Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) vs Apple A16 Bionic. Specifications, performance, tests

Comprehensive background on the processors being compared, detailing their series, generation, and targeted market segment.

• Family
  Apple M series Apple A series
• CPU group
  Apple M1 Apple A16
• Segment
  Mobile Mobile
• Generation
  1 16
• Predecessor
  -- Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)

Essential parameters including the number of cores, threads, base and turbo frequencies, and cache size. These metrics provide insight into the processor’s speed—higher values generally indicate better performance.

• CPU Cores / Threads
  20 / 20 6 / 6
• Core architecture
  hybrid (big.LITTLE) hybrid (big.LITTLE)
• A-Core
  16x Firestorm 2x Everest
• B-Core
  4x Icestorm 4x Sawtooth
• Hyperthreading / SMT
  No No
• Overclocking
  No No
• A-Core Frequency
  3.20 GHz 3.46 GHz
• B-Core Frequency
  2.06 GHz 2.02 GHz

The integrated graphics (iGPU) do not influence the CPU performance significantly; they serve as a substitute for a dedicated graphics card in the absence of one or are utilized in mobile devices.

• GPU name
  Apple M1 Ultra (64 Core) Apple A16 (5 GPU Cores)
• GPU frequency
  1.30 GHz 0.70 GHz
• GPU (Turbo)
  No turbo No turbo
• Execution units
  1024 160
• Shader
  8192 1280
• Max. GPU Memory
  64 GB 8 GB
• Max. displays
  3 3
• Generation
  1 13
• Technology
  5 nm 4 nm
• Release date
  Q1/2022 Q3/2022

This section details the built-in codecs used for encoding and decoding media content, which significantly enhance processing speed and efficiency.

• h265 / HEVC (8 bit)
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• h265 / HEVC (10 bit)
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• h264
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• VP8
  Decode Decode / Encode
• VP9
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• AV1
  No No
• AVC
  Decode Decode
• VC-1
  Decode Decode
• JPEG
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode

Overview of the types and quantities of RAM supported by Apple A16 Bionic and Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU). The supported memory frequencies may vary depending on the motherboard configuration.

• Memory type
  LPDDR5-6400 LPDDR5-6400
• Max. Memory
  128 GB 6 GB
• Memory channels
  8 (Octa Channel) 1 (Single Channel)
• Bandwidth
  819.2 GB/s 51.2 GB/s
• ECC
  No No
• PCIe
  4.0
• AES-NI
  Yes No

Analyze the TDP (Thermal Design Power) requirements of Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) and Apple A16 Bionic to make an informed decision on the appropriate cooling system. Remember that TDP refers to thermal watts, not electrical watts.

• TDP (PL1)
  60 W 8.5 W
• TDP up
  120 W --

Information on architecture, interfaces, and additional instructions supported by Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) and Apple A16 Bionic, including virtual machine technologies and fabrication processes.

• Technology
  5 nm 4 nm
• Chip design
  Chiplet Chiplet
• Socket
  N/A N/A
• L2-Cache
  52.00 MB 20.00 MB
• L3-Cache
  -- 24.00 MB
• Architecture
  M1 A16
• Operating systems
  macOS iOS
• Virtualization
  Apple Virtualization Framework None
• Instruction set (ISA)
  ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
• ISA extensions
  Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation
• Release date
  Q1/2022 Q3/2022