Apple A9 vs Apple A8

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Apple A9 or Apple A9 – 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 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.
The Apple A8 features 2 processor cores and has the capability to manage 2 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2014 and belongs to the 8 generation of the Apple A series series.
Apple A9/A9X Group Apple A8/A8X
9 Generation 8
Mobile Segment Mobile
Apple A9 Name Apple A8
Apple A series Family Apple A series
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

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
The Apple A8 has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 2 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the Apple A8 is 1.5 GHz
No Hyperthreading No
2x Twister Cores 2x Typhoon
No Overclocking No
2 Threads 2
2 CPU Cores 2
normal Core architecture normal
1.85 GHz Frequency 1.5 GHz
 
 

Internal Graphics

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.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
The Apple A8 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple A8 uses the Apple A8, which has 128 texture shaders
and 16 execution units.
192 Shaders 128
Q3/2015 Release date Q3/2014
16 nm Technology 20 nm
-- Direct X --
4.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 4.0 GB
-- Max. displays --
24 Execution units 16
0.65 GHz GPU frequency 0.53 GHz
6 Generation 5
-- GPU (Turbo) --
Apple A9 GPU name Apple A8
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

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

Memory & PCIe

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.
The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 1.0 GB distributed across 1 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 12.8 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
LPDDR4-3200 Memory type LPDDR3-1600
No ECC No
2.0 GB Max. Memory 1.0 GB
1 Memory channels 1
25.6 GB/s Bandwidth 12.8 GB/s
 
 

Thermal Management

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

Technical details

The Apple A9 is manufactured using a 16 nm process.
A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 4.0 MB cache.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The Apple A8 is manufactured using a 20 nm process.
Q3/2015 Release date Q3/2014
None Virtualization None
ISA extensions
16 nm Technology 20 nm
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
-- Release price --
A9 Architecture A8
4.0 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
3.0 MB L2-Cache 1.0 MB
 
 

Benchmarks

AnTuTu 8 Benchmark

Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
172160
172160

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
2053
2053
Apple A8
2C 2T @ 1.5 GHz
1532
1532

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
1024
1024
Apple A8
2C 2T @ 1.5 GHz
607
607

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
921
921
Apple A8
2C 2T @ 1.5 GHz
588
588

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
632
632
Apple A8
2C 2T @ 1.5 GHz
412
412

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
558
558
Apple A8
2C 2T @ 1.5 GHz
324
324

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
250
250
Apple A8
2C 2T @ 1.5 GHz
136
136