Apple A16 Bionic vs Apple A5

Last updated:

CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Apple A16 Bionic or Apple A16 Bionic – 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 A16 Bionic features 6 processor cores and has the capability to manage 6 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2022 and belongs to the 16 generation of the Apple A series series.
The Apple A5 features 2 processor cores and has the capability to manage 2 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q1/2011 and belongs to the 5 generation of the Apple A series series.
Apple A16 Group Apple A5/A5X
16 Generation 5
Mobile Segment Mobile
Apple A16 Bionic Name Apple A5
Apple A series Family Apple A series
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple A16 Bionic has 6 CPU cores and can calculate 6 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 3.46 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 Apple A5 has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 2 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the Apple A5 is 1.0 GHz
6 Threads 2
2.02 GHz B-Core Frequency None
None None 2x Cortex-A9
6 CPU Cores 2
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture normal
2x Everest Cores A None
No Hyperthreading No
3.46 GHz A-Core Frequency None
No Overclocking No
4x Sawtooth Cores B None
None None 1.0 GHz
 
 

Internal Graphics

The Apple A16 Bionic has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple A16 Bionic uses the Apple A16 (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 Apple A5 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple A5 uses the PowerVR SGX543MP2 (2 Cores), which has 32 texture shaders
and 4 execution units.
1280 Shaders 32
Q3/2022 Release date Q1/2012
4 nm Technology 32 nm
-- Direct X 10
8.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 0 bytes
-- Max. displays --
160 Execution units 4
0.7 GHz GPU frequency 0.2 GHz
13 Generation --
-- GPU (Turbo) --
Apple A16 (5 GPU Cores) GPU name PowerVR SGX543MP2 (2 Cores)
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

16 Neural cores @ 17 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 / Encode VP8 No
Decode VC-1 No
Decode / Encode JPEG No
No AV1 No
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
Decode AVC No
Decode / Encode h264 No
Decode / Encode VP9 No
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
 
 

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 51.2 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 1.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 6.4 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
pci PCIe pci
No AES-NI No
LPDDR5-6400 Memory type LPDDR2-800
No ECC No
6.0 GB Max. Memory 1.0 GB
1 Memory channels 2
51.2 GB/s Bandwidth 6.4 GB/s
 
 

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.
8.5 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) None
-- Tjunction max --
 
 

Technical details

The Apple A16 Bionic is manufactured using a 4 nm process.
A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 24.0 MB cache.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The Apple A5 is manufactured using a 32 nm process.
Q3/2022 Release date Q1/2011
None Virtualization None
ISA extensions
4 nm Technology 32 nm
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
-- Release price --
A16 Architecture A5
24.0 MB L3-Cache 0 bytes
iOS Operating systems iOS
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) ARMv7-A32 (32 bit)
-- Part Number APL 0498
Socket
20.0 MB L2-Cache 1.0 MB
 
 

Apple A16 Bionic and Apple A5 in leaderboards