Apple's A18 and A18 Pro: Powering the Next Generation of iPhones

Compared: A18 vs A18 Pro -- breaking down what's powering iPhone 16

If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read our ethics policy. With the iPhone 16 range, Apple introduced two new chips -- the A18 and A18 Pro. Here's what's different between them, and how they compare to older hardware. On Monday, Apple announced the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, both of which feature new processing hardware. For previous iPhone releases, such as the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 range, Apple used a year-old chip in its base model iPhones. The standard iPhone 15, for instance, featured Apple's A16 Bionic chip, while the iPhone 15 Pro used the newer and more powerful A17 Pro. To better understand Apple's latest chip upgrades, it's important to bear in mind the core components of an Apple system-on-chip. The company's chips consist of multiple processing units -- the GPU handles graphics-related tasks, the Neural Engine or NPU is used for AI and machine learning, and the CPU is used for general data processing. Each processing unit consists of multiple processing cores which run at different speeds. In general, a larger number of processing cores means that a chip is able to process certain tasks more quickly, leading to a better user experience. Factors such as the chip's clock speed, power consumption, node process, and available RAM also influence performance, though. Relative to earlier iPhone models and their processing hardware, the newly announced A18 and A18 Pro have multiple advantages, both in performance as well as speed and power efficiency. For the iPhone 16 line, Apple unveiled a new line of chips with shared features. Apple's A18 and A18 Pro are both based on TSMC's second-generation node process, known as N3E. In addition to the common architecture, the chips share the same identifier -- t8140. They also have the same number of CPU cores and NPU cores. The second-generation TSMC 3nm production process means that the chips have a larger number of transistors and that they can achieve greater power efficiency compared to earlier chips like the A16 Bionic, which uses a 4nm node process. The N3E process is also used for Apple's M4 chip, found in the iPad Pro models announced in May of 2024. The iPhone 16, as well as the larger iPhone 16 Plus, both use the standard A18 chip. According to Apple, the A18 chip features significant performance and power-related improvements compared to the system-on-chip used in the iPhone 15, the A16 Bionic. The A18 features the following processing specifications, as per Apple's website: Relative to the A16 Bionic chip, found in the base model iPhone 15, the A18 features the same number of CPU cores, while it has an additional graphics processing core. Apple claims that the CPU in the iPhone 16 is 30% faster than the iPhone 15, and that it draws 35% less power. The A18 CPU is also 50% faster than the one used in the iPhone 14 and iPhone 13. On Tuesday, alleged processing scores for the A18 chip were uploaded to Geekbench. The test results supposedly come from an iPhone 16, and they show a 10% increase in single-core performance relative to the A17 Pro. Multi-core performance was similar to that of the A16 Bionic -- 8% slower than the A17 Pro. While this score does not come from Apple and may not be accurate, it still serves as a potential indicator of the A18's performance. In terms of graphics processing performance, Apple claims that the GPU in the iPhone 16 is 40% faster than the one used in the iPhone 15, and that it uses 35% less power. The five-core GPU of the A18 also supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing, a feature not available on the A16 Bionic. Ray tracing is an advanced lighting effect primarily used in modern, graphics-intensive games. The 16-Core Neural Engine of the A18 presents a significant improvement over the one found in the A16 Bionic. According to Apple, the Neural Engine within the A18 is two times faster than the one found in the A16 Bionic. It can also perform up to 35 trillion operations per second. The A18 also features an improved memory subsystem, with 17% faster LPDDR5 memory and more RAM than the A16 Bionic. The improved Neural Engine, together with 8GB of RAM, makes Apple Intelligence features possible on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. Previously, Apple Intelligence was exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. While Apple's A18 packs a serious punch when compared to the A16 Bionic of the iPhone 15, it's obviously outperformed by the high-end A18 Pro. The A18 Pro features an additional GPU core and hardware-specific enhancements. The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max make use of Apple's A18 Pro system-on-chip. According to Apple, the SoC has serious performance enhancements relative to the ones used in earlier iPhone models. The A18 Pro features the following processing specifications, as per Apple's website: The CPU of the A18 Pro is 15% faster than the one found in the A17 Pro