Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 vs Apple A15 Bionic. Specifications, performance, tests

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

• Segment
  Mobile Mobile
• Family
  Qualcomm Snapdragon Apple A series
• Generation
  6 15
• CPU group
  Qualcomm Snapdragon 855/860 Apple A15
• Predecessor
  -- Apple A14 Bionic

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
  1.80 GHz 3.23 GHz
• CPU Cores
  8 6
• Turbo (1 Core)
  2.84 GHz No turbo
• CPU Threads
  8 6
• Hyperthreading
  No No
• Overclocking
  No No
• Core architecture
  hybrid (Prime / big.LITTLE) hybrid (big.LITTLE)
• A core
  1x Kryo 485 Prime 2x Avalanche
• B core
  3x Kryo 485 Gold 4x Blizzard
• C core
  4x Kryo 485 Silver --

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
  Qualcomm Adreno 640 Apple A15 (5 GPU Cores)
• GPU frequency
  0.25 GHz 1.80 GHz
• GPU (Turbo)
  0.59 GHz 3.20 GHz
• Execution units
  4 5
• Shader
  384 0
• Max. GPU Memory
  4 GB 8 GB
• Max. displays
  1 3
• Generation
  5 12
• DirectX Version
  12.0
• Technology
  7 nm 5 nm
• Release date
  Q1/2019 Q3/2021

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
• VP9
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• VP8
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• AV1
  No Decode
• AVC
  No Decode
• VC-1
  No Decode
• JPEG
  No Decode / Encode

Overview of the types and quantities of RAM supported by Apple A15 Bionic and Qualcomm Snapdragon 855. The supported memory frequencies may vary depending on the motherboard configuration.

• Memory type
  LPDDR4X-4266 LPDDR4X-4266
• Max. Memory
  16 GB 8 GB
• ECC
  No No
• Memory channels
  4 2

• AES-NI
  No No

Analyze the TDP (Thermal Design Power) requirements of Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 and Apple A15 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

Information on architecture, interfaces, and additional instructions supported by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 and Apple A15 Bionic, including virtual machine technologies and fabrication processes.

• Instruction set (ISA)
  ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) x86-64 (64 bit)
• Virtualization
  None None
• L2-Cache
  2.00 MB 4.00 MB
• L3-Cache
  3.00 MB --
• Architecture
  Kryo 485 A15
• Technology
  7 nm 5 nm
• Socket
  N/A N/A
• Release date
  Q4/2018 Q3/2021
• Part Number
  SM8150 --