency on A18. Apple didn't compare the A18 chipset with the A18 Pro, instead measured its performance against the two-year-old A16 Bionic. The A18 chipset is 30% faster than the A16 Bionic. If we analyze the numbers, it appears that A18 matches A18 Pro's CPU performance. However, Apple says the A18 Pro has a larger cache so at best, the performance difference could be in the range of 5 - 10%. Nevertheless, the A18 consumes 30% less power than the A16 Bionic so in terms of efficiency too, the new A18 processor is quite good. Moving to GPU, Apple has included a 5-core GPU on the A18 and a 6-core GPU on the A18 Pro. Both chipsets support hardware-accelerated Ray Tracing, however, graphics performance should be slightly better on the Pro model due to one extra core. But when compared to the A16 Bionic, the A18 chipset offers a whopping 40% uplift in graphics performance, which is pretty substantial. And it draws 35% less power. On top of that, both A18 and A18 Pro have access to 17% faster LPDDR5 memory, which should enable them to achieve better graphics performance. I would say that the A18 GPU is slightly behind the 6-core GPU on the A18 Pro, but much faster and more efficient than A16 Bionic and A17 Pro. The Neural Engine is identical on both A18 and A18 Pro. Apple says the 16-core Neural Engine on both chipsets can perform up to 35 trillion operations per second (TOPS). Coupled with faster memory, the Neural Engine can power most Apple Intelligence features on the device. Compared to A16 Bionic's Neural Engine, the A18 Pro is 2x faster in AI/ML tasks which is a big jump in on-device AI capability. On the connectivity side, the 5G modem is also the same on the A18 and A18 Pro. Apple is likely using Qualcomm's Snapdragon X75 5G modem. The modem is designed based on 3GPP Release 17 and Release 18 specifications and promises better coverage and speed. You also get Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3 on both chipsets. To conclude, the A18 chipset is a slightly scaled-down version of the A18 Pro. The CPU performance -- if it's underclocked -- should still be faster than A17 Pro. And with a 5-core GPU, it comes close to A18 Pro's graphics performance. Not to mention, you also get Ray Tracing and an internal thermal substructure for better dissipation of heat. Overall, I am very impressed with the A18 and A18 Pro chipset. Both chipsets deliver flagship-level performance with some minor downgrades.

Apple Compared Its A18 Chipset With A Two-Generations Old A16 Bionic, Hinting At The Lack Of A Notable Performance Difference With The A17 Pro

The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus were just announced, with one of the biggest highlights of both handsets being that they come powered by Apple's newest A18 chipset. It is mass produced using TSMC's second-generation 3nm process, meaning that it is slightly better than the A17 Pro that was found in last year's iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. However, when doing a direct CPU and GPU comparison, Apple chose to include a much older A16 Bionic. While we will discuss why the company possibly made this decision, let us take a look at how accomplished the A18 is. First, let us review the specifications of the A18. The SoC features a 6-core configuration with two performance and four power-efficiency cores. It also features a 5-core GPU, along with a 16-core Neural Engine that will be responsible for running Apple Intelligence's cloud-based and on-device generative AI features while being twice as fast for machine learning. The A18 also features 17 percent more memory bandwidth and can deliver the same performance as the iPhone 15 while consuming 30 percent less power. According to the graphs shared by Apple, the company reveals that on the CPU side of things, the A18 is up to 30 percent ahead and up to 40 percent faster in GPU tests. What piqued our curiosity was that the A17 Pro was never a part of this performance comparison, suggesting that there might not have been a significant difference between the two chipsets. This revelation should not be unusual to those who have been watching Apple's keynotes for a few years now because the technology giant has a habit of comparing its new silicon with those it announced a few years ago to make it appear that there is a bigger performance and efficiency delta than it actually is. However, a clever move made by the company on this occasion was that it compared the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus with their direct predecessors, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. Unfortunately, the latter are not kitted out with the A17 Pro, but the A16 Bionic instead, which was also used in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. It is also important to note that during the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max announcement, Apple mentioned that the A18 Pro is 15 percent faster than the A17 Pro, hinting that the difference between the A18 would have been even lower. Hopefully, we get to see some noteworthy figures in the near future, so stay tuned.

The iPhone 16 family brings A18 and A18 Pro chipsets, with a serious boost to processing power

The new iPhone 16 lineup and A18 series chipsets were revealed at Apple's September 9 'It's Glowtime' event. You'll find the A18 in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, and the A18 Pro in the newly enlarged iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max Apple claims you'll see serious performance gains with these new chips, but in typical fashion hasn't provided any concrete benchmarks, only percentage improvements compared to the previous generation. For reference, when we say "previous generation", we're referring to the A16 Bionic chip found in the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, and the A17 Pro chip found in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Until we get our hands on the iPhone 16 lineup ourselves for testing, these claims from Apple are the best indication we have of the performance of these new chipsets. The A18 chip found in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus come equipped with a 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU (which Apple dubiously calls "desktop class"), and 16-core Neural Engine optimized for large generative models. The CPU is split into two performance cores for heavier tasks, and four efficiency cores for lighter ones. Apple claims this CPU is 30% faster than the one found in the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. Apple says A18 achieves the same performance as the previous generation while using 30% less power. Apple makes bolder statements about the GPU, claiming a performance improvement of 40% compared to the previous generation, with native support for hardware-accelerated ray tracing - a way of realistically rendering light that's increasingly used in modern games. Apple says the A18's GPU achieves the same performance as the previous generation while using 35% less power. The entire chipset has 17% more memory bandwidth compared to the A16 Bionic - this is how much data the system can process at once, though Apple hasn't provided specific figures. Apple claims more modest improvements for the A18 Pro as compared to the A17 Pro, but this isn't surprising given the already fantastic performance of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. The company did, however, call the A18's CPU the "fastest CPU in any smartphone" during the now-concluded 'It's Glowtime' event. The A18 Pro's 6-core CPU is divided into two performance cores and four efficiency cores, with Apple claiming a 15% improvement in performance compared to the previous generation. The company says the A18 Pro achieves the same performance as the previous generation while using 20% less power. Apple says the A18 Pro's 6-core GPU - that's one more core than the A18 - boasts a 20% performance boost over the A17 Pro. Apple showed Death Stranding as an example of the type of games the A18 Pro can handle. The Kojima Productions game was first released on home consoles in 2019. Like the A18, the A18 Pro comes equipped with a 16-core Neural Engine, but also includes what Apple calls "next-generation machine learning accelerators", ostensibly to improve AI performance. And, as with the A18, memory bandwidth is improved by 17%. The A18 Pro comes with two extra sweeteners for pro users: Apple claims doubled video encoding speeds and faster USB 3 data transfer speeds, though this is as much detail as we were given during the event. Apple says the A18 and A18 Pro are the world's first 3nm smartphone chipsets. In chip production, nanometers (nm) refers to the microscopic width of a single transistor on a chip, processor, or SoC. Each transistor can store one bit of information, so the more you can cram onto a surface, the more operations a chipset can complete. We'll have to check for ourselves whether Apple's implementation of 3nm technology has generated any tangible benefits, but it's an impressive first either way, and will most likely spur on other manufacturers to adopt 3nm over the coming year.