used by the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. The A18 Pro's CPU also uses 20% less power compared to its predecessor. On Wednesday, processing score results supposedly originating from an iPhone 16 Pro Max were uploaded to Geekbench. The A18 Pro received a single-core performance score of 3409, and a multi-core performance score of 8492. While the accuracy of these alleged tests is unverifiable, the test results align with Apple's claims, indicating that the A18 Pro is 15% faster than the A17 Pro and that it could be 30% faster than the A16 Bionic chip. Relative to the standard A18, the CPU performance of the A18 Pro is similar. Comparing Tuesday's claimed A18 Geekbench test results to Wednesday's alleged A18 Pro test results, the A18 Pro received a 9.5% higher single-core performance score and a 27.4% higher multi-core performance score. It's worth emphasizing that neither of these scores comes from Apple, and are thus not verifiable. In addition to this, the A18 Pro features larger caches than its standard A18 counterpart, as well as next-generation machine learning accelerators and improved memory bandwidth, allowing for better performance in demanding tasks and games. The A18 Pro also contains an Advanced Media component, which enables Pro-exclusive features. This includes the ProMotion display with a variable refresh rate, Always-on display functionality, USB 3 speeds, and ProRes video recording. None of these features are available on the standard iPhone 16. A new image signal processor enables better data processing for video encoding, which the A18 Pro can do twice as fast as the A17 Pro. As for the GPU, Apple says that the A18 Pro's graphics processing unit features desktop-class architecture. The company also says the A18 Pro's GPU is 20% faster than the previous generation and capable of two times the ray tracing performance of the A17 Pro. The 6-core GPU in the A18 Pro also features dynamic caching and is capable of mesh shading, which makes the A18 Pro a great choice for more recent, graphics-intense games. Relative to the A18, the GPU of the A18 Pro features an additional core, making it a 6-Core GPU rather than a 5-Core unit. Apple's A18 and A18 Pro are similar in many ways -- they share the same N3E node process, identifier, number of CPU and NPU cores. Still, the A18 Pro can achieve greater performance. Because of this, it seems likely that the A18 is what's known as a binned version of the A18 Pro chip. Chip binning is a selection process in system-on-chip manufacturing, where chips that don't meet certain criteria, but are otherwise usable, are sorted and eventually used as lower-spec versions. In the production of nanometer-level chips, mistakes can and often do happen, so a usable chip with a non-functional processing core could still be sold as a less powerful version. When compared to the A18 Pro, the A18 features only one GPU core less, making chip binning a possible explanation. It would also explain why the chips have a shared internal identifier, despite using different marketing names. The A18 and A18 Pro feature the same number of CPU cores and Neural Engine cores. This means that the CPU and Neural Engine are arguably similar on both A18 and A18 Pro. The main advantage of the A18 Pro lies in its additional GPU core and its performance relative to the less powerful A18 GPU. In general, there are few differences between the A18 and A18 Pro. Both chips support Apple Intelligence and hardware-based ray tracing, and offer similar improvements when compared to their respective predecessors. That being said, however, the A18 Pro chip in the iPhone 16 Pro still has an extra GPU core. This could give it a slight edge over the standard iPhone 16 in graphics-intensive tasks or games, but it's unlikely the average user will notice the difference. Relative to the base model iPhone 15, with its A16 Bionic chip, the A18 has its advantages in the form of Apple Intelligence support, as well as ray tracing for graphics-intensive games. The iPhone 15 does not support either of these features because the A16 Bionic lacks the required hardware. With the ever-increasing popularity of artificial intelligence tools, the A18 and A18 Pro could be a compelling upgrade for some users. The same cannot be said for the iPhone 16 Pro, though, since its system-on-chip mainly offers performance improvements relative to the A17 Pro, and does not introduce significant new features. It's important to remember that the system-on-chip is only part of the upgrade, though. To get the full picture of what a new iPhone generation brings to the table, it's important to consider other hardware-related upgrades and design changes, and not just raw performance. Apple's A18 line of chips complements features such as the new capacitive Camera Control button, increased display sizes on the Pro models, and a new vertical camera alignment on the base model iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. At the end of the day, each user has different priorities when it comes to a new iPhone, which is why Apple offers different models.

