Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 vs Apple A12 Bionic

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 or Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 – 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 Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 features 8 processor cores and has the capability to manage 8 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q4/2020 and belongs to the 7 generation of the Qualcomm Snapdragon series.
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.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 675/678 Group Apple A12/A12X/A12Z
7 Generation 12
Mobile Segment Mobile
Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 Name Apple A12 Bionic
Qualcomm Snapdragon Family Apple A series
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 2.2 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 A12 Bionic has 6 CPU cores and can calculate 6 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 2.49 GHz.
8 Threads 6
1.7 GHz B-Core Frequency 1.59 GHz
8 CPU Cores 6
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
2x Kryo 460 Gold Cores A 2x Vortex
No Hyperthreading No
2.2 GHz A-Core Frequency 2.49 GHz
No Overclocking No
6x Kryp 460 Silver Cores B 4x Tempest
 
 

Internal Graphics

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
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.
-- Shaders 256
Q4/2015 Release date Q3/2018
11 nm Technology 7 nm
12.1 Direct X --
0 bytes Max. GPU Memory 4.0 GB
-- Max. displays --
-- Execution units 32
0.85 GHz GPU frequency 1.13 GHz
6 Generation 9
0.85 GHz GPU (Turbo) --
Qualcomm Adreno 612 GPU name Apple A12
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

-- AI specifications 8 Neural cores @ 5 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
Decode h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode AVC Decode
Decode / Encode h264 Decode / Encode
Decode VP9 Decode / Encode
Decode h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode / Encode
 
 

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.
pci PCIe pci
No AES-NI No
LPDDR4X-1866 Memory type LPDDR4X-4266
No ECC No
0 bytes Max. Memory 4.0 GB
2 Memory channels 1
-- Bandwidth 34.1 GB/s
 
 

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 6 W watts.
None TDP (PL1 / PBP) 6 W
-- Tjunction max --
 
 

Technical details

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 is manufactured using a 11 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 A12 Bionic is manufactured using a 7 nm process.
Q4/2020 Release date Q3/2018
None Virtualization None
ISA extensions
11 nm Technology 7 nm
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
-- Release price --
Kryo 460 Architecture A12
0 bytes L3-Cache 0 bytes
Android Operating systems iOS
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
SM6150-AC Part Number --
Socket
0 bytes L2-Cache 8.0 MB