In the heart of any Apple device is an Apple processor. Apple has used its own chips in its iPhones and iPads for more than a decade, while Apple Silicon in Mac is already in its fourth generation.
What is remarkable about Apple Silicon is its performance and power efficiency. But all chips are not created equally. Understanding the performance differences between each chip will help with your purchase decisions, especially when deciding between iPhone 16 or MacBook models. Knowing how each chip performs gives you a better idea of ​​what products to buy and whether it is worth your money to step up to a higher model.
Let’s look at how the new processors are compared to the rest of the processors in iPhone, iPad and Mac lineup and see how each works and what it means to you. For the sake of consistency, we have used geekbench 6 benchmarks. Here is each chip and how benchmarks are compared to each other.
Update 23 March 2025: Added benchmarks to the M3 Ultra chip; Added the new iPhone 16E, iPad, iPad Air, Mac Studio and MacBook Air.
Every current processor compared
The results are scores. Higher score/longer bars are faster. Chips in this chart are currently available in Apple devices.
Before we go into the individual processors, let’s let chips fall where they might. In the above chart we have only included chips that are in Apple’s current product lineups to keep the card manageable. The Mac section below includes all chips, from M1 to the current chip. If you are looking for scores of chips that are no longer used in Apple’s active iPhone or iPad lineups (such as A12 Bionic), you can check the Geekbonch browser.
It’s a somewhat predictable chart with the fastest Mac chips at the top, followed by a mixture of iPads and iPhones. But there are still some fascinating results: Owners of the iPad Pro can say that their tablet is about as fast as a MacBook Air and it would not be much of a reach. And the difference between $ 599 iPhone 16E and $ 999 iPhone 16 Pro is not as huge as their price difference indicates.
If you do not see all the bar chart meters, it may be because your browser font is set larger than default or your browser zoomed in. You must set the font size and browser view to the default to see all the card labels.
Read about how Apple’s M series processors are compared to Intel in our Mac processor -guide.
iPhone processors
The results are scores. Higher score/longer bars are faster. Chips in this chart are currently available in Apple devices.
Let’s look at the specifications of iPhones that are currently in Apple’s lineup so we can understand the differences between them.
| Processor | Performance -Kernes | Efficiency cores | Graphics | Neural engine | Memory | Thermal design power | Devices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A18 Pro | 2 at 4.04 GHz | 4 at 2.2 GHz | 6 | 16-core | 8 GB | 10W | iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max |
| A18 | 2 at 4.04 GHz | 4 at 2.2 GHz | 5 | 16-core | 8 GB | 9w | iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus |
| A18 | 2 at 4.04 GHz | 4 at 2.2 GHz | 4 | 16-core | 8 GB | 9w | iPhone 16e |
| A16 Bionic | 2 at 3.46 ghz | 4 at 2.02 GHz | 5 | 16-core | 8 GB | 6w | iPhone 15 |
Not surprisingly, the A18 Pro in the iPhone 16 Pro is the fastest. The difference between the A18 Pro and A18 in the iPhone 16 is that the A18 has a fewer GPU core. The iPhone 163 has two fewer GPU kernels than the iPhone 16 Pro.
iPad processors
The results are scores. Higher score/longer bars are faster. Diagram includes chips in ceased Apple devices.
The staggered release of Apple’s iPad lineup creates an odd-looking benefit order on the CPU and its device.
