In Short:
Apple launched the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, featuring the powerful A18 Pro chip. Benchmarks show the new chip outperforms the previous iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, with scores matching Apple’s M1 desktop processor. The iPhone 16 series goes on sale September 20, but reviews suggest significant performance improvements over the iPhone 15. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is expected soon as competition.
iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max were introduced in global markets, including India, earlier this week. These flagship smartphones are equipped with the A18 Pro, Apple’s most powerful A-series chipset to date. Recent evaluations on the popular benchmarking platform Geekbench indicate that the new processor significantly outperforms the chipset in the previous generation iPhone 15 Pro Max, as well as the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, currently the leading Android device on benchmarking charts. Furthermore, the latest benchmark scores for the iPhone 16 Pro Max suggest a performance level comparable to Apple’s desktop-class M1 chipset.
Benchmark Performance
Listings for an iPhone model identified as iPhone 17,2, corresponding to the top-tier iPhone 16 Pro Max, have surfaced on Geekbench in recent days. A benchmark result reported on Wednesday shows that the iPhone 16 Pro Max achieved a score of 3,409 points on the single-core test and 8,492 points on the multi-core test.
Significant Improvements Over Predecessors
If these benchmark results are accurate, the iPhone 16 series, available for purchase starting September 20, promises substantial improvements in CPU performance over its predecessor. The iPhone 15 Pro Max, on average, attained scores of 2,886 in the single-core test and 7,157 in the multi-core test on Geekbench.
Competitive Landscape
Currently, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra leads the Android sector on Geekbench, with an average single-core score of 2,145 points and a multi-core score of 6,701 points. This flagship device from the South Korean technology giant is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, recognized for delivering top-tier performance across Android smartphones.
Comparative Insights
Moreover, the multi-core benchmark score of the A18 Pro chip in the iPhone 16 Pro Max slightly exceeds the average score of the M1-powered MacBook Air, which was launched in 2020. This points to the possibility that Apple’s smartphone chip is approaching the performance level of its desktop-class counterpart, despite the latter having two additional CPU cores.
Future Competitors
As developments in mobile processing continue, the A18 Pro chip is poised to face more robust competition. The anticipated Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 from Qualcomm, expected to be unveiled next month, may pose a significant challenge. Alleged benchmark results for this new processor have emerged, reporting scores of 3,236 in single-core and 10,049 in multi-core tests. However, these claims should be approached with caution, as the actual performance may vary across devices utilizing this chipset once officially revealed.