A18 vs A18 Pro: This is what Apple chips designed for AI look like - Softonic

Apple has released its new A18 and A18 Pro, two chips that, although they share many characteristics, are designed to offer different levels of performance to meet the needs of the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro. Both are built with second-generation 3-nanometer technology, which allows them to offer improvements in power and efficiency. However, there are key differences that position them for different types of uses and applications, especially in terms of graphics performance and artificial intelligence capabilities. We directly compare these two chips to better understand their possibilities. Both the A18 and A18 Pro are manufactured using the same advanced 3-nanometer process, which allows for smaller and more efficient transistors. Both processors feature a six-core CPU architecture, with four high-performance cores and two efficiency cores. This configuration is designed to maximize power when needed, while minimizing power consumption in less demanding tasks. The difference between the two lies in the GPU capacity. The A18 has a five-core GPU, while the A18 Pro incorporates a six-core GPU, allowing it to handle more complex and faster graphics. Both chips support hardware ray tracing. A technology that improves the quality of graphics, particularly in video games, and was exclusive to iPhone Pro models until last year. Now, with the arrival of the A18 chips, both the entry-level chip and its Pro variant offer this capability. A capability with enough weight and importance for Apple to have improved ray tracing performance in the A18 Pro, which is twice as fast as the A17 Pro. Regarding AI, both the A18 and A18 Pro include an enhanced 16-core neural engine compared to the previous generation, designed to handle generative AI models and accelerate machine learning tasks. This neural engine is twice as fast as the one found in the A16 Bionic chips of the non-Pro iPhone 15 models. The A18 Pro seems to offer a slight advantage in this regard. Apple Intelligence features, such as image recognition and natural language processing, run up to 15% faster on the A18 Pro compared to the A17 Pro, according to Apple. The company has not provided details about the A18 in this aspect. The A18, used in the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, benefits from a new logic board design that centralizes the chip and optimizes heat dissipation through a recycled aluminum substructure. This allows for sustained performance up to 30% higher in games and other intensive tasks compared to previous models. On the other hand, the A18 Pro, present in the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, takes thermal management a step further. Its recycled aluminum chassis is fused with a titanium frame through a diffuser, which, combined with a graphite-coated structure, improves thermal capacity by 20%, compared to the A17 Pro. This allows for more sustained performance during long gaming sessions or tasks that demand a lot from the processor. Both the A18 and A18 Pro have made a significant leap in energy efficiency. The A18 Pro, in particular, is capable of delivering the same performance as its predecessor, the A17 Pro, while consuming 20% less energy. The A18, although less powerful than the A18 Pro, is also extremely efficient. Compared to the A16 Bionic, the A18 is 30% faster while consuming 30% less energy. Without a doubt, we will have to wait for the first tests to get a clear idea of the situation. What is clear is that both the A18 and the A18 Pro represent a great improvement over their predecessors, although the latter goes a step further. We will see, in a few days, how this is reflected in the new iPhone 16.

