MacworldAt the heart of every Apple device is an Apple processor. Apple has been using its own chips in its iPhones and iPads for more than a decade, while Apple silicon in the Mac is already in its fourth generation.Whats remarkable about Apple silicon is its performance and power efficiency. But all chips arent created equally. Understanding the performance differences between each chip will help with your buying decisions, especially when youre deciding between iPhone 16 or MacBook models. Knowing how each chip performs gives you a better idea of what products to buy and whether or not its worth your money to step up to a higher model.Lets take a look at how the new processors compare with the rest of the processors in the iPhone, iPad, and Mac lineup and see how each performs and what that means to you. For the sake of consistency, weve usedGeekbench 6benchmarks. Heres every chip and how the benchmarks compare with each other.Update March 23, 2025: Added benchmarks for the M3 Ultra chip; added the new iPhone 16e, iPad, iPad Air, Mac Studio, and MacBook Air.Every current processor comparedResults are scores. Higher scores/longer bars are faster. Chips in this chart are currently available in Apple devices.Before we get into the individual processors, lets let the chips fall where they may. In the above chart, weve only included chips that are in Apples current product lineups for the sake of keeping the chart manageable. The Mac section below includes all of the chips, from the M1 to the current chip. If youre looking for scores of chips that are no longer being used in Apples active iPhone or iPad lineups (such as the A12 Bionic), check out the Geekbench Browser.Its a somewhat predictable chart, with the fastest Mac chips at the top, followed by a mix of iPads and iPhones. But there are still some fascinating results: owners of the iPad Pro can say their tablet is about as fast as a MacBook Air and that wouldnt be much of a reach. And the difference between the $599 iPhone 16e and the $999 iPhone 16 Pro isnt as huge as their price difference indicates.If youre not seeing all the bar chart labels, it may be because your browser font is set larger than the default, or your browser is zoomed in. Youll need to set the font size and browser view to the default to see all the chart labels. Read about how Apples M series processors compare to Intel in our Mac processor guide.iPhone processorsResults are scores. Higher scores/longer bars are faster. Chips in this chart are currently available in Apple devices.Lets look at the specifications of the iPhones currently in Apples lineup so we can understand the differences between them.ProcessorPerformance coresEfficiency coresGraphics coresNeural EngineMemoryThermal Design PowerDevicesA18 Pro2 at 4.04GHz4 at 2.2GHz616-core8GB10WiPhone 16 ProiPhone 16 Pro MaxA182 at 4.04GHz4 at 2.2GHz516-core8GB9WiPhone 16iPhone 16 PlusA182 at 4.04GHz4 at 2.2GHz416-core8GB9WiPhone 16eA16 Bionic2 at 3.46GHz4 at 2.02GHz516-core8GB6WiPhone 15Specifications of chips used in current Apple iPhones.Not surprisingly, the A18 Pro in the iPhone 16 Pro is the fastest. The difference between the A18 Pro and the A18 in the iPhone 16 is that the A18 has one fewer GPU core. The iPhone 163 has two fewer GPU cores than the iPhone 16 Pro.Apple iPhone 16 ProRead our reviewPrice When Reviewed:1199Best Prices Today:1089 at Alternate | 1119 at Computeruniverse | 1119 at cyberportiPad processorsResults are scores. Higher scores/longer bars are faster. Chart includes chips in discontinued Apple devices.The staggered release of Apples iPad lineup creates an odd-looking performance order of CPU and its device.ProcessorPerformance coresEfficiency coresGraphics coresNeural EngineMemoryTransistorsThermal Design PowerDevicesM44 at 4.4GHz6 at 2.851016-core16GB28 billion20W13 & 11 iPad ProM43 at 4.4GHz6 at 2.851016-core8GB28 billion20W13 & 11 iPad ProM34 at 3.49GHz4 at 2.06GHz916-core8GB20 billion15W13 & 11 iPad AirA17 Pro2 at 3.78GHz4 at 2.11GHz516-core8GB19 billion8WiPad miniA162 at 3.46GHz3 at 2.02GHz416-core6GB11.8 billion6WiPad (11th gen)Specifications of chips used in current Apple iPads.The M4-equipped iPad Pros are the fastest models, and the gap between them and the iPad and iPad mini is significant. Furthermore, the M4 is 1.5 times faster than the M2 that it replaced in the previous iPad Pros.The 11th-gen iPad that was released in the spring of 2025 has an A16, an upgrade from the A14 Bionic in the previous model.Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro)Read our reviewPrice When Reviewed:599 EuroBest Prices Today:554 at notebooksbilliger.de | 569 at Alternate | 569 at ComputeruniverseMac processorsResults are scores. Higher scores/longer bars are faster. Chart includes chips in discontinued Apple devices.With Apples M-series of chips for the Mac, the companys release schedule involves the base version in the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac. Apple then modifies it to create higher-end versions.The latest M-Series chip is the M4, which was released with the new iMac, Mac mini, and the MacBook Pro in the fall of 2024. The M4 Pro and Max were also released in the MacBook Pro, replacing the M3 Pro and Max in those laptops. The M3 Ultra is now in the Mac Studio but Mac Pro still uses the M2 Ultra. The MacBook Air uses the M4 chip.ProcessorPerformance coresEfficiency coresGraphics coresNeural EngineBase memoryTransistorsThermal Design PowerDeviceM3 Ultra24 at 4.52GHz8 at 2.59GHz8032-core96GB184 billion140WMac StudioM3 Ultra20 at 4.52GHz8 at 2.59GHz6032-core96GB184 billion140WMac StudioM4 Max12 at 4.52GHz4 at 2.59GHz4016-core48GB70W14 & 16 MacBook ProM4 Max10 at 4.52GHz4 at 2.59GHz3216-core36GB62W14 & 16 MacBook ProM4 Pro10 at 4.52GHz4 at 2.59GHz2016-core24GB46W14 & 16 MacBook Pro. Mac miniM4 Pro8 at 4.52GHz4 at 2.59GHz1616-core24GB38W14 MacBook Pro, Mac miniM2 Ultra16 at 3.49GHz8 at 2.4GHz7632-core64GB134 billon80WM2 Ultra16 at 3.49GHz8 at 2.4GHz6032-core64GB134 billon80WM44 at 4.41GHz6 at 2.59GHz1016-core16GB28 billion22WiMac, 14 MacBook ProM44 at 4.41GHz4 at 2.59GHz816-core16GB28 billion20WiMacSpecifications of chips used in current Apple Macs.The M4 Max is a beast of a chip, blazing in both CPU and GPU performance but its not the fastest. The M2 Ultra is in the Mac Pro, which has PCIe expansion slots. If you dont need such slots, you can opt for an M3 Ultra Mac Studio. The M3 Ultra is Apples fastest Mac.Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro (M4)Read our reviewBest Prices Today:1678 at notebooksbilliger.de | 1678 at OTTO | 1719 at ComputeruniverseThe chip that started it all, the good ol M1, may seem slow compared to Apples more current chipsbut thats not to undermine Apples original Mac processor. Remember, the M1 blows past the Intel processors it replaced, resulting in a significant price/performance value.