Apple's A18 Pro GPU Falls Short of Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in Benchmarks
Early GPU benchmarks reveal that Apple's new A18 Pro chipset, found in the iPhone 16 series, lags behind Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in performance. This comes as a surprise, especially considering the A18 Pro's direct competitor will be the even more powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 4.
Key Takeaways:
- A18 Pro GPU trails behind: Benchmarks like 3DMark Wildlife Extreme Unlimited and GFXBench Aztec Ruins (1440p) show the A18 Pro delivering significantly lower scores compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
- Power efficiency advantage: Despite the performance deficit, the A18 Pro demonstrates better power efficiency with a lower power draw during testing.
- Snapdragon dominance expected to widen: The upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is rumored to feature a substantially upgraded GPU, potentially creating a larger performance gap between Qualcomm and Apple's latest chipsets.
- Ray tracing performance remains strong: While outmatched in raw power, the A18 Pro continues to excel in ray tracing tests, indicating Apple's focus on specific graphical capabilities.
The Bottom Line:
Although Apple's A18 Pro shows improvements in CPU performance and power efficiency, its GPU performance falls short of expectations, failing to surpass the current Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. With the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 on the horizon, Apple has its work cut out to maintain its competitive edge in mobile processing power.