Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+

Last updated:

CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) or Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) – which processor offers superior performance? In this comparison, we examine disparities and assess which of these two CPUs outperforms the other. We delve into technical specifications and benchmark outcomes.
The Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) features 6 processor cores and has the capability to manage 6 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2021 and belongs to the 15 generation of the Apple A series series.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+ features 8 processor cores and has the capability to manage 8 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2021 and belongs to the 8 generation of the Qualcomm Snapdragon series.
Mobile Segment Mobile
Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) Name Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+
Apple A series Family Qualcomm Snapdragon
15 Generation 8
Apple A15 Group Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) has 6 CPU cores and can calculate 6 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 3.23 GHz.
The number of CPU cores greatly affects the speed of the processor and is an important performance indicator.
Processors with hybrid (big.LITTLE) architecture strike a balance between performance and power efficiency, making them ideal for mobile devices.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+ has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 3.0 GHz.
None None 4x Kryo 680 Silver
2.02 GHz B-Core Frequency 1.8 GHz
3.23 GHz A-Core Frequency 3.0 GHz
4x Blizzard Cores B 3x Kryo 680 Gold
2x Avalanche Cores A 1x Kryo 680 Prime
No Overclocking No
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (Prime / big.LITTLE)
6 Threads 8
No Hyperthreading No
6 CPU Cores 8
 
 

Internal Graphics

The Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) uses the Apple A15 (5 GPU Cores), which has 1280 texture shaders
and 160 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+ has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
0.6 GHz GPU frequency 0.84 GHz
Q3/2021 Release date Q1/2021
-- Direct X 12.1
Apple A15 (5 GPU Cores) GPU name Qualcomm Adreno 660 AV1
5 nm Technology 5 nm
-- Max. displays --
1280 Shaders --
8.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 0 bytes
160 Execution units --
12 Generation 6
-- GPU (Turbo) --
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

16 Neural cores @ 15.8 TOPS AI specifications --
Apple Neural Engine AI hardware --
 
 

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.
Decode AVC Decode
Decode VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode VP9 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode h264 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode VP8 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode JPEG Decode / Encode
No AV1 Decode
 
 

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 6.0 GB distributed across 1 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 34.1 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
1 Memory channels 4
6.0 GB Max. Memory 8.0 GB
pci PCIe pci
No AES-NI No
No ECC No
34.1 GB/s Bandwidth --
LPDDR4X-4266 Memory type LPDDR5-3200
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 8.5 W watts.
TDP indicates the cooling solution needed to effectively manage the processor's heat. It generally provides an approximate indication of the actual power consumption of the CPU itself.
-- Tjunction max --
8.5 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) None
 
 

Technical details

The Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) is manufactured using a 5 nm process.
A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 32.0 MB cache.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+ is manufactured using a 5 nm process.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 4.0 MB cache.
Q3/2021 Release date Q3/2021
-- Part Number SM8350-AC
16.0 MB L2-Cache 4.0 MB
None Virtualization None
ISA extensions
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
A15 Architecture Kryo 680
5 nm Technology 5 nm
Socket
iOS Operating systems Android
-- Release price --
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
32.0 MB L3-Cache 4.0 MB