Apple A18 vs A17 Pro

We compared two 6-core processors: Apple A18 (with Apple A18 GPU graphics) and A17 Pro (Apple A17 GPU). Here you will find the pros and cons of each chip, technical specs, and comprehensive tests in benchmarks, like AnTuTu and Geekbench.

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 A18
  • Shows better (up to 34%) AnTuTu 11 score – 1972K vs 1467K
  • Supports 17% higher memory bandwidth (60 against 51.2 GB/s)
  • 7% higher CPU clock speed (4050 vs 3780 MHz)
  • Better instruction set architecture
  • Higher GPU frequency (~7%)

Benchmarks

Performance tests in popular benchmarks
SoC:
vs

AnTuTu 11

The AnTuTu Benchmark measures CPU, GPU, RAM, and I/O performance in different scenarios
Apple A18 +34%
1972476
1467470
CPU 611649 374357
GPU 589953 463612
Memory 181123 184670
UX 589751 444831
Total score 1972476 1467470
Samples [29 tests] [21 tests]

GeekBench 6

The GeekBench test shows raw single-threaded and multithreaded CPU performance
Single-Core Score
Apple A18 +16%
3431
2969
Multi-Core Score
Apple A18 +14%
8638
7599
Asset compression 286.8 MB/sec 254.1 MB/sec
HTML 5 Browser 184.2 pages/sec 166 pages/sec
PDF Renderer 201.2 Mpixels/sec 180.7 Mpixels/sec
Image detection 297.2 images/sec 178.7 images/sec
HDR 279.1 Mpixels/sec 240.3 Mpixels/sec
Background blur 36.2 images/sec 26.7 images/sec
Photo processing 90 images/sec 77.8 images/sec
Ray tracing 8.68 Mpixels/sec 7.76 Mpixels/sec
Samples 6 tests 32 tests
Compute Score (GPU)
28010
28057
Background blur 49.2 images/sec 55.5 images/sec
Face detection 71.8 images/sec 65.1 images/sec
Horizon detection 0.86 Gpixels/sec 0.8 Gpixels/sec
Edge detection 1.14 Gpixels/sec 1.08 Gpixels/sec
Gaussian blur 1.44 Gpixels/sec 1.11 Gpixels/sec
Feature matching 0.39 Gpixels/sec 0.43 Gpixels/sec
Stereo matching 77.7 Gpixels/sec 87.6 Gpixels/sec
Particle physics 2811.1 FPS 3313.9 FPS
API Metal Metal
Samples 4 tests 22 tests

3DMark

A cross-platform benchmark that assesses graphics performance in Vulkan (Metal)
3DMark Steel Nomad Light
Apple A18 +14%
1579
1391
Score 1579 1391
Stability 75% 71%
Graphics test 12 FPS 10 FPS
3DMark Solar Bay
Apple A18 +11%
6750
6089
Score 6750 6089
Stability - 73%
Graphics test 26 FPS 23 FPS
Section 1 31 FPS 29 FPS
Section 2 26 FPS 23 FPS
Section 3 20 FPS 16 FPS
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
n/a
3655
Score - 3655
Stability - 63%
Graphics test - 21 FPS

Recent User Tests

The latest benchmark tests that have been submitted by users
Apple A18
DateBenchmarkResult
πŸ“˜ 2026-07-30 (Dddd)AnTuTu 111905485
πŸ“˜ 2026-07-18 (Aj)AnTuTu 111949745
πŸ“˜ 2026-07-15 (vovachips)AnTuTu 111842572
πŸ“˜ 2026-07-03 (iTzRageeh)Geekbench 6 CPU3531 / 9122
πŸ“˜ 2026-07-03 (iTzRageeh)AnTuTu 112045650
Apple A17 Pro
DateBenchmarkResult
πŸ“˜ 2026-09-28 (Kuan.28)AnTuTu 111752198
πŸ“˜ 2026-09-23 (podsolnuh)AnTuTu 111357765
πŸ“˜ 2026-09-11 (Zabza)AnTuTu 111599694
πŸ“˜ 2026-09-10 (elio)AnTuTu 111445771
πŸ“˜ 2026-07-28 (human)Geekbench 6 GPU26734

Specifications

Full list of technical specifications of Apple A18 and A17 Pro

CPU

Architecture 2x 4.05 GHz – Everest
4x 2.42 GHz – Sawtooth
2x 3.78 GHz – Everest
4x 2.11 GHz – Sawtooth
Cores 6 6
Frequency 4050 MHz 3780 MHz
Instruction set ARMv9.2-A ARMv8.6-A
L1 cache - 256 KB
L2 cache 8 MB 16 MB
Process 3 nanometers 3 nanometers
Transistor count - 19 billion
TDP (Sustained Power Limit) 9 W 8 W
Manufacturing TSMC TSMC

Graphics

GPU name Apple A18 GPU Apple A17 GPU
Architecture Apple Bionic GPU Apple Bionic GPU
GPU frequency 1490 MHz 1398 MHz
Pipelines 5 6
Shading units 128 128
Total shaders 640 768
FLOPS 1907 Gigaflops 2147.2 Gigaflops

AI Accelerator

Neural processor (NPU) Neural Engine Apple Neural Engine
NPU theoretical performance 35 TOPS 35 TOPS

Memory

Memory type LPDDR5X LPDDR5
Memory frequency 3750 MHz 3200 MHz
Bus 4x 16 Bit 4x 16 Bit
Max bandwidth 60 Gb/s 51.2 Gb/s
Max size 8 GB 8 GB

Multimedia (ISP)

