Having Similar CPU and GPU Cores Is Not Necessarily a Bad Thing, but A16 Bionic Will Have to Stick out in Other Areas to Justify Its Exclusivity to the ‘Pro’ Models
Apple continually provides detailed specification comparisons of its latest iPhones, making it easier for future customers to see what they are getting for their hard-earned cash. With the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, you are getting the A16 Bionic that is made on the 4nm process. Apple did not mention which semiconductor partner fulfilled orders for its latest chipset, but past reports have consistently pointed at TSMC. Despite the change in lithography, Apple has not changed the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine core count of the SoC. Taking a look at the image below, you will see that the A16 Bionic shares similarities with the same number of GPU and Neural Engine cores as the A15 Bionic. It is possible Apple decided to limit those cores as it wanted to maintain a high power-efficiency level, which in turn would give the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max exceptional battery life. Just because the core count remains the same does not mean you will witness the same performance levels, as other factors are taken into consideration too. It is unclear if TSMC mass-produced the A16 Bionic using an improved variant of its 4nm process, but if that is not the case, then Apple’s newest member of the custom silicon family has been fabricated on the same manufacturing process as the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1. From what we know about Qualcomm’s flagship SoC, it actually beat the A15 Bionic running in the iPhone 13 Pro Max in a gaming test while also running cooler, showing the unworldly difference when switching to a superior manufacturing process. What this means is we should expect better results from the A16 Bionic too, but without actual data, we cannot compare it to the A15 Bionic, at least for now. In short, just because you see similarities on paper does not mean you should hold off on your purchase. We will be back with performance numbers, so then you can decide if the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are worth the upgrade.
