Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU) vs Apple A12Z Bionic. Specifications, performance, tests

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

• Family
  Apple A series Apple A series
• CPU group
  Apple A15 Apple A12/A12X/A12Z
• Segment
  Mobile Mobile
• Generation
  15 12
• Predecessor
  -- Apple A10X 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.

• Core architecture
  hybrid (big.LITTLE) hybrid (big.LITTLE)
• Frequency
  3.23 GHz 1.59 GHz
• Turbo (1 Core)
  No turbo 2.49 GHz
• Hyperthreading
  No No
• Overclocking
  No No

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 A15 (4 GPU Cores) Apple A12Z
• GPU frequency
  0.60 GHz 1.59 GHz
• GPU (Turbo)
  No turbo 2.49 GHz
• Execution units
  128 8
• Shader
  1024 0
• Max. GPU Memory
  8 GB 6 GB
• Max. displays
  3 2
• Generation
  12 9
• Technology
  5 nm 7 nm
• Release date
  Q3/2021 Q1/2020

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 / Encode Decode / Encode
• h265 / HEVC (10 bit)
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• h264
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• VP8
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• VP9
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• 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 A12Z Bionic and Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU). The supported memory frequencies may vary depending on the motherboard configuration.

• Memory type
  LPDDR4X-4266 LPDDR4X-4266
• Max. Memory
  8 GB 16 GB
• Memory channels
  1 2
• ECC
  No No

Analyze the TDP (Thermal Design Power) requirements of Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU) and Apple A12Z Bionic to make an informed decision on the appropriate cooling system. Remember that TDP refers to thermal watts, not electrical watts.

• TDP (PL1)
  8.5 W 15 W

Information on architecture, interfaces, and additional instructions supported by Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU) and Apple A12Z Bionic, including virtual machine technologies and fabrication processes.

• Instruction set (ISA)
  ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) x86-64 (64 bit)
• L2-Cache
  16.00 MB 8.00 MB
• Architecture
  A15 A12
• Technology
  5 nm 7 nm
• Virtualization
  None None
• Socket
  N/A N/A
• Release date
  Q3/2021 Q1/2020