Apple A9X vs Apple A11 Bionic

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Apple A9X or Apple A9X – 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 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.
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.
Apple A9/A9X Group Apple A11
9 Generation 11
Mobile Segment Mobile
Apple A9X Name Apple A11 Bionic
Apple A series Family Apple A series
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

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
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.
2 Threads 6
normal Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
No Hyperthreading No
None None 2.39 GHz
No Overclocking No
2x Twister Cores None
None None 1.19 GHz
2 CPU Cores 6
None None 2x Monsoon
None None 4x Mistral
2.26 GHz Frequency None
 
 

Internal Graphics

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.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
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.
384 Shaders 192
Q3/2015 Release date Q3/2017
16 nm Technology 10 nm
-- Direct X --
4.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 3.0 GB
-- Max. displays --
48 Execution units 24
0.65 GHz GPU frequency 1.07 GHz
6 Generation 8
-- GPU (Turbo) --
Apple A9X GPU name Apple A11
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

-- AI specifications 2 Neural cores @ 0.6 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.
Decode VP8 Decode / Encode
Decode VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode JPEG Decode / Encode
No AV1 No
No h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode
Decode AVC Decode
Decode / Encode h264 Decode / Encode
No VP9 Decode
No h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode
 
 

Memory & PCIe

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.
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.
pci PCIe pci
No AES-NI No
LPDDR4-3200 Memory type LPDDR4X-4266
No ECC No
4.0 GB Max. Memory 3.0 GB
2 Memory channels 1
51.2 GB/s Bandwidth 34.1 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) 8 W
-- Tjunction max --
 
 

Technical details

The Apple A9X 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 A11 Bionic is manufactured using a 10 nm process.
Q3/2015 Release date Q3/2017
None Virtualization None
ISA extensions
16 nm Technology 10 nm
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
-- Release price --
A9 Architecture A11
4.0 MB L3-Cache 0 bytes
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 8.0 MB
 
 

Benchmarks

AnTuTu 8 Benchmark

Apple A11 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.39 GHz
295465
295465
Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
272103
272103

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Apple A11 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.39 GHz
4360
4360
Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
2501
2501

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Apple A11 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.39 GHz
2569
2569
Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
1198
1198

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Apple A11 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.39 GHz
1997
1997
Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
1251
1251

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Apple A11 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.39 GHz
1093
1093
Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
763
763

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Apple A11 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.39 GHz
932
932
Apple A9X
2C 2T @ 2.26 GHz
652
652