The A16 Bionic in the iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max seems a bit more eye-catching than the iPhone 14 / 14 Plus models that use the A15 Bionic chip. However, after taking a closer look at its specs, it quickly became clear that the iterations of Apple’s A-series mobile SoCs have slowed down significantly in recent years.
(via WCCFTech)
In fact, from the A14 (iPhone 12 series) in 2020 to the A15 (iPhone 13 series) in 2021, consumers have already noticed the limited improvement in Apple’s mobile CPU segment.
For the iPhone 14 / 14 Plus in 2022, the Cupertino tech giant is going straight to last year’s A15 Bionic chip with a few other specs/experience improvements to appeal to potential consumers.
Also on the iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max models, after going through the specs, we found that the GPU and neural engine core count of the A16 Bionic remain the same as last year’s A15 Bionic.
Despite reports that TSMC’s 3nm advanced process is not progressing well, the switch to 4nm A16 Bionic (no official mention of the chip foundry) could still bring some dividends to the iPhone 14 Pro product line.
Having a similar CPU/GPU core count may not be much of a disadvantage, but it does mean that the iPhone 14 Pro lineup needs to stand out more in other areas, otherwise people are going to have to take a shot at the A16 Bionic.
As the table above shows, the A16 Bionic and A15 Bionic chips not only have the same number of CPU / GPU cores but also have a 16-core neural engine.
For reference, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, which was switched from Samsung to TSMC, is ahead of the A15 Bionic-equipped iPhone 13 Pro Max in gaming tests and has better heat control.
In addition, Apple may be able to keep them at a higher power efficiency level through proper tuning and optimization, which will lead to improved device life. As for the truth, please wait patiently for the hands-on test after the official opening of the sale.