First iPhone 16 benchmark results are in -- here's how the A18 stacks up

The arrival of the iPhone 16 lineup means new Apple silicone -- A18 chipsets for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus with the A18 Pro powering the iPhone 16 Pro models. And though the phones won't ship until next Friday (September 20), benchmarks for the new models have already started popping up online. Specifically, test results for an A18-powered iPhone 16 appeared on the Geekbench site reportedly showing how Apple's newest phone handles the general performance test. The results show improved performance, though not to the extent that Apple was touting during the iPhone 16's reveal at Monday's Glowtime event. The initial Geekbench results showed a single-core score of 3,114, a 24% improvement of the number we got when testing the A16 Bionic-powered iPhone 15 Pro. The iPhone 16's multicore result of 6,666 represented a more modest 8% improvement from the iPhone 15's result. Comparing the iPhone 16 results to the A17 Pro-powered iPhone 15 Pro, the single-core result only improved by 8%. The posted iPhone 16 multicore result was actually behind the iPhone 15 Pro's 7,194 score. This is one testing session, so errors or environment could be to explain here. But Apple did claim that the A18 chip would have a 30% faster CPU than the A16 processor. With this in mind, how does the A18 in the iPhone 16 stack up compared to the standard bearers from rivals Google and Samsung based on this early result? That gap with the Pixel 9 is hardly surprising. Historically, Google's Pixel phones have not had great raw performance. While the Pixel 9 is a good phone and miles better in performance than the Pixel 8, it still gets smoked by the iPhone 15. Google does not seem interested in prioritizing performance with its silicon. Instead, the company appears focused on AI features powered by the Tensor core of its system-on-chip. However, with Pixel 9 now costing as much as a standard iPhone 15 or 16, Google has a lot of catching up to do. Samsung's Galaxy S24 couldn't keep up with the iPhone 15 in the Geekbench single-core test, so it's not surprising that the A18-powered iPhone 16 would post better numbers, too. But when it comes to multicore testing, the Galaxy S24 and its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset topped Apple's new phone by 4%, assuming those iPhone 18 numbers are accurate. We'll see if our own benchmark results show the same thing when we get a chance to test the iPhone 18 ourselves. Keep in mind, the iPhone 18 is only competing with the Galaxy S24 for a few more months. At the start of 2025, we should see Samsung release the Galaxy S25. which should feature the next-gen Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. That silicon debuts in October, which will give us a better idea of what an iPhone 15 vs. Galaxy S25 comparison might look like. As a reminder, this is a single, leaked benchmark for a phone that has yet to appear in public outside of an Apple demo center. We can't speak to the accuracy of the test or that it was run on a model that was intended for release. It's only when the iPhone 16 finally ships that we'll be able to definitively conclude whether ti competes against the newest Snapdragon system on chip.

Apple A18 Pro vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: iPhone Takes the Lead Again

Apple A18 Pro's 16-core Neural Engine is almost the same, and its performance is on par with the Hexagon AI engine on Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Apple has launched its flagship iPhone 16 Pro series with the new A18 Pro chipset. The Apple A18 Pro touts huge improvements in CPU performance and efficiency, and it delivers powerful graphics and AI performance on top. On the Android side of things, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is still the leading chipset so we have come up with a detailed comparison between the Apple A18 Pro and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. First off, the A18 Pro is manufactured on TSMC's much-improved N3E process node (3nm). And just like last year, the CPU has six cores with 2x performance cores and 4x efficiency cores. Based on the latest estimates, the A18 Pro chipset is likely to breach the mighty 4.0GHz mark on a mobile chipset. Apple has also adopted the Armv9.2a architecture for the A18 Pro with support for SME/SME2 (Scalable Matrix Extension). The new SME units aka ML accelerators significantly improve the performance in AI and ML applications. That said, there is no support for SVE (Scalable Vector Extension). Geekbench 6.3 recently added SME support, and that's the reason the A18 Pro is reported to score much better on the Geekbench CPU benchmark compared to other mobile chipsets that lack SME. The A18 Pro is likely to achieve nearly 3,500 and 9,000 points in Geekbench single-core and multi-core tests, respectively. As for the year-old Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, it packs eight CPU cores and it's built on TSMC's 4nm process node (N4P). Its single prime core, the Cortex-X4 can only clock up to 3.3GHz. In our Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 benchmark testing, we have seen it achieving 2,200 and 6,985 in Geekbench single-core and multi-core tests, respectively. Simply put, the six-core CPU on the A18 Pro is much faster and more efficient than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Qualcomm may regain some ground with the upcoming Oryon-based Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset when it launches next month. Coming to the GPU, the 6-core GPU on the A18 Pro is 20% faster compared to last year's A17 Pro, thanks to a jump in clock speed. Apart from that, improved memory bandwidth, and an internal thermal substructure made of graphite help in sustaining the GPU peak performance. Architecturally, there isn't much difference in the GPU this year. It's reported that the A18 Pro GPU can clock up to 1.45GHz. On top of that, you get 2x faster hardware-accelerated Ray Tracing support on A18 Pro. On the other hand, the Adreno 750 GPU on Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 performed exceptionally well last year and outperformed the GPU on the A17 Pro, both in terms of performance and efficiency. But, with performance upgrades on the A18 Pro, we will have to perform extensive benchmark tests to understand the performance gap between both GPUs. The 16-core Neural Engine on the Apple A18 Pro delivers up to 35 TOPS based on INT8 data type. Coupled with high-bandwidth memory, the new Neural Engine on A18 Pro can provide great Apple Intelligence features on the device. While Qualcomm has not confirmed the TOPS figure for Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, it's reported that the Hexagon AI engine can deliver up to 45 TOPS, based on the same INT8 data type. I would say both NPUs are pretty capable, but we will have to see how smartphone makers leverage the hardware capability to deliver great AI features and experiences. The Apple A18 Pro is likely to come with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X75 5G modem, which has a peak download speed of up to 10Gbps. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 also features the same 5G modem. And on the local connectivity front, A18 Pro is equipped with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3 whereas Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. To conclude, the Apple A18 Pro has a much faster CPU compared to Snapdragon 8 Gen 3's CPU. It's also built on TSMC's 2nd-gen 3nm process node so efficiency is also going to be much better. On the GPU side, Apple has not made any groundbreaking changes this year, but it maintains a lead due to higher clock speeds. Furthermore, the NPU is almost neck-and-neck. Overall, in terms of performance and efficiency, the Apple A18 Pro sets a new benchmark in mobile computing. We expect that Qualcomm will regain its position after the release of Snapdragon 8 Gen 4.

