Apple has proven once again that its efforts in the custom silicon business have no equal, and with the arrival of the A18 and A18 Pro, the company has cemented its position, at least until the Dimensity 9400 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 arrive in the coming weeks. An in-depth reviewer has now ranked various chipsets based on how they perform in various CPU and GPU tests and has concluded that the A18 Pro deserves to be titled as the fastest mobile SoC at this time, just behind the M2 and M4.
A18 is slightly below the A18 Pro in CPU rankings despite both chipsets featuring the same cluster and clock speeds
Notable reviewer Geekerwan has posted two ranking charts that determine a chipset’s prowess based on how capable it is compared to Qualcomm’s previous-generation Snapdragon 865. On this occasion, it is not surprising to see the top-end M4 at the top of the rankings, with this version sporting four performance and six efficiency cores, making short work of the M2 and M3 while also beating the Snapdragon X Elite and M3 Pro. Apple’s M2 is ranked number 3, showing that it is still a strong contender, but it has most likely secured this position because the reviewer did not get his hands on the M3-powered MacBook Pro models.
Coming to the A18 Pro, it is ranked one position higher than the A18 in the CPU rankings, which is strange to see because both SoCs feature the same ‘2 + 4’ configuration, where there are two performance and four efficiency cores. Both these chipsets trade blows with the M1 in Geekbench 6’s multi-core result, which is impressive to see. Given that there is just a single GPU core separating the two silicones when comparing specifications, the A18 is ranked a few places below its more powerful variant. The only explanation we can give for the A18 Pro ranked higher than the A18 is a better thermal design used for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
It is possible that the A18 Pro’s position might be threatened by the imminent arrival of the Dimensity 9400 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. We have already reported that the upcoming OnePlus 13, equipped with Qualcomm’s upcoming flagship chipset, beats the A18 Pro by 18 percent in Geekbench 6’s multi-core results, with the lead extended to 39 percent when compared with last year’s A17 Pro. However, raw performance for mobile silicon is not the only metric that is considered useful as efficiency is also deemed just as important, so let us see if the A18 Pro’s future competitors live up to the ongoing hype.
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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