Apple A5 vs Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)

Last updated:

CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Apple A5 or Apple A5 – 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 A5 features 2 processor cores and has the capability to manage 2 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q1/2011 and belongs to the 5 generation of the Apple A series series.
The Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) features 6 processor cores and has the capability to manage 6 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2021 and belongs to the 15 generation of the Apple A series series.
Apple A5/A5X Group Apple A15
5 Generation 15
Apple A5 Name Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
Mobile Segment Mobile
Apple A series Family Apple A series
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple A5 has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 2 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the Apple A5 is 1.0 GHz
The Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) has 6 CPU cores and can calculate 6 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 3.23 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.
None None 3.23 GHz
None None 4x Blizzard
2 Threads 6
None None 2.02 GHz
normal Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
1.0 GHz Frequency None
2 CPU Cores 6
No Overclocking No
None None 2x Avalanche
No Hyperthreading No
2x Cortex-A9 Cores None
 
 

Internal Graphics

The Apple A5 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple A5 uses the PowerVR SGX543MP2 (2 Cores), which has 32 texture shaders
and 4 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
The Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) uses the Apple A15 (5 GPU Cores), which has 1280 texture shaders
and 160 execution units.
-- GPU (Turbo) --
32 nm Technology 5 nm
10 Direct X --
0 bytes Max. GPU Memory 8.0 GB
4 Execution units 160
Q1/2012 Release date Q3/2021
PowerVR SGX543MP2 (2 Cores) GPU name Apple A15 (5 GPU Cores)
32 Shaders 1280
0.2 GHz GPU frequency 0.6 GHz
-- Generation 12
-- Max. displays --
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

-- AI specifications 16 Neural cores @ 15.8 TOPS
-- AI hardware Apple Neural Engine
 
 

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

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 1.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 6.4 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 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.
LPDDR2-800 Memory type LPDDR4X-4266
6.4 GB/s Bandwidth 34.1 GB/s
No AES-NI No
No ECC No
pci PCIe pci
1.0 GB Max. Memory 6.0 GB
2 Memory channels 1
 
 

Thermal Management

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 8.5 W watts.
None TDP (PL1 / PBP) 8.5 W
-- Tjunction max --
 
 

Technical details

The Apple A5 is manufactured using a 32 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 A15 Bionic (5-GPU) is manufactured using a 5 nm process.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 32.0 MB cache.
None Virtualization None
32 nm Technology 5 nm
ARMv7-A32 (32 bit) Instruction set (ISA) ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
ISA extensions
APL 0498 Part Number --
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
Q1/2011 Release date Q3/2021
-- Release price --
1.0 MB L2-Cache 16.0 MB
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
0 bytes L3-Cache 32.0 MB
Socket
iOS Operating systems iOS
A5 Architecture A15
 
 

Apple A5 and Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) in leaderboards