Home > Smartphone processors comparison > A16 Bionic vs A15 Bionic – what's better?

A16 Bionic vs A15 Bionic

A16 Bionic
VS
A15 Bionic
A16 Bionic
A15 Bionic

We compared two 6-core processors: Apple A16 Bionic (with Apple A16 GPU graphics) and A15 Bionic (Apple A15 GPU). Here you will find the pros and cons of each chip, technical specs, and comprehensive tests in benchmarks, like AnTuTu and Geekbench.

  1. Review
  2. Differences
  3. Benchmarks
  4. AnTuTu v11
  5. GeekBench 6
  6. Specs
  7. Comments (26)

Review

General comparison of performance, power consumption, and other indicators
CPU Performance
Single and multi-core processor tests
Gaming Performance
GPU performance in games and OpenCL/Vulkan
Battery life
Efficiency of battery consumption
NanoReview Score
Overall chip score

Key Differences

Main differences and advantages of each chip
Pros of Apple A16 Bionic
  • Supports 50% higher memory bandwidth (51.2 against 34.1 GB/s)
  • Has a smaller size transistor (4 versus 5 nm)
  • Shows better (up to 15%) AnTuTu 11 score – 1626K vs 1413K
  • 7% higher CPU clock speed (3460 vs 3230 MHz)
  • Better instruction set architecture

Benchmarks

Performance tests in popular benchmarks
SoC:
A16 Bionic
vs
A15 Bionic

AnTuTu 11

The AnTuTu Benchmark measures CPU, GPU, RAM, and I/O performance in different scenarios
A16 Bionic +15%
1626008
A15 Bionic
1413275
CPU 432740 410975
GPU 490354 370837
Memory 216774 164151
UX 486140 467312
Total score 1626008 1413275
Samples [36 tests] [69 tests]
Submit your AnTuTu result

GeekBench 6

The GeekBench test shows raw single-threaded and multithreaded CPU performance
Single-Core Score
A16 Bionic +14%
2631
A15 Bionic
2315
Multi-Core Score
A16 Bionic +15%
6602
A15 Bionic
5753
Asset compression 234.4 MB/sec 208.1 MB/sec
HTML 5 Browser 155.2 pages/sec 122.9 pages/sec
PDF Renderer 157.5 Mpixels/sec 139.1 Mpixels/sec
Image detection 149.7 images/sec 125.1 images/sec
HDR 202.6 Mpixels/sec 179.4 Mpixels/sec
Background blur 25.9 images/sec 22.3 images/sec
Photo processing 76.8 images/sec 53.2 images/sec
Ray tracing 6.74 Mpixels/sec 6.26 Mpixels/sec
Samples 24 tests 37 tests
Compute Score (GPU)
A16 Bionic +12%
22851
A15 Bionic
20400
Background blur 39.5 images/sec 35.4 images/sec
Face detection 50.9 images/sec 44.8 images/sec
Horizon detection 0.73 Gpixels/sec 0.62 Gpixels/sec
Edge detection 1.05 Gpixels/sec 0.82 Gpixels/sec
Gaussian blur 1.22 Gpixels/sec 0.84 Gpixels/sec
Feature matching 0.29 Gpixels/sec 0.3 Gpixels/sec
Stereo matching 70.4 Gpixels/sec 71.1 Gpixels/sec
Particle physics 2162.5 FPS 2198.2 FPS
API Metal Metal
Samples 12 tests 19 tests

3DMark

A cross-platform benchmark that assesses graphics performance in Vulkan (Metal)
3DMark Solar Bay
A16 Bionic +13%
4266
A15 Bionic
3765
Score 4266 3765
Stability 74% 71%
Graphics test 16 FPS 14 FPS
Section 1 20 FPS 19 FPS
Section 2 16 FPS 14 FPS
Section 3 12 FPS 9 FPS
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
A16 Bionic +17%
3335
A15 Bionic
2854
Score 3335 2854
Stability 71% 76%
Graphics test 19 FPS 17 FPS

Recent User Tests

The latest benchmark tests that have been submitted by users
Apple A16 Bionic
DateBenchmarkResult
📘 2026-09-21 (Атомная бомба)AnTuTu 111772840
📘 2026-09-19 (Bear lover)AnTuTu 111714105
📘 2026-09-14 (ZUSEPRO)AnTuTu 111603687
📘 2026-08-31 (LORDroid)AnTuTu 111445126
📘 2026-08-16 (Ronaldo)AnTuTu 111626008
Add View all (62)
Apple A15 Bionic
DateBenchmarkResult
📘 2026-09-23 -> HotPowerAnTuTu 111184759
📘 2026-09-19 -> HotPowerGeekbench 6 GPU21284
📘 2026-09-19 (Vova)AnTuTu 111297615
📘 2026-09-19 -> HotPowerGeekbench 6 CPU2423 / 5985
📘 2026-09-18 (charlesddd)AnTuTu 111461749
Add View all (115)