Storage type NVMe NVMe
Max display resolution - 1290 x 2796
Max camera resolution 1x 48MP 1x 48MP
Video capture 4K at 120FPS 4K at 60FPS
Video playback 4K at 120FPS 4K at 60FPS
Video codecs - H.264
- H.265
- AV1
- VP8
- VP9
- Motion JPEG
- H.264
- H.265
- AV1
- 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

Modem Snapdragon X71 5G Snapdragon X70
4G support LTE Cat. 24 LTE Cat. 24
5G support Yes Yes
Download speed Up to 10000 Mbps Up to 7500 Mbps
Upload speed Up to 3500 Mbps Up to 3500 Mbps
Wi-Fi 7 6
Bluetooth 5.3 5.3
Navigation GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS, NAVIC GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS, NAVIC

Info

Announced September 2024 September 2023
Class Flagship Flagship
Model number APL1V08 APL1V02
Successor - Apple A19 - Apple A19 Pro

Cast your vote

So, which SoC would you choose?
1276 (51.5%)
1202 (48.5%)
Total votes: 2478

Comments

Please give your opinion on the comparison of A17 Pro and Apple A18, or ask any questions
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someone April 23, 2026 at 06:03 AM
if yall think a 1 generation old pro chip is better than a 1 generation newer base chip yall have to wake up yo, just because it's a pro chip and it has "more gpu cores" doesn't mean it's better, there's literal benchmarks showing the A18 outperforming the A17 pro
0 Reply
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Sam Henderson June 20, 2025 at 09:52 AM
Honestly better cooling always considered in such flagships as an iPhone 15 pro or max, but honestly it all about the chip for me, what power could it squeeze out for me but in a case if it over heated like the iPhone 16 did, so avoid that if you're really lost between these two, maybe go to the better cooling i mean I preferably would easily go for a year back flagship then a mid range today's phone, plus the 17 series is up in no time, so dont rush, wait for the 17, and I'll be reviewing ladies and gentlemen.
0 Reply
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Flevish June 4, 2025 at 04:27 AM
I prefer A pro chips than plain chips because I once had an iPhone 16 but it was heating when playing games but ever since I got iPhone 15 pro everything is just fine
+23 Reply
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Dave M December 7, 2024 at 09:10 AM
Thanks for the info. I have been reluctant to buy a Mini 7 because the rumored iPad 11 will have the A18 despite being a cheaper device.
+24 Reply
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lbh2589cn October 2, 2024 at 12:43 AM
The performances of two chips are largely the same, but I prefer A18 to A17 Pro since the former is newer, and the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are cheaper than 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max.
+59 Reply
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Shinobi March 18, 2025 at 04:42 PM
60hz euwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
+18 Reply
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Ilias July 27, 2025 at 03:20 PM
Shinobi, 60hz = better battery life so yea the 16 is better
+5 Reply
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tech boi December 30, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Ilias, i mean buddy yeah the chip can do better battery life management due to the snapdragonx71 modem compared to x70 but the ltpo panel on 15 pro is better than ltps panel on 16 the 60hz locks many games at 60fps to and feels a little laggy if you are a 120hz user be ayy your wish EOD.listen to erybody but do what you want.
0 Reply
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vipin verma September 27, 2024 at 10:10 PM
Both chips are almost the same; if anyone buys the 16 Plus, then there is an option for the 15 Pro Max.
+41 Reply
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Boghdady September 18, 2024 at 07:57 PM
A18 same as A17 Pro in CPU. But in GPU, A17 Pro is more powerful than A18. In battery drain, A18 is the king. Overall, A17 Pro is the best.
+83 Reply
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Tores Paul September 27, 2024 at 09:30 AM
True bro I thinking the same
+7 Reply
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DeeDox October 25, 2024 at 05:42 AM
Does battery on 16 PLUS with a18 will be better than a17 pro 15 Pro Max?
+61 Reply
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Coco May 1, 2025 at 03:43 AM
Bro I am wondering what is more powerful when it comes to gaming is it a17 pro or a18? Thanks in advance!
0 Reply
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Flevish June 4, 2025 at 04:25 AM
Coco, A17 pro is far much better than A18 I had an iPhone 16 but it was over heating but since I bought 15 pro it is definitely better
0 Reply
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Yes September 18, 2024 at 03:50 PM
Exactly! If you compare the A18 to the A16, you'll see that the GPU of the A18 is the same as that of the A16.
0 Reply
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LGs February 10, 2025 at 06:40 PM
The A18 is far superior than the A16 in gpu
+7 Reply
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Vipin namaste September 10, 2024 at 09:46 AM
A18 is big upgrade in iphone 16 , in computing iphone 16 faster than I phone 15 pro 😳
+135 Reply
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Ayshow September 17, 2024 at 12:46 AM
But the 15 pro has 6 core graphics with the 16 has 5 core graphics
+46 Reply
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justanswertnx September 18, 2024 at 09:39 PM
Yes, but how much faster? Because if it's marginal (5-8%), the iPhone 15 Pro is better than the 16 in every way except for mics and other little things.
+11 Reply
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shadow.vortex March 31, 2025 at 10:11 AM
justanswertnx, GeekBench 6 is notably faster, though.
0 Reply
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Divine April 10, 2025 at 04:47 AM
Ayshow, In this case I'd prefer the apple a17 pro for the extra GPU power ...... Since most games these days aren't really CPU dependent..... There more GPU dependent due to those fancy and beautiful effects...... Which requires high floating point precision.... I'm a gamer by the way and for some reason I prefer iOS to android for gaming... Mostly because some cheaper iPhones with lesser antutu scores end up competing with later android and Samsung devices
0 Reply
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Divine April 10, 2025 at 04:49 AM
justanswertnx, I play games and I agree πŸ‘πŸ’― I prefer gpu over little difference in cpu power
0 Reply