Apple M1 vs Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU)

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Apple M1 or Apple M1 – 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 M1 features 8 processor cores and has the capability to manage 8 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q4/2020 and belongs to the 1 generation of the Apple M series series.
The Apple A15 Bionic (4-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.
Mobile Segment Mobile
Apple M1 Name Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU)
Apple M series Family Apple A series
1 Generation 15
Apple M1 Group Apple A15
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple M1 has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 3.2 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 A15 Bionic (4-GPU) has 6 CPU cores and can calculate 6 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 3.23 GHz.
2.06 GHz B-Core Frequency 2.02 GHz
3.2 GHz A-Core Frequency 3.23 GHz
4x Icestorm Cores B 4x Blizzard
4x Firestorm Cores A 2x Avalanche
No Overclocking No
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
8 Threads 6
No Hyperthreading No
8 CPU Cores 6
 
 

Internal Graphics

The Apple M1 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple M1 uses the Apple M1 (8 Core), which has 1024 texture shaders
and 128 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
The Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU) has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU) uses the Apple A15 (4 GPU Cores), which has 1024 texture shaders
1.3 GHz GPU frequency 0.6 GHz
Q4/2020 Release date Q3/2021
-- Direct X --
Apple M1 (8 Core) GPU name Apple A15 (4 GPU Cores)
5 nm Technology 5 nm
-- Max. displays --
1024 Shaders 1024
8.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 8.0 GB
128 Execution units 128
1 Generation 12
-- GPU (Turbo) --
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

16 Neural cores @ 11 TOPS AI specifications 16 Neural cores @ 15.8 TOPS
Apple Neural Engine AI hardware Apple Neural Engine
 
 

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 VP8 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode JPEG Decode / Encode
No AV1 No
 
 

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 16.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 68.2 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 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.
2 Memory channels 1
16.0 GB Max. Memory 6.0 GB
pci PCIe pci
Yes AES-NI No
No ECC No
68.2 GB/s Bandwidth 34.1 GB/s
LPDDR4X-4266 Memory type LPDDR4X-4266
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 15 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 8.5 W watts.
20 W TDP up None
-- Tjunction max --
15 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 8.5 W
10 W TDP down None
 
 

Technical details

The Apple M1 is manufactured using a 5 nm process.
A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU) is manufactured using a 5 nm process.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 32.0 MB cache.
Q4/2020 Release date Q3/2021
APL 1102 Part Number --
16.0 MB L2-Cache 16.0 MB
Apple Virtualization Framework Virtualization None
Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation ISA extensions
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
M1 Architecture A15
5 nm Technology 5 nm
Socket
macOS Operating systems iOS
-- Release price --
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
0 bytes L3-Cache 32.0 MB
 
 

Apple M1 and Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU) in leaderboards