Apple A15 Bionic Benchmarks & Performance: A Deep Dive

A15 Bionic Specs

Apple’s A15 Bionic chip, the successor to the A14 Bionic, is a testament to the company’s relentless pursuit of performance and efficiency in its mobile devices. It was replaced in 2022, however, by Apple’s newer A16 Bionic which appeared inside the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Let’s dive deep into the specifications and features of the A15 Bionic to get an idea of what the chipset has to offer versus its predecessor, the A14.

Class & Architecture

• Class: Mobile/Embedded
• This classification indicates that the A15 Bionic is designed primarily for mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, ensuring optimal performance while maintaining power efficiency.

Core Configuration

• Total Cores: 6 Cores, 6 Threads
  • Primary Cores: 4 Cores, 4 Threads, 3.2 GHz Base
  • Secondary Cores: 2 Cores, 2 Threads, 2.0 GHz Base

The A15 Bionic features a hexa-core configuration. The four primary cores are designed for high-performance tasks and run at a base frequency of 3.2 GHz. In contrast, the two secondary cores are optimized for efficiency, handling background tasks and less demanding applications at a base frequency of 2.0 GHz. This combination ensures a balance between raw power and battery longevity.

Performance Metrics

The A15 Bionic boasts an impressive average CPU mark rating of 10,118, with a single thread rating of 3,556. These numbers are based on 171 samples, per the source data, ensuring a low margin for error.

Here’s a breakdown of the CPU Test Suite Average Results for the A15 Bionic:

• Integer Math: 30,292 MOps/Sec
• Floating Point Math: 20,565 MOps/Sec
• Find Prime Numbers: 104 Million Primes/Sec
• Random String Sorting: 14,381 Thousand Strings/Sec
• Data Encryption: 6,239 MBytes/Sec
• Data Compression: 105,373 KBytes/Sec
• Physics: 1,202 Frames/Sec
• Extended Instructions: 4,579 Million Matrices/Sec
• Single Thread: 3,556 MOps/Sec

A15 Bionic vs. A14 Bionic: The Evolutionary Leap

The A15 Bionic doesn’t just nudge ahead of its predecessor, the A14 Bionic; it takes a significant leap forward. With a performance boost of approximately 15.8%, the A15 demonstrates how Apple has refined its chip-making prowess in just a year.

A15 Bionic vs. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is a formidable opponent in the mobile processor space. While it does manage to outpace the A15 Bionic, the margin isn’t overwhelmingly large. This close competition underscores the fact that while Apple’s A15 is a powerhouse, the world of mobile CPUs is filled with giants, each bringing its own set of innovations to the table.

A15 Bionic vs. Intel Core i7-1265U

This chip manages to edge out the A15 Bionic, but again, the difference isn’t monumental. What’s fascinating here is the convergence of performance metrics between traditional computing giants like Intel and relative newcomers like Apple in the mobile CPU segment. It’s a clear indication that the lines between mobile and desktop computing are blurring, with chips like the A15 leading the charge.