Specifications

Full list of technical specifications of A16 Bionic and A15 Bionic

CPU

Architecture 2x 3.46 GHz – Everest
4x 2.02 GHz – Sawtooth		 2x 3.23 GHz – Avalanche
4x 2.02 GHz – Blizzard
Cores 6 6
Frequency 3460 MHz 3230 MHz
Instruction set ARMv8.6-A ARMv8.5-A
L1 cache 256 KB 256 KB
L2 cache 16 MB 12 MB
Process 4 nanometers 5 nanometers
Transistor count 16 billion 15 billion
TDP (Sustained Power Limit) 8 W 6 W
Manufacturing TSMC TSMC

Graphics

GPU name Apple A16 GPU Apple A15 GPU
Architecture Apple Bionic GPU Apple Bionic GPU
GPU frequency 1398 MHz 1338 MHz
Pipelines 5 5
Shading units 128 128
Total shaders 640 640
FLOPS 1789.4 Gigaflops 1712.6 Gigaflops

AI Accelerator

Neural processor (NPU) Apple Neural Engine Apple Neural Engine
NPU theoretical performance 17 TOPS 15.8 TOPS

Memory

Memory type LPDDR5 LPDDR4X
Memory frequency 3200 MHz 2133 MHz
Bus 4x 16 Bit 4x 16 Bit
Max bandwidth 51.2 Gb/s 34.1 Gb/s
Max size 6 GB 6 GB

Multimedia (ISP)

Storage type NVMe NVMe
Max display resolution 2796 x 1290 2732 x 2048
Max camera resolution 1x 48MP -
Video capture 4K at 60FPS 4K at 60FPS
Video playback 4K at 60FPS 4K at 60FPS
Video codecs - H.264
- H.265
- VP8
- VP9
- Motion JPEG		 - H.264
- H.265
- VP8
- VP9
- Motion JPEG
Audio codecs - AAC
- AAX
- AAX+
- AC-3
- AIFF
- CAF
- E-AC-3
- MP3
- MP4
- WAV		 - AAC
- AAX
- AAX+
- AC-3
- AIFF
- CAF
- E-AC-3
- MP3
- MP4
- WAV

Connectivity

4G support LTE Cat. 24 LTE Cat. 24
5G support Yes Yes
Download speed Up to 7500 Mbps Up to 7500 Mbps
Upload speed Up to 3500 Mbps Up to 3000 Mbps
Wi-Fi 6 6
Bluetooth 5.3 5.0
Navigation GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS

Info

Announced September 2022 September 2021
Class Flagship Flagship
Model number APL1W10 APL1W07
Successor - Apple A19 Pro - Apple A19 Pro

Cast your vote

So, which SoC would you choose?
3621 (70%)
1549 (30%)
Total votes: 5170

Related Comparisons

1. Apple A15 Bionic vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (40)
2. Apple A15 Bionic vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
3. Apple A15 Bionic vs Apple A14 Bionic (37)
4. Apple A15 Bionic vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (109)
5. Apple A16 Bionic vs Apple M2 (iPad)
6. Apple A16 Bionic vs Apple M1 (iPad) (3)
7. Apple A16 Bionic vs Apple A18 (7)
8. Apple A16 Bionic vs Apple A17 Pro (19)
9. Apple A16 Bionic vs Apple M4 (iPad)
Compare other chipsets (190+)

