Apple A14 Bionic vs Apple A9

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Apple A14 Bionic or Apple A14 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 A14 Bionic features 6 processor cores and has the capability to manage 6 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2020 and belongs to the 14 generation of the Apple A series series.
The Apple A9 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 A14 Group Apple A9/A9X
14 Generation 9
Mobile Segment Mobile
Apple A14 Bionic Name Apple A9
Apple A series Family Apple A series
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple A14 Bionic has 6 CPU cores and can calculate 6 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 3.0 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 A9 has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 2 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the Apple A9 is 1.85 GHz
6 Threads 2
1.82 GHz B-Core Frequency None
None None 2x Twister
6 CPU Cores 2
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture normal
2x Firestorm Cores A None
No Hyperthreading No
3.0 GHz A-Core Frequency None
No Overclocking No
4x Icestorm Cores B None
None None 1.85 GHz
 
 

Internal Graphics

The Apple A14 Bionic has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple A14 Bionic uses the Apple A14, which has 512 texture shaders
and 64 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
The Apple A9 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple A9 uses the Apple A9, which has 192 texture shaders
and 24 execution units.
512 Shaders 192
Q3/2020 Release date Q3/2015
5 nm Technology 16 nm
-- Direct X --
8.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 4.0 GB
-- Max. displays --
64 Execution units 24
1.0 GHz GPU frequency 0.65 GHz
11 Generation 6
-- GPU (Turbo) --
Apple A14 GPU name Apple A9
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

16 Neural cores @ 11 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 Decode
Decode VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode JPEG Decode / Encode
No AV1 No
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
Decode AVC Decode
Decode / Encode h264 Decode
Decode / Encode VP9 No
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
 
 

Memory & PCIe

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.
The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 2.0 GB distributed across 1 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 25.6 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 LPDDR4-3200
No ECC No
6.0 GB Max. Memory 2.0 GB
1 Memory channels 1
34.1 GB/s Bandwidth 25.6 GB/s
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 7 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 5 W watts.
7 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 5 W
-- Tjunction max --
 
 

Technical details

The Apple A14 Bionic is manufactured using a 5 nm process.
A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 16.0 MB cache.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The Apple A9 is manufactured using a 16 nm process.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 4.0 MB cache.
Q3/2020 Release date Q3/2015
None Virtualization None
ISA extensions
5 nm Technology 16 nm
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
-- Release price --
A14 (Firestorm/Icestorm) Architecture A9
16.0 MB L3-Cache 4.0 MB
iOS Operating systems iOS
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
-- Part Number --
Socket
12.0 MB L2-Cache 3.0 MB
 
 

Benchmarks

AnTuTu 9 Benchmark

Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.0 GHz
729968
729968

AnTuTu 8 Benchmark

Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.0 GHz
628047
628047
Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
172160
172160

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.0 GHz
8514
8514
Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
2053
2053

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.0 GHz
4689
4689
Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
921
921

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.0 GHz
4247
4247
Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
1024
1024

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.0 GHz
2072
2072
Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
632
632

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Apple A14 Bionic
6C 6T @ 3.0 GHz
1590
1590
Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
558
558

Apple A14 Bionic and Apple A9 in leaderboards