If you buy an iPhone 16 Pro Max you’ll get the A18 Pro chipset. But is the A18 Pro that much better than the standard A18 chip?
[TL;DR] – What’s The Difference Between Apple’s A18 and A18 Pro Chipset?
- 🌐 Everyday Usage: No major differences between A18 and A18 Pro for web browsing, social media, and emails. Both deliver a similar experience.
- ⚡ Casual Performance: The A18 Pro’s 5-7% CPU boost is barely noticeable in daily tasks. Memory, connectivity, and AI capabilities are identical.
- 🎮 Gaming and Graphics: A18 Pro’s 6-core GPU outperforms A18 by up to 30% in graphics-heavy tasks. Ideal for gamers and creative users needing sustained GPU power.
- 🖼️ Ray Tracing: A18 Pro has significant gains in ray tracing and GPU benchmarks, resulting in smoother visuals and better gaming performance.
- 🤖 AI and Connectivity: No difference in AI and machine learning performance. Both have the same 5G and Wi-Fi 7 support for seamless connectivity.
Apple always makes a big song and dance about its new chipsets whenever they land. Granted, they’re usually very good. But with the A18 Pro and the standard A18, the difference between the two – in real-world scenarios, at least – doesn’t appear to be anything to write home about.
And if the SOLE reason you want to buy the iPhone 16 Pro Max is for its chipset and performance, well… you might just want to maybe reconsider.
Here’s the official line via Apple on its A18 Pro chipset:
Built with second-generation 3-nanometer technology and featuring a new architecture with smaller, faster transistors, A18 Pro delivers unprecedented efficiency.
The new 16-core Neural Engine is faster and more efficient than the previous generation, powering remarkable on-device performance for Apple Intelligence. A 17 percent increase in total system memory bandwidth — the highest ever in iPhone — enables faster experiences when using Writing Tools and Image Playground, and helps deliver astounding graphics.
The bandwidth increase also benefits the 6-core GPU, which is up to 20 percent faster than the previous generation, driving graphics rendering for Apple Intelligence and stunning visuals for gaming. Hardware-accelerated ray tracing gets up to 2x faster for even more realistic light sources and reflections.
And here’s the benchmarks comparing the A18 against the A18 Pro…
📊 Apple A18 vs A18 Pro: Benchmark Comparison
🆕 Chipset Overview
The new iPhone 16 and 16 Plus feature the A18 chipset, while the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max come with the more powerful A18 Pro. Let’s explore their differences in real-world performance.
🛠️ Specs Comparison
| Feature | A18 | A18 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Six-core CPU (2+4) | Six-core CPU (2+4) |
| GPU | Apple 5-core GPU | Apple 6-core GPU |
| Process Technology | TSMC 3nm (N3E) | TSMC 3nm (N3E) |
| Memory Support | LPDDR5X, up to 7500 MT/s | LPDDR5X, up to 7500 MT/s |
| Modem | Snapdragon X75 5G | Snapdragon X75 5G |
| Neural Engine | 16-core, 35 TOPS | 16-core, 35 TOPS |
📊 Geekbench 6 CPU
A18: 3,141 (single-core), 7,804 (multi-core)
A18 Pro: 3,358 (single-core), 8,814 (multi-core)
📝 Note: A18 Pro shows 5-7% better CPU performance.
📈 AnTuTu Benchmark
A18: 1,668,567 points
A18 Pro: 1,816,016 points
📝 Note: A18 Pro offers 8-10% faster performance overall.
🎮 Geekbench 6 GPU
A18 GPU: 28,030 points
A18 Pro GPU: 32,569 points
📝 Note: A18 Pro offers 16% better graphics performance.
🔥 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test
| Metric | A18 | A18 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Best Loop Score | 3,600 | 4,574 |
| Lowest Loop Score | 2,370 | 3,096 |
| Stability | 65.8% | 67.7% |
📝 Note: A18 Pro performs 30% better in sustained GPU performance.
🌞 3DMark Solar Bay Test
A18: 7,068 points, 26.9 FPS
A18 Pro: 7,985 points, 30.4 FPS
📝 Note: A18 Pro shows a 13% improvement in Ray Tracing performance.
🤖 Geekbench AI
| Metric | A18 | A18 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Single Precision | 4,231 | 4,582 |
| Half Precision | 32,518 | 31,990 |
| Quantized | 44,953 | 43,995 |
📝 Note: Both Neural Engines perform similarly in AI tasks.
✅ Verdict
The A18 Pro is superior in GPU performance and slightly better in CPU benchmarks, but both chipsets deliver flagship-level performance. For most day-to-day tasks, the differences are negligible except for sustained gaming.
Analysis: A18 vs. A18 Pro – What You’ll Actually Notice
The A18 and A18 Pro are both powerful chipsets, but the differences between them become clear depending on the specific use case.
Here’s a closer look at where these two chips shine, where they’re similar, and in which instances you’d benefit from having the A18 Pro inside your phone.
Everyday Usage: Are They Similar?
For most day-to-day activities like browsing the web, using social media, and managing emails, both the A18 and A18 Pro will deliver an almost identical experience.
The 5-7% increase in CPU performance on the A18 Pro is barely noticeable in casual use. The memory, connectivity, and AI capabilities are the same, meaning both chips handle multitasking and on-device intelligence at similar levels.
Gaming and Graphics-Intensive Tasks: Where the Pro Shines
The real difference lies in sustained, graphics-heavy tasks. The A18 Pro’s 6-core GPU outperforms the A18’s 5-core GPU by up to 30% in certain stress tests, making it an ideal choice for avid gamers or those who use demanding creative applications like video editing software. The A18 Pro is better suited for users who need sustained GPU performance without throttling.
GPU and Ray Tracing Performance
In benchmarks like 3DMark Wild Life Extreme and Solar Bay, the A18 Pro shows significant gains in GPU performance and ray tracing capabilities. This means smoother gameplay at higher frame rates and better visuals for games or AR experiences. The Pro’s better stability during prolonged sessions also makes it the better choice for gaming marathons.
AI and Connectivity: No Significant Differences
Both chipsets are equipped with a 16-core Neural Engine capable of 35 trillion operations per second, meaning there is no difference in AI and machine learning performance. Features like voice recognition, photo enhancement, and on-device intelligence will perform equally well on both devices. Additionally, with identical modems, both chips offer the same level of connectivity, including 5G and Wi-Fi 7 capabilities.
Conclusion: Choose Based on Your Needs
- A18 Pro: Choose the Pro if you’re a gamer, use graphics-intensive apps, or need the best performance for sustained workloads like video editing and that kind of thing. The additional GPU core and better thermal management make a noticeable difference in these areas.
- A18: For typical daily activities, running apps, and multitasking, the A18 is more than sufficient, and you likely won’t notice the differences in most scenarios.
Bottom line? While the A18 Pro brings extra performance to the table in a select, few contexts. Does it deserve the “Pro” branding? Perhaps. To my eyes, the differences are pretty small; most users won’t even notice 5% or 7% here and there. The A18 Pro is just one of the reasons why the iPhone 16 Pro Max is more expensive. I’d just argue it’s not one of the more important ones…
