Apple A7 vs Apple M2. Specifications, performance, tests

Comprehensive background on the processors being compared, detailing their series, generation, and targeted market segment.

• Segment
  Mobile Mobile
• Family
  Apple A series Apple M series
• Generation
  7 2
• CPU group
  Apple A7 Apple M2
• Successor
  Apple A8 --

Essential parameters including the number of cores, threads, base and turbo frequencies, and cache size. These metrics provide insight into the processor’s speed—higher values generally indicate better performance.

• Frequency
  1.30 GHz 3.50 GHz
• CPU Cores
  2 8
• Turbo (1 Core)
  1.40 GHz No turbo
• CPU Threads
  2 8
• Hyperthreading
  No No
• Overclocking
  No No
• Core architecture
  normal hybrid (big.LITTLE)
• A core
  2x Cyclone 4x Avalanche
• B core
  -- 4x Blizzard

The integrated graphics (iGPU) do not influence the CPU performance significantly; they serve as a substitute for a dedicated graphics card in the absence of one or are utilized in mobile devices.

• GPU name
  PowerVR G6430 Apple M2 (8 Core)
• GPU frequency
  0.45 GHz 3.50 GHz
• GPU (Turbo)
  0.45 GHz No turbo
• Execution units
  4 128
• Shader
  64 0
• Max. GPU Memory
  -- 16 GB
• Max. displays
  1 3
• Generation
  2
• DirectX Version
  10
• Technology
  28 nm 5 nm
• Release date
  Q3/2013 Q1/2022

This section details the built-in codecs used for encoding and decoding media content, which significantly enhance processing speed and efficiency.

• h265 / HEVC (8 bit)
  No Decode / Encode
• h265 / HEVC (10 bit)
  No Decode / Encode
• h264
  No Decode / Encode
• VP9
  No Decode / Encode
• VP8
  No Decode
• AV1
  No Decode
• AVC
  No Decode
• VC-1
  No Decode
• JPEG
  No Decode / Encode

Overview of the types and quantities of RAM supported by Apple M2 and Apple A7. The supported memory frequencies may vary depending on the motherboard configuration.

• Memory type
  LPDDR3-1333 LPDDR5-5500
• Max. Memory
  1 GB 16 GB
• ECC
  No No
• Memory channels
  1 2
• PCIe version
  4.0

• AES-NI
  No Yes

Analyze the TDP (Thermal Design Power) requirements of Apple A7 and Apple M2 to make an informed decision on the appropriate cooling system. Remember that TDP refers to thermal watts, not electrical watts.

• TDP (PL1)
  15 W
• TDP up
  -- 20 W
• TDP down
  -- 10 W

Information on architecture, interfaces, and additional instructions supported by Apple A7 and Apple M2, including virtual machine technologies and fabrication processes.

• Instruction set (ISA)
  x86-64 (64 bit) ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
• Virtualization
  None None
• ISA extensions
  Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation
• L2-Cache
  1.00 MB 16.00 MB
• L3-Cache
  4.00 MB --
• Architecture
  A7 M2
• Technology
  28 nm 5 nm
• Socket
  N/A N/A
• Release date
  Q3/2013 Q1/2022
• Part Number
  S5L8960X --