Apple A17 Bionic vs Apple M2

Comparisons 09-03-2023

Detailed compare data of Apple A17 Bionic vs Apple M2, examination of graphics processors (GPU). A careful review of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table. From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests like Vellamo, PassMark, Neocore, Geekbench, Quadrant, AnTuTu, PCMark, 3DMark, GFXBench, and how good the CPUs are in games Madout2, Fortnite, Asphalt 9, PUBG, Call of Duty, Minecraft, GTA etc.
After reading the results of parallel tests and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which processors is better to buy A17 Bionic or Apple M2.

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%

Apple M2

99%

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

A17 Bionic

87%

Apple M2

82%

Gaming performance
Which CPU is better for gaming

A17 Bionic

88%

Apple M2

96%

Antutu v10, 9

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

	A17 Bionic	Apple M2
Total score	1272718	1377794
CPU	356360	385778
GPU	483633	523560
MEM	203638	220445
UX	229097	248006

GeekBench 6, 5.2

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

	A17 Bionic	Apple M2
Single-Core	2435	1896
Multi-Core	7152	8862

Comparison of specifications

CPU and Memory

	A17 Bionic	Apple M2
Frequency	3640 MHz	3490 MHz
Cores	6	8
Bit	64	64
Lithography	3 nm	5 nm
Transistors count	22000 millions	20000 millions
Core configuration	2x3.64 GHz ARM 4x2.42 GHz ARM	4x3.49 GHz Avalanche 4x2.39 GHz Blizzard
Power consumption (TDP)	4 W	4 W
Memory type	LPDDR5	LPDDR5
Max. Memory	32 Gb	64 Gb
Memory Frequency	4266	6400
Memory bandwidth	128	76
Neural Processor (NPU)	Yes	Yes
L1 cache	3 MB	2 Mb
L2 cache	12 MB	8 MB
L3 cache	96 MB	16 MB
Instruction set architecture (ISA)	ARMv9	ARMv8.5-A

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here A17 Bionic is 4% better than Apple M2 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that A17 Bionic has 2 more core than Apple M2. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption.

GPU and Media

GPU	Apple A17 Bionic	Apple M2
GPU Frequency	3640 MHz	3490 MHz
GFloPS	3425	3600
# of Cores	6	10
# of Shader Units		2560
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	52.3
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG Mobile)	151.2	163.8
Garena Free Fire - The Cobra	90.2	98.3
Call of Duty: Mobile	83.2	90.5
Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5 Mobile)	128.7	139.5
Minecraft: Pocket Edition	185.7	201.1
Real Racing 3	181.6	196.5
Sniper 3D	199.6	215.6
Need for Speed No Limits	125.9	136.3
Mortal Kombat X	130.6	141.8
CSR Racing 2	108.1	117.5

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	63 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	Apple Modem 5G
Download speed	12000 MBit/s.	12500 MBit/s.
Upload speed	9000 MBit/s.	7500 MBit/s.
Navigation	GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, Dual frequency GNSS, GNSS, SBAS, GPS, NavIC, Beidou, NavIC enabled	Galileo, GPS, Beidou
NFC support	No	Yes
5G support	Yes	Yes

Result:
The number of parameters for which Apple A17 Bionic is better: 13
The number of parameters for which Apple M2 is better: 28
Please note that you do not need to blindly trust the automatic comparison of the table. You can watch video from beginning to end of parallel comparison and hear what people think who really appreciated the capabilities of both chips, and also read the test results on the links under the article.

A17 Bionic SoC - all data

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

• A17 Bionic specs and review.

Apple M2 SoC - all data

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

• Apple M2 specs and review.