Apple A16 Bionic vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2: What is the difference? (2024)

Why is Apple A16 Bionic better than Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2?

• 2200 MHz higher RAM speed?
  6400 MHzvs4200 MHz
• 428 MHz faster GPU clock speed?
  1398 MHzvs970 MHz
• Uses HMP?
• Has NX bit?
• 23 MB bigger L2 cache?
  24 MBvs1 MB

Why is Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 better than Apple A16 Bionic?

• 36% faster CPU speed?
  1 x 3.2 GHz & 4 x 2.8 GHz & 3 x 2 GHzvs2 x 3.46 GHz & 4 x 2.02 GHz
• 2 threads more CPU threads?
  8 threadsvs6 threads
• 12.8 GB/s more memory bandwidth?
  64 GB/svs51.2 GB/s
• 10GB larger maximum memory amount?
  16GBvs6GB
• 0.2 newer version of OpenGL ES?
  3.2vs3
• Uses multithreading?
• 640 more shading units?
  768vs128

Apple A16 Bionic

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

Small semiconductors provide better performance and reduced power consumption. Chipsets with a higher number of transistors, semiconductor components of electronic devices, offer more computational power. A small form factor allows more transistors to fit on a chip, therefore increasing its performance.

A 32-bit operating system can only support up to 4GB of RAM. 64-bit allows more than 4GB, giving increased performance. It also allows you to run 64-bit apps.

The clock speed of the graphics processing unit (GPU).

The fifth-generation wireless technology delivers higher speeds and lower latency than the previous, fourth-generation tech.

The name of the integrated GPU.

When the GPU is running below its limitations, it can boost to a higher clock speed in order to give increased performance.

DirectX is used in video games, with newer versions supporting better graphics and features. The latest version is DirectX 12 Ultimate, which includes support for ray tracing, mesh shaders, and variable rate shading (VRS).

With integrated graphics you don’t need to buy a separate graphics card.

OpenGL ES is used for games on mobile devices such as smartphones. Newer versions support better graphics.

The CPU speed indicates how many processing cycles per second can be executed by a CPU, considering all of its cores (processing units). It is calculated by adding the clock rates of each core or, in the case of multi-core processors employing different microarchitectures, of each group of cores.

More threads result in faster performance and better multitasking.

Using big.LITTLE technology, a chip can switch between two sets of processor cores to maximize performance and battery life. For example, when playing a game the more powerful cores will be used to increase performance, whereas checking email will use the less powerful cores to maximize battery life.

Heterogeneous Multi-Processing (HMP) is a more advanced version of big.LITTLE technology. In this setup, a processor can utilize all cores at the same time, or just a single core for low-intensity tasks. This can provide powerful performance or increased battery life respectively.

When the CPU is running below its limitations, it can boost to a higher clock speed in order to give increased performance.

A larger L2 cache results in faster CPU and system-wide performance.

A larger L1 cache results in faster CPU and system-wide performance.

The clock multiplier controls the speed of the CPU.

A larger L3 cache results in faster CPU and system-wide performance.

It can support faster memory, which will give quicker system performance.

DDR (Double Data Rate) memory is the most common type of RAM. Newer versions of DDR memory support higher maximum speeds and are more energy-efficient.

The maximum amount of memory (RAM) supported.

This is the maximum rate that data can be read from or stored into memory.

More memory channels increases the speed of data transfer between the memory and the CPU.

A higher version of eMMC allows faster memory interfaces, having a positive effect on the performance of a device. For example, when transferring files from your computer to the internal storage over USB.

Error-correcting code memory can detect and correct data corruption. It is used when is it essential to avoid corruption, such as scientific computing or when running a server.

The system on a chip (SoC) has an integrated LTE cellular chip. LTE is capable of downloading at faster speeds than older, 3G technology.

This is the maximum download speed supported. In reality, the download speed will usually be lower, as it will be affected by other factors (such as your home/mobile network speeds).

This is the maximum upload speed supported. In reality, the upload speed will usually be lower, as it will be affected by other factors (for example your home/mobile network speeds).

A technology integrated into the processor to secure the device for use with features such as mobile payments and streaming video using digital rights management (DRM).

Multithreading technology (such as Intel's Hyperthreading or AMD's Simultaneous Multithreading) provides increased performance by splitting each of the processor's physical cores into virtual cores, also known as threads. This way, each core can run two instruction streams at once.

NX bit helps protect the computer from malicious attacks.

NEON provides acceleration for media processing, such as listening to MP3s.

Vector Floating-Point (VFP) is used by the processor to deliver increased performance in areas such as digital imaging.

The CPU can decode more instructions per clock (IPC), meaning that the CPU performs better

Geekbench 6 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures a processor's single-core performance. (Source: Primate Labs, 2024)

Geekbench 6 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures a processor's multi-core performance. (Source: Primate Labs, 2024)

Geekbench 5 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures a processor's single-core performance. (Source: Primate Labs, 2024)

Geekbench 5 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures a processor's multi-core performance. (Source: Primate Labs, 2024)

This benchmark measures the performance of the CPU using multiple threads.

This benchmark measures the performance of the CPU using a single thread.

This benchmark measures the performance of the CPU when it is overclocked.

DirectX is used in games, with newer versions supporting better graphics.