Apple A10X Fusion vs Apple A9. 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 A series
• Generation
  10 9
• CPU group
  Apple A10/A10X Apple A9/A9X
• Predecessor
  Apple A9X Apple A8
• Successor
  Apple A12Z Bionic Apple A10 Fusion

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 1.85 GHz
• CPU Cores
  6 2
• Turbo (1 Core)
  2.38 GHz No turbo
• CPU Threads
  6 2
• Hyperthreading
  No No
• Overclocking
  No No
• Core architecture
  hybrid (big.LITTLE) normal
• A core
  3x Hurricane 2x Twister
• B core
  3x Zephyr --

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
  Apple A10X Apple A9
• GPU frequency
  0.90 GHz 0.65 GHz
• GPU (Turbo)
  No turbo No turbo
• Execution units
  12 6
• Shader
  384 192
• Max. GPU Memory
  4 GB 4 GB
• Max. displays
  1 1
• Generation
  7 6
• Technology
  10 nm 16 nm
• Release date
  Q2/2017 Q3/2015

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

Overview of the types and quantities of RAM supported by Apple A9 and Apple A10X Fusion. The supported memory frequencies may vary depending on the motherboard configuration.

• Memory type
  LPDDR4-3200 LPDDR4-3200
• Max. Memory
  3 GB 2 GB
• ECC
  No No
• Memory channels
  2 1

• AES-NI
  No No

Analyze the TDP (Thermal Design Power) requirements of Apple A10X Fusion and Apple A9 to make an informed decision on the appropriate cooling system. Remember that TDP refers to thermal watts, not electrical watts.

• TDP (PL1)
  8 W 5 W

Information on architecture, interfaces, and additional instructions supported by Apple A10X Fusion and Apple A9, including virtual machine technologies and fabrication processes.

• Instruction set (ISA)
  x86-64 (64 bit) x86-64 (64 bit)
• Virtualization
  None None
• L2-Cache
  8.00 MB 3.00 MB
• L3-Cache
  -- 4.00 MB
• Architecture
  A10 A9
• Technology
  10 nm 16 nm
• Socket
  N/A N/A
• Release date
  Q2/2017 Q3/2015