One published AnTuTu comparison gives the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 a higher score than Apple’s A18, but it does not establish a universal winner: the comparison does not show that the chips were tested in matched phones under identical conditions. The specifications do show how the designs differ, while real-world results depend on the phone built around each chip.
Apple A18 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 5: specifications at a glance
| Area | Apple A18 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 | What the comparison tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Six-core CPU, according to Apple’s iPhone 16 announcement. | Custom Oryon CPU. Qualcomm’s product brief lists two prime cores up to 3.8 GHz and six performance cores up to 3.32 GHz. | Core layouts and clock speeds use different architectures; clock figures alone do not establish which CPU is faster. |
| GPU | Five-core GPU. | Adreno GPU. | The sources do not provide a controlled, direct GPU test between the chips. |
| AI hardware | 16-core Neural Engine. | Hexagon processor, including the platform’s AI processing capabilities. | Vendor claims use different baselines, so they are not a direct AI benchmark comparison. |
| Manufacturing process | Apple describes second-generation 3-nanometer technology. | Qualcomm describes a 3nm process. | Process labels alone do not establish relative speed, efficiency, or phone battery life. |
| Reported AnTuTu score | 1,764,170, reported by 91mobiles. | 3,098,258, reported by 91mobiles. | These are that publisher’s reported results; the source does not establish matched test conditions. |
| Connectivity | Apple’s launch announcement discusses iPhone features rather than directly comparable modem specifications. | Qualcomm lists an X80 modem-RF system and FastConnect 7900, with 5G and Wi-Fi 7 capabilities. | Supported features at chip level do not guarantee the same implementation or availability in every handset or market. |
Apple introduced A18 in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus on September 9, 2024. Qualcomm’s product page and brief describe the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 platform, but the sources here do not identify a specific retail phone using it. Apple’s iPhone 16 announcement; Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 product page; Qualcomm’s product brief.
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Which chip is faster?
The available numerical comparison favors the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 in AnTuTu: 91mobiles reports 3,098,258 for Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 and 1,764,170 for A18. Treat that as one publisher’s reported result, not a guarantee that every Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 phone will outperform every A18 device. The comparison page does not provide enough matched-device and test-condition detail to establish an apples-to-apples result. 91mobiles’ Apple A18 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 comparison.
Benchmark outcomes can vary with the phone, software, cooling, temperature, power limits, and test version. A peak score also does not tell you how well a handset sustains performance during a long gaming session or other demanding workload. The cited comparison supplies no controlled direct GPU, gaming, or battery-life results, so those categories cannot be ranked from these figures.
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How to read each company’s performance claims
Apple’s A18 figures use A16 Bionic as the baseline
Apple says A18’s CPU is 30% faster than A16 Bionic. It also claims the five-core GPU is up to 40% faster and 35% more efficient than A16 Bionic, and that Neural Engine machine-learning model execution is up to 2x faster. These are Apple’s claims about A18 compared with its predecessor, not test results against Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. Apple’s September 9, 2024 announcement.
Qualcomm’s claims use its preceding Snapdragon generation
Qualcomm describes the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5’s CPU, GPU, AI, and efficiency improvements against the previous Snapdragon generation. Those generation-over-generation claims do not establish how it compares directly with A18. Its product brief specifies two Oryon prime cores up to 3.8 GHz and six performance cores up to 3.32 GHz; the maximum clock is a specification, not a direct speed comparison with Apple’s CPU. Qualcomm’s product page; Qualcomm’s product brief.
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What the chip comparison means when choosing a phone
A processor is only one part of a phone’s performance. Cooling design, sustained power limits, software, battery capacity, display, camera system, and price all affect the experience. A chip-level connectivity feature also depends on the handset’s implementation and regional configuration.
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- If you are considering an A18 device, Apple identifies the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus as A18 phones.
- If you are considering a Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 phone, compare named retail models once their specifications and availability are established; the chip comparison alone cannot identify a handset winner.
- For benchmark comparisons between actual phones, check that the model, benchmark version, software, and testing conditions are reported. Consider sustained performance separately from a short peak score.
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