Apple A17 Bionic vs Apple M1

Comparisons 09-03-2023

Comprehensive comparison data of Apple A17 Bionic vs Apple M1, testing of graphics chips (GPU). A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to read, is made by the table. From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications like Geekbench, 3DMark, GFXBench, AnTuTu, PCMark, Vellamo, Neocore, PassMark, Quadrant, and how good the chips are in games Madout2, Fortnite, Call of Duty, GTA, Minecraft, PUBG, Asphalt 9 etc.
After looking at the data of parallel tests and videos, you already be able to understand which processors is better to buy A17 Bionic or M1.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
CPU Benchmark
Based on Antutu and Geekbench score

A17 Bionic

91%

86%

Battery life test
Power Consumption efficiency (how quickly the processor reduces the battery charge)

A17 Bionic

87%

78%

Gaming performance
Which CPU is better for gaming

A17 Bionic

88%

83%

Antutu v10, 9

Antutu benchmark separately tests the performance of the CPU, GPU, and memory speed

	A17 Bionic	M1
Total score	1272718	1204017
CPU	356360	337129
GPU	483633	457523
MEM	203638	192638
UX	229097	216731

GeekBench 6, 5.2

This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	A17 Bionic	M1
Single-Core	2435	1807
Multi-Core	7152	7691

Comparison of specifications

CPU and Memory

	A17 Bionic	M1
Frequency	3640 MHz	3200 MHz
Cores	6	8
Bit	64	64
Lithography	3 nm	5 nm
Transistors count	22000 millions	16000 millions
Core configuration	2x3.64 GHz ARM 4x2.42 GHz ARM	4x3.2 GHz Firestorm 4x2.0 GHz Icestorm
Power consumption (TDP)	4 W	5 W
Memory type	LPDDR5	LPDDR4X
Max. Memory	32 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency	4266	2666
Memory bandwidth	128	64
Neural Processor (NPU)	Yes	Yes
L1 cache	3 MB	48 KB
L2 cache	12 MB	4 MB
L3 cache	96 MB	12 MB
Instruction set architecture (ISA)	ARMv9	ARMv8.4-A

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here A17 Bionic is 12% better than M1 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that A17 Bionic has 2 more core than M1. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption.

GPU and Media

GPU	Apple A17 Bionic	Apple M1
GPU Frequency	3640 MHz	3200 MHz
GFloPS	3425	2600
# of Cores	6	8
# of Shader Units		128
Display	2796 x 1290 pixels	2732 x 2048 pixels

The frequency of the GPU does not always directly indicate its performance. To fully evaluate all the capabilities of a graphics chip, you should take into account the number of Shader Units and Cores, as well as how many GFlops it has.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite Mobile	48.5	46.1
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG Mobile)	151.2	142.7
Garena Free Fire - The Cobra	90.2	85.7
Call of Duty: Mobile	83.2	78.7
Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5 Mobile)	128.7	122.1
Minecraft: Pocket Edition	185.7	176.2
Real Racing 3	181.6	171.6
Sniper 3D	199.6	188.1
Need for Speed No Limits	125.9	119.3
Mortal Kombat X	130.6	123.4
CSR Racing 2	108.1	102.7

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the gadget and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Antutu v10, 9 and GeekBench 6, 5.2 becnmarks.

Cameras

Camera resolution	64 MP	24 MP
Dual Camera resolution	32 MP	24 MP
Image Signal Processor (ISP)	Apple ISP	Apple ISP
Video Encoding FPS	120	960
Video Encoding resolution	8K, 4K (Ultra HD), 2K, FullHD	4K (Ultra HD), 2K, FullHD
Codec support	Dolby Vision, H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, HDR10+, HLG, HDR10	Dolby Vision, H.265 (HEVC), HDR10+, HLG, HDR10, H.264 (AVC), VP8, VP9

Networks and Navigation

Modem	5G Modem	Snapdragon X80 5G
Download speed	12000 MBit/s.	9500 MBit/s.
Upload speed	9000 MBit/s.	6000 MBit/s.
Navigation	GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, Dual frequency GNSS, GNSS, SBAS, GPS, NavIC, Beidou, NavIC enabled	Galileo, GLONASS, GPS, Beidou
NFC support	No	Yes
5G support	Yes	Yes

Result:
The number of parameters for which Apple A17 Bionic is better: 33
The number of parameters for which Apple M1 is better: 9
You need to understand that you should not sightlessly trust the automatic comparison of the table. It is better to just watch the full video of parallel testing and hear what those who really appreciated the capabilities of both CPUs think, as well as read the test results at the links below.

A17 Bionic SoC - all data

• Devices lists
• Benchmarks
• PUBG mobile
• Fortnite Mobile
• Antutu v10
• 3DMark
• GeekBench 6, 5 mobile

• A17 Bionic specs and review.

M1 SoC - all data

• Devices lists
• Benchmarks
• PUBG mobile
• Fortnite Mobile
• Antutu v10
• 3DMark
• GeekBench 6, 5 mobile

• M1 specs and review.