Apple M1 vs HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G

Last updated:

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 HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G features 8 processor cores and has the capability to manage 8 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2019 and belongs to the 8 generation of the HiSilicon Kirin series.
Mobile Segment Mobile
Apple M1 Name HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G
Apple M series Family HiSilicon Kirin
1 Generation 8
Apple M1 Group HiSilicon Kirin 990
 
 

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 HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 2.86 GHz.
None None 4x Cortex-A55
None None 1.95 GHz
2.06 GHz B-Core Frequency 2.36 GHz
3.2 GHz A-Core Frequency 2.86 GHz
4x Icestorm Cores B 2x Cortex-A76
4x Firestorm Cores A 2x Cortex-A76
No Overclocking No
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (Prime / big.LITTLE)
8 Threads 8
No Hyperthreading No
8 CPU Cores 8
 
 

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 HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G uses the ARM Mali-G76 MP16, which has 256 texture shaders
and 16 execution units.
1.3 GHz GPU frequency 0.6 GHz
Q4/2020 Release date Q3/2018
-- Direct X 12
Apple M1 (8 Core) GPU name ARM Mali-G76 MP16
5 nm Technology 7 nm
-- Max. displays --
1024 Shaders 256
8.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 4.0 GB
128 Execution units 16
1 Generation Bifrost 3
-- GPU (Turbo) --
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

16 Neural cores @ 11 TOPS AI specifications Da Vinci Architecture. 1x Ascend Lite + 1x Ascend Tiny
Apple Neural Engine AI hardware HUAWEI HiAI 2.0
 
 

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 / Encode
Decode VC-1 Decode / Encode
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.
2 Memory channels 4
16.0 GB Max. Memory 8.0 GB
pci PCIe pci
Yes AES-NI No
No ECC No
68.2 GB/s Bandwidth --
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 6 W watts.
20 W TDP up None
-- Tjunction max --
15 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 6 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 HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G is manufactured using a 7 nm process.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 2.0 MB cache.
Q4/2020 Release date Q3/2019
APL 1102 Part Number --
16.0 MB L2-Cache 0 bytes
Apple Virtualization Framework Virtualization None
Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation ISA extensions
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
M1 Architecture Cortex-A76 / Cortex-A55
5 nm Technology 7 nm
Socket
macOS Operating systems Android
-- Release price --
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
0 bytes L3-Cache 2.0 MB