Apple A12 Bionic vs Apple A9X

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Apple A12 Bionic or Apple A12 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 A12 Bionic features 6 processor cores and has the capability to manage 6 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2018 and belongs to the 12 generation of the Apple A series series.
The Apple A9X features 2 processor cores and has the capability to manage 2 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2015 and belongs to the 9 generation of the Apple A series series.
Apple A12/A12X/A12Z Group Apple A9/A9X
12 Generation 9
Apple A12 Bionic Name Apple A9X
Mobile Segment Mobile
Apple A series Family Apple A series
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple A12 Bionic has 6 CPU cores and can calculate 6 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 2.49 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 A9X has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 2 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the Apple A9X is 2.26 GHz
1.59 GHz B-Core Frequency None
None None 2x Twister
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture normal
2x Vortex Cores A None
6 CPU Cores 2
No Overclocking No
None None 2.26 GHz
No Hyperthreading No
2.49 GHz A-Core Frequency None
4x Tempest Cores B None
6 Threads 2
 
 

Internal Graphics

The Apple A12 Bionic has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple A12 Bionic uses the Apple A12, which has 256 texture shaders
and 32 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
The Apple A9X has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple A9X uses the Apple A9X, which has 384 texture shaders
and 48 execution units.
-- GPU (Turbo) --
7 nm Technology 16 nm
-- Direct X --
4.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 4.0 GB
32 Execution units 48
Q3/2018 Release date Q3/2015
Apple A12 GPU name Apple A9X
256 Shaders 384
1.13 GHz GPU frequency 0.65 GHz
9 Generation 6
-- Max. displays --
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

8 Neural cores @ 5 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 h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
Decode / Encode VP9 No
Decode / Encode VP8 Decode
Decode VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode JPEG Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode h264 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
Decode AVC Decode
No AV1 No
 
 

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 4.0 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 4.0 GB distributed across 2 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.
LPDDR4X-4266 Memory type LPDDR4-3200
34.1 GB/s Bandwidth 51.2 GB/s
No AES-NI No
No ECC No
pci PCIe pci
4.0 GB Max. Memory 4.0 GB
1 Memory channels 2
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 6 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 W watts.
6 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 8 W
-- Tjunction max --
 
 

Technical details

The Apple A12 Bionic is manufactured using a 7 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 A9X is manufactured using a 16 nm process.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 4.0 MB cache.
None Virtualization None
7 nm Technology 16 nm
ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
ISA extensions
-- Part Number --
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
Q3/2018 Release date Q3/2015
-- Release price --
8.0 MB L2-Cache 3.0 MB
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
0 bytes L3-Cache 4.0 MB
Socket
iOS Operating systems iOS
A12 Architecture A9
 
 

Benchmarks

AnTuTu 8 Benchmark

Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz
425605
425605
Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
272103
272103

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz
4846
4846
Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
2501
2501

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz
2731
2731
Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
1198
1198

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz
2353
2353
Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
1251
1251

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz
1286
1286
Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
763
763

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz
1116
1116
Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
652
652