Apple A18 Pro vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 4: Can Qualcomm Beat Apple?

Apple's new A18 Pro chipset powers the latest iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max. It promises powerful CPU performance and brings moderate upgrades in the GPU and NPU departments. That said, how does the A18 Pro stack up against the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset? To find the difference in performance and efficiency, we have compared the A18 Pro and Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 in a detailed manner. The Apple A18 Pro is manufactured on TSMC's 3nm (N3E) process node, and reportedly, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is also built on the same node. However, Apple has gone with its usual six-core setup including 2x performance cores and 4x efficiency cores. The performance core goes up to 4.04GHz, pretty high for a mobile chipset in a passively cooled device. Qualcomm, on the other hand, is expected to include eight CPU cores on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, and you finally get the Nuvia-designed Oryon CPU cores, which are available on the Snapdragon X series for Windows laptops. Recent leaks have revealed that two Oryon cores on Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 also breach the 4GHz mark, going as high as 4.32GHz, while 6x Oryon cores are clocked up to 3.53GHz. There are no efficiency cores, just like the Snapdragon X Elite. One notable difference is that Apple has adopted Armv9.2a architecture for the A18 Pro with SME (Scalable Matrix Extension) support that delivers faster AI performance via the CPU. Whereas the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is still on the older Armv8 architecture that doesn't take advantage of high-computing extensions. It means that A18 Pro is likely to perform better in AI/ML tasks. The Geekbench score of A18 Pro has finally appeared and it scored 3,409 and 8,492 points in single-core and multi-core tests, respectively. Whereas the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, in a fresh Geekbench leak, achieves 3,236 and 10,049 points in the same test, running on the upcoming OnePlus 13 phone. Despite running the Oryon core at 4.32GHz, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 narrowly falls short of matching the A18 Pro's single-core performance which runs at 4.04GHz. The performance gap is only about 5%. But in multi-core, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, for the first time, pulls ahead and delivers 18% faster performance than A18 Pro which is pretty huge. Sure, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 packs two more cores so its multi-threaded performance is going to be better, but Qualcomm has managed this level of performance without using the SME units which are available on the A18 Pro. For the first time, Qualcomm has managed to outclass Apple in the CPU department. The addition of Nuvia-designed Oryon CPU cores has finally delivered results for Qualcomm. With all that said, Apple is likely ahead of Qualcomm in terms of performance per watt and most likely uses less power to deliver the same level of CPU performance. Talking about the GPU, Apple has not made major changes to its 6-core GPU on the A18 Pro. The architecture remains the same, however, Apple has elevated the GPU clock speed. Not just that, due to 17% faster memory and a graphite substructure, the A18 Pro GPU performs 20% faster than last year's A17 Pro GPU. On the other side, Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is supposed to pack Qualcomm's new 8-series Adreno 830 GPU which claims to deliver phenomenal graphics performance. Last year's Adreno 750 GPU on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 already outperformed the A17 Pro's GPU, and this year too, it seems the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is going to beat the A18 Pro GPU. By the way, both GPUs support hardware-accelerated Ray Tracing. Irrespective of the claims, we will run various graphic benchmarks and play intensive games on both GPUs to see how well they perform. So stay tuned with us. Apple has packed the same 16-core Neural Engine on the A18 Pro from last year. It can deliver AI performance up to 35 TOPS based on INT8 data type. However, with faster memory onboard, the Neural Engine can further improve the performance. It can process AI workloads efficiently and power Apple Intelligence features on the device. The best part is that Apple's Core ML framework is well-optimized and supported by developers widely. As for Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, currently, we have no information on the exact capability of the Hexagon NPU. However, going by last year's NPU performance, the new AI engine should be capable enough to run on-device AI models seamlessly. That said, Qualcomm has to put a lot of effort into improving its framework on Android (and other) platforms. Moving to mobile connectivity, Apple has likely packed Qualcomm's last-gen Snapdragon X75 5G modem for the iPhone 16 series. And for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, Qualcomm will be going with the latest Snapdragon X80 5G modem. The peak download/upload speed is the same for both modems. However, the new X80 5G modem promises improved coverage, efficiency, and data speeds with the help of an AI co-processor. As for local connectivity, both SoCs offer Wi-Fi 7, but you get Bluetooth 5.3 on A18 Pro and Bluetooth 5.4 on Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. To sum up, Apple's A18 Pro on the iPhone 16 Pro series showcases impressive CPU performance, thanks to the Armv9.2 implementation. However, the Oryon-powered Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 surpasses the A18 Pro in multi-core performance due to additional two cores. In single-core workloads, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 closely matches the A18 Pro despite using the older Armv8 architecture without the benefit of SME. Nevertheless, the A18 Pro seems to excel in performance per watt, achieving better performance at a lower frequency (4.04GHz) compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 (4.32GHz). On the GPU side, it's likely Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 may outperform the A18 Pro GPU as Apple has not redesigned the GPU this year, except for increasing the clock speed. Of course, we will run various benchmarks to reach a definitive conclusion once we get our hands on the iPhone 16 Pro/ Pro Max and Xiaomi 15 Pro, likely the first phone powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. Meanwhile, what do you think about A18 Pro's performance? Let us know in the comments below.

