Earlier this week, we got our first glimpse of a Geekbench score for the iPhone 16, and the outcome was somewhat underwhelming. While there was a respectable uptick in single-core performance, the multi-core results seemed unusual. However, subsequent benchmarks have started to offer a more optimistic perspective.
A18 Pro Benchmark Insights
Today’s Geekbench result, found here, originates from a model identified as iPhone17,1, which corresponds to the iPhone 16 Pro. This indicates that we are examining Apple’s cutting-edge A18 Pro chip. The A18 and A18 Pro architectures share many similarities in CPU performance, but the Pro variant boasts an additional GPU core and incorporates a USB 3 controller.
This benchmark showcases significantly improved results compared to earlier findings, with a single-core score hitting 3429 and a multi-core score of 8790. This represents a boost of approximately 15-20% over the A17 Pro chip found in the iPhone 15 Pro and around 30-35% faster when compared to the A16 Bionic chip in the iPhone 15. Such outcomes align with the claims made during Apple’s keynote presentation on Monday.
Comparing A18 Pro with the Apple M1
Remarkably, the A18 Pro chip is nearing the performance capabilities of the M1 chip, Apple’s initial Silicon chip designed for the Mac, which later made its way to iPads. In most of the Geekbench results, the A18 Pro exhibits superior performance compared to the M1. While benchmarks provide a snapshot rather than a complete picture of real-world functionality, they’re still engaging to analyze.
Reviewing the most recent 10 Geekbench results for the M1 iPad Air, and excluding outliers, the M1 chip consistently scores around 8351 in multi-core performance. In that context, the A18 Pro’s score of 8790 is about 5% faster than the M1’s average.
This comparison serves to emphasize the incredible work of Apple’s chip design team, demonstrating that, in just four years since the M1’s launch, we now have pocket-sized devices capable of delivering similar performance levels.
Conclusion
It’s somewhat disappointing that we can’t fully exploit this incredible processing power. Imagine being able to connect your iPhone to an external USB-C monitor and utilize Stage Manager with an external mouse and keyboard—that would be a fantastic feature for the future.
During their “It’s Glowtime” keynote, Apple introduced the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, showcasing the new A18 and A18 Pro chips. Both of these chips utilize a second-generation 3nm fabrication process, similar to the M4 chip launched in the iPad Pro earlier this year. The devices are available for pre-order, with customer deliveries set to begin on September 20th.