Comments

Please give your opinion on the comparison of A15 Bionic and A16 Bionic, or ask any questions
🌐 Register your profile and become part of NanoReview community!
Avatar
hong June 9, 2026 at 04:54 AM
all these fake news, i am still using 13 pro with ios 26.5, it's working flawlessly and smoothly no lag at all, yall spreading fake news or not changing the battery is the issue
0 Reply
Avatar
Neelesh July 17, 2024 at 05:06 AM
I have been using iphone 13 pro since 2 years, but trust me after ios 17.5.1 they have killed the performance of A15 Bionic. It used to be a very stable processor earlier but now it is not even worth using. 13 pro is performing same as 12 pro as it tends to overheat alot
+35 Reply
Avatar
King Miracle. August 4, 2024 at 07:40 AM
Planned obsolescence. Give it some time. It should stabilise in a few weeks.
+8 Reply
Avatar
Neelesh August 20, 2024 at 06:49 PM
King Miracle., All I would advise is, don't go for A-15 based iPhones in 2024 because as soon as A18 Pro is launched, this processor will face huge performance dips as Apple always does.
+18 Reply
Avatar
King Miracle. August 23, 2024 at 05:16 PM
Neelesh, Thanks Bro! 🙂 Definitely a reason to buy an android!
+15 Reply
Avatar
NaRi September 22, 2024 at 03:16 AM
King Miracle., All iphones perform better on the long term, they have longer support and they run smoother. iphone xs still has support even for ios 18, so you can think you’re smart and awake if it makes you feel better but the facts speak for themselves
+11 Reply
Avatar
Azeez January 22, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Alright.I’m thinking of either getting 12 pro max or iphone 13.
+6 Reply
Avatar
Neelesh January 29, 2025 at 06:42 PM
Azeez, Go for 14 pro bare minimum.
+4 Reply
Avatar
Crispy Chicken 65 March 10, 2025 at 04:02 AM
NaRi, I still use my iphone 7 with an a10 fusion chip as my daily driver, and my iphone 5 for music, A6 chip. If an a10 fusion works fine for youtube, reddit, it is fine for me.
+3 Reply
Avatar
Shahinsha July 11, 2024 at 05:01 PM
Iam using iphone 13 its has A15 bionic bt when i updated to ios 18 beta 3 its perfomenc is decrese before updateing untutu score is 1230452 after ios 18 beta 3 untutu score 1004110 🥲
0 Reply
Avatar
that guy September 1, 2024 at 03:57 PM
Well don’t upgrade to beta versions, a18 beta is developer beta, unstable
+4 Reply
Avatar
Billy September 15, 2022 at 04:53 PM
A16 must be more powerful, but only at CPU, Nevertheless, it is also obtained by all core upgrades. GPU is the same as A15. Both chips’ 3D Mark is the same. I think the GPU architectures are the same and replace LPDDR4X with LPDDR5. Therefore, the A16 only increases the frequency, and the architecture has not been changed.
+119 Reply
Avatar
Boris September 16, 2022 at 02:48 PM
The GPU is ~30% faster!
+76 Reply
Avatar
Billy September 18, 2022 at 05:36 PM
Boris, I saw someone test that both chips have the same score, idk.
+33 Reply
Avatar
Boris September 19, 2022 at 12:15 PM
Billy, There are already many tests. The GPU has a huge boost in performance. CPU is also decent. Kinda the same gap between A14 and A15.
+18 Reply
Avatar
Creature September 22, 2022 at 02:18 PM
Boris, GPU is not 30% faster. A16 is the same as A15 except it’s been ported to 4nm But it isn’t to say that there is no improvement it’s more like a score of 11700 compared to 12500
+27 Reply
Avatar
Boris September 25, 2022 at 01:59 PM
Creature, It is. Check out benchmarks. A16 is way faster than A15 in that regard. And "ported" to 4nm is busted. Check out the analysis of the A16 on the Angstronomics website. The changes on the chip are more significant than many thought.
+4 Reply
Avatar
Joshua November 9, 2022 at 04:54 PM
Boris, No, it’s not your saying check the benchmark, when it literally proves it’s only 10% faster at the highest. No wonder why they did the A13 vs the 16 the performance for the 16 would be embarrassing ( still one of the best chips out there tho )
+11 Reply
Avatar
Roland2 September 10, 2022 at 01:20 PM
Apple has peaked. Qualcomm and Mediatek now have the opportunity to catch up.
+52 Reply
Avatar
moreso September 18, 2022 at 12:38 AM
The competition has barely caught up with the A13. At this point, apple is slowing down strategically.
+14 Reply
Avatar
Creature September 18, 2022 at 08:47 PM
I definitely wouldn’t say they peaked they just decided to work on camera upgrades this year. If they made both improvements to the CPU AND camera, there would definitely be a price hike in the prices of the iPhone.
+7 Reply
Avatar
tipoo December 8, 2022 at 05:14 PM
Lol, they're barely moving past A13 single core performance, and wait till Apple has the whole run of 3nm from TSMC.
+4 Reply
Avatar
Innocent September 8, 2022 at 11:03 PM
So this is the reason they compared it to the a13 bionic and it looked so much better than the a13 bionic.... if they did that same graph with the a15 bionic then it would look miserable in terms of raw performance. Snapdragon and MediaTek can definitely catch up now. Maybe apple has hit a wall with the arm architecture but that doesn't seem to be the case with the m2 series, well we will see if x86 is better than arm, or perhaps apple is blind to competition and didn't try this round.
+36 Reply
Avatar
Abstronal September 9, 2022 at 09:25 AM
Indeed, that's why they used A13, if they used A15 it would make them look like a joke.
+13 Reply
Avatar
Boris September 9, 2022 at 02:40 PM
Which was already kinda same as A14. :D
+14 Reply
Avatar
Victraveller September 24, 2022 at 04:13 AM
They have a lot of work to do to catch up, seems like a pipe dream when they're still generations behind.
+4 Reply
EnglishРусский