A18 Pro Arrives on Geekbench, But Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 Takes the Crown

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 Geekbench test reveals 3,236 points in single-core and a massive 10,049 points in multi-core test, outperforming the A18 Pro. Apple launched the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max with the new A18 Pro chipset, which promises powerful CPU performance. The new CPU is based on Armv9.2a architecture and brings two SME units aka ML accelerators for faster AI performance. And the Geekbench results demonstrate that Apple has indeed developed a powerful CPU. In Geekbench 6.3.0 which got SME support recently, the A18 Pro chipset scores a whopping 3,409 points in the single-core test and 8,492 points in the multi-core test. Compared to the previous year's flagship A17 Pro CPU (2,950 Single-core & 7,279 Multi-core), the A18 Pro is 15.5% faster in single-core and 16.6% faster in multi-core performance. When compared to the A16 Bionic, the A18 Pro is 28.8% faster in single-core and 23.7% faster in multi-core. Apple is running the A18 Pro's performance core at 4.04GHz. This is the first mobile chipset to break the 4GHz barrier in a passively cooled device, apart from the Apple M4-powered iPad Pro which runs at 4.4GHz. Meanwhile, a new Geekbench score of Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 has appeared from Digital Chat Station on Weibo, a well-known tipster. The upcoming OnePlus 13, which is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset (still on Armv8 with no SME units) is said to score 3,236 in single-core and a massive 10,049 points in multi-core. These are unprecedented numbers coming from a mobile SoC. If we go by the leak, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is merely 5% behind the A18 Pro in single-core performance but delivers 18% faster performance in multi-core. Of course, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 packs eight Oryon CPU cores whereas A18 Pro includes six CPU cores. By the way, Qualcomm has also breached the 4GHz mark by running two Oryon cores at 4.32GHz, even higher than Apple. The rest of the 6x cores are running at 3.53GHz. While we need to authenticate the numbers further, it appears Qualcomm has caught up to Apple in the CPU department as well. The inclusion of Nuvia-designed Oryon cores on Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 has yielded significant improvements for Qualcomm and the larger Android ecosystem. The race to make the fastest mobile SoC is heating up, and we are here for it.