Apple A11 Bionic vs Apple A6

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Apple A11 Bionic or Apple A11 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 A11 Bionic features 6 processor cores and has the capability to manage 6 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2017 and belongs to the 11 generation of the Apple A series series.
The Apple A6 features 2 processor cores and has the capability to manage 2 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2012 and belongs to the 6 generation of the Apple A series series.
Apple A11 Group Apple A6/A6X
11 Generation 6
Mobile Segment Mobile
Apple A11 Bionic Name Apple A6
Apple A series Family Apple A series
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple A11 Bionic has 6 CPU cores and can calculate 6 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 2.39 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 A6 has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 2 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the Apple A6 is 1.3 GHz
6 Threads 2
1.19 GHz B-Core Frequency None
None None 2x Swift
6 CPU Cores 2
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture normal
2x Monsoon Cores A None
No Hyperthreading No
2.39 GHz A-Core Frequency None
No Overclocking No
4x Mistral Cores B None
None None 1.3 GHz
 
 

Internal Graphics

The Apple A11 Bionic has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple A11 Bionic uses the Apple A11, which has 192 texture shaders
and 24 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
The Apple A6 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple A6 uses the PowerVR SGX543MP3 (3 Cores), which has 48 texture shaders
and 6 execution units.
192 Shaders 48
Q3/2017 Release date Q3/2012
10 nm Technology 32 nm
-- Direct X 10
3.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 0 bytes
-- Max. displays --
24 Execution units 6
1.07 GHz GPU frequency 0.27 GHz
8 Generation --
-- GPU (Turbo) --
Apple A11 GPU name PowerVR SGX543MP3 (3 Cores)
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

2 Neural cores @ 0.6 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 h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
Decode AVC No
Decode / Encode h264 No
Decode VP9 No
Decode h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
 
 

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 3.0 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.
The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 1.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 8.5 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
LPDDR4X-4266 Memory type LPDDR2-1066
No ECC No
3.0 GB Max. Memory 1.0 GB
1 Memory channels 2
34.1 GB/s Bandwidth 8.5 GB/s
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 8 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 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) None
-- Tjunction max --
 
 

Technical details

The Apple A11 Bionic is manufactured using a 10 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 A6 is manufactured using a 32 nm process.
Q3/2017 Release date Q3/2012
None Virtualization None
ISA extensions
10 nm Technology 32 nm
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
-- Release price --
A11 Architecture A6
0 bytes 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 0598
Socket
8.0 MB L2-Cache 1.0 MB