| Processor | Performance -Kernes | Efficiency cores | Graphics | Neural engine | Memory | Transistors | Thermal design power | Devices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M4 | 4 at 4.4 ghz | 6 at 2.85 | 10 | 16-core | 16 GB | 28 billion | 20w | 13 ″ & 11 ″ iPad Pro |
| M4 | 3 at 4.4 ghz | 6 at 2.85 | 10 | 16-core | 8 GB | 28 billion | 20w | 13 ″ & 11 ″ iPad Pro |
| M3 | 4 at 3.49 ghz | 4 at 2.06 GHz | 9 | 16-core | 8 GB | 20 billion | 15w | 13 ″ and 11 ″ iPad Air |
| A17 Pro | 2 at 3.78 GHz | 4 at 2.11 GHz | 5 | 16-core | 8 GB | 19 billion | 8W | iPad Mini |
| A16 | 2 at 3.46 ghz | 3 at 2.02 GHz | 4 | 16-core | 6 GB | 11.8 billion | 6w | iPad (11. Gen) |
The M4-equipped iPad Pros are the fastest models and the gap between them and iPad and the iPad Mini is significant. Furthermore, the M4 is 1.5 times faster than M2, which it replaced in the previous iPad professionals.
The 11th Gen iPad released in the spring of 2025 has an A16, an upgrade from the A14 Bionic in the previous model.
Mac processors
The results are scores. Higher score/longer bars are faster. Diagram includes chips in ceased Apple devices.
With Apple’s M series of chips for Mac, the company’s release plan involves the basic version of the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, Mac Mini and iMac. Apple then changes it to create versions with higher end.
The latest M-Series chip is M4 released with the new iMac, Mac Mini and MacBook Pro in the fall of 2024. The M4 Pro and Max were also released in the MacBook Pro, replacing the M3 Pro and Max in these laptops. M3 Ultra is now in the MAC study, but Mac Pro is still using M2 Ultra. MacBook Air uses the M4 chip.
| Processor | Performance -Kernes | Efficiency cores | Graphics | Neural engine | Basic memory | Transistors | Thermal design power | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M3 Ultra | 24 at 4.52 ghz | 8 at 2.59 ghz | 80 | 32-core | 96 GB | 184 billion | 140W | Mac Studio |
| M3 Ultra | 20 at 4.52 ghz | 8 at 2.59 ghz | 60 | 32-core | 96 GB | 184 billion | 140W | Mac Studio |
| M4 Max | 12 at 4.52 ghz | 4 at 2.59 ghz | 40 | 16-core | 48 GB | 70w | 14 ″ & 16 ″ MacBook Pro | |
| M4 Max | 10 at 4.52 ghz | 4 at 2.59 ghz | 32 | 16-core | 36 GB | 62W | 14 ″ & 16 ″ MacBook Pro | |
| M4 Pro | 10 at 4.52 ghz | 4 at 2.59 ghz | 20 | 16-core | 24 GB | 46w | 14 ″ & 16 ″ MacBook Pro. Mac Mini | |
| M4 Pro | 8 at 4.52 ghz | 4 at 2.59 ghz | 16 | 16-core | 24 GB | 38w | 14 ″ MacBook Pro, Mac Mini | |
| M2 Ultra | 16 at 3.49 ghz | 8 at 2.4 ghz | 76 | 32-core | 64 GB | 134 Billon | 80W | |
| M2 Ultra | 16 at 3.49 ghz | 8 at 2.4 ghz | 60 | 32-core | 64 GB | 134 Billon | 80W | |
| M4 | 4 at 4.41 ghz | 6 at 2.59 ghz | 10 | 16-core | 16 GB | 28 billion | 22w | iMac, 14 ″ MacBook Pro |
| M4 | 4 at 4.41 ghz | 4 at 2.59 ghz | 8 | 16-core | 16 GB | 28 billion | 20w | iMac |
M4 MAX is an animal of a chip that flames in both CPU and GPU performance, but it’s not the fastest. M2 Ultra is in MAC Pro, which has PCIE Experience Lots. If you do not need such slots, you can choose an M3 Ultra Mac study. M3 Ultra is Apple’s fastest Mac.
The chip that started it all, the good ol ‘M1, may seem slow compared to Apple’s more current chips – but it is not to undermine Apple’s original Mac processor. Remember, the M1 blows past Intel processors it replaced, resulting in a significant price/benefit value.