Apple A16 Bionic vs Google Tensor G2

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 Google Tensor G2 features 8 processor cores and has the capability to manage 8 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q4/2022 and belongs to the 2 generation of the Google Tensor series.
Apple A16 Group Google Tensor G2
16 Generation 2
Mobile Segment Mobile
Apple A16 Bionic Name Google Tensor G2
Apple A series Family Google Tensor
 
 

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 Google Tensor G2 has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 2.85 GHz.
None None 4x Cortex-A55
6 Threads 8
2.02 GHz B-Core Frequency 2.35 GHz
6 CPU Cores 8
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (Prime / big.LITTLE)
2x Everest Cores A 2x Cortex-X1
No Hyperthreading No
3.46 GHz A-Core Frequency 2.85 GHz
No Overclocking No
4x Sawtooth Cores B 2x Cortex-A78
None None 1.8 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 Google Tensor G2 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
and 7 execution units.
1280 Shaders --
Q3/2022 Release date Q2/2021
4 nm Technology 4 nm
-- Direct X 12
8.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 0 bytes
-- Max. displays --
160 Execution units 7
0.7 GHz GPU frequency 0.9 GHz
13 Generation Vallhall 3
-- GPU (Turbo) --
Apple A16 (5 GPU Cores) GPU name ARM Mali-G710 MP7
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

16 Neural cores @ 17 TOPS AI specifications Google Edge TPU @ 4 TOPS
Apple Neural Engine AI hardware Google Tensor AI
 
 

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 Decode / Encode
Decode VC-1 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode JPEG Decode / Encode
No AV1 Decode
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode AVC Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode h264 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode VP9 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode / Encode
 
 

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 12.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 53.0 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 LPDDR5-5500
No ECC No
6.0 GB Max. Memory 12.0 GB
1 Memory channels 2
51.2 GB/s Bandwidth 53.0 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.
The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 10 W watts.
8.5 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 10 W
-- 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 Google Tensor G2 is manufactured using a 4 nm process.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 4.0 MB cache.
Q3/2022 Release date Q4/2022
None Virtualization None
ISA extensions
4 nm Technology 4 nm
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
-- Release price --
A16 Architecture G2
24.0 MB L3-Cache 4.0 MB
iOS Operating systems Android
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
-- Part Number --
Socket
20.0 MB L2-Cache 8.0 MB
 
 

Benchmarks

AnTuTu 9 Benchmark

Apple A16 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.46 GHz
947502
947502
Google Tensor G2
8C 8T @ 2.85 GHz
789419
789419

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Apple A16 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.46 GHz
6299
6299
Google Tensor G2
8C 8T @ 2.85 GHz
3342
3342

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Apple A16 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.46 GHz
5465
5465
Google Tensor G2
8C 8T @ 2.85 GHz
3149
3149

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Apple A16 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.46 GHz
2531
2531
Google Tensor G2
8C 8T @ 2.85 GHz
1426
1426

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Apple A16 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.46 GHz
1890
1890
Google Tensor G2
8C 8T @ 2.85 GHz
1068
1068

Apple A16 Bionic and Google Tensor G2 in leaderboards