The performance gap between Android phones and iPhones is almost blurred as Qualcomm takes on Apple with its most powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. The newest Snapdragon chip promises huge performance and efficiency upgrades, and so does Apple’s A18 Pro, which powers the iPhone 16 Pro models. But how do they stack up against each other? Let’s put them through benchmark tests to find out which one holds the crown.
Let’s look at the spec sheet first for a quick overview:
| Snapdragon 8 Elite | Apple A18 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | October 2024 | September 2024 |
| Process node | 3nm | 3nm |
| Manufacturer | TSMC | TSMC |
| CPU | 2 x 4.32GHz (Oryon) 6 x 3.53GHz (Oryon) | 2 x 4.04GHz (High-performance) 4 x 2.2GHz (Energy-efficient) |
| GPU | Adreno 830 GPU Unreal Engine 5.3 running Nanite on smartphones Hardware accelerated ray tacing Snapdragon Elite Gaming features | Apple 6-core GPU Hardware accelerated ray tracing |
| NPU | Qualcomm Hexagon NPU Multimodal Gen AI support | 16-core neural engine 35 TOPS |
| Memory | LPDDR5x, up to 5.3GHz | LPDDR5x, up to 7500MHz |
| Connectivity | Snapdragon X80 5G modem Downlink: 10Gbps Uplink: 3.5Gbps Wi-Fi 7 Bluetooth 6.0 Ultra Wideband (UWB) | Snapdragon X75 5G modem Downlink: 10Gbps Uplink: 3.5Gbps Wi-Fi 7 Bluetooth 5.4 Ultra Wideband (UWB) |
[Note: We tested the Realme GT7 Pro (powered by Snapdragon 8 Elite) and iPhone 16 Pro Max (powered by A18 Pro) for benchmark results.]
Snapdragon 8 Elite vs Apple A18 Pro: Geekbench score
Geekbench runs a device through a series of tests to measure its CPU capabilities. The benchmarking platform outputs single-core and multi-core performance results.
Here’s how the two chips performed:
In the single-core test, the Snapdragon 8 Elite and Apple A18 Pro obtained similar scores. However, there’s a clear gap in the multi-core test, where the Snapdragon chip is ahead of the A18 Pro with over 15% higher score.
| Snapdragon 8 Elite | Apple A18 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Single-core | 3,156 | 3,291 |
| Multi-core | 9,489 | 8,146 |
Snapdragon 8 Elite vs Apple A18 Pro: AnTuTu score
AnTuTu is popular benchmarking tool for measuring CPU, GPU, UX, and memory of a devices. The total score represents the overall strength. One thing to note here is that the AnTuTu for Android runs on Vulkan API, while the AnTuTu for iOS runs on Metal API.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite is a clear AnTuTu winner, leaving the Apple A18 Pro behind by a significant margin. Notably, the Snapdragon chip did a lot better in terms of GPU and memory performance.
| Snapdragon 8 Elite | Apple A18 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu score | 2,764,150 | 1,756,810 |
| CPU | 584,894 | 469,595 |
| GPU | 1,134,684 | 640,006 |
| Memory | 644,600 | 289,171 |
| UX | 399,972 | 358,038 |
Snapdragon 8 Elite vs Apple A18 Pro: 3DMark score
3DMark is a popular platform for GPU testing. It has a variety of benchmarking tools for testing various gaming capabilities devices. For this comparison, we chose the WildLife Extreme Stress (for testing sustained performance under heavy graphical loads) and Solar Bay (for evaluating ray tracing performance).
3DMark WildLife Extreme Stress Test
The powerful Adreno 830 GPU inside the Snapdragon 8 Elite did an excellent job in 3DMark tests compared to the 6-core GPU inside the A18 Pro. In the WildLife Extreme Stress Test, the Snapdragon chip resulted in 82.4% stability, while the A18 Pro was only 68.1%. The temperatures are almost similar, though.
| Snapdragon 8 Elite | Apple A18 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Stability | 82.4% | 68.1% |
| Temperature | 42.8° C | 42.3° C |
3DMark Solar Bay
The Snapdragon 8 Elite also dominates the Solar Bay charts. It achieved 40.68 FPS (average), while the A18 Pro got 30.6 FPS (average). The former chip has a higher overall score and became less hot than the A18 Pro (it also depends on the cooling solution integrated into a device).
| Snapdragon 8 Elite | Apple A18 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 10,564 | 8,013 |
| Average FPS | 40.68 FPS | 30.6 FPS |
| Temperature | 43.6° C | 45.5° C |
Snapdragon 8 Elite vs Apple A18 Pro: Key differences
Snapdragon 8 Elite is Qualcomm’s first chipset to feature custom Oryon CPU cores, and the results are impressive so far. It’s an octa-core chip, which includes two large cores clocked at 4.32GHz and six mid-cores at 3.53GHz. Apple A18 Pro, on the other hand, has a six-core CPU: two large cores clocked at 4.04GHz and four efficiency cores at 2.2GHz.
Not only does the Snapdragon 8 Elite have two additional CPU cores, but it also has a higher peak CPU frequency of 4.32GHz (vs. 4.04GHz on the A18 Pro). For graphics rendering, the Snapdragon chip has an Adreno 830 GPU, and the Apple A18 Pro has a 6-core GPU. Both are high-performance GPUs with hardware-accelerated ray tracing support.
The two chips have powerful NPUs: a hexagon NPU with multimodal Gen AI support on the Snapdragon 8 Elite and a 16-core neural engine with support for 35 trillion operations per second (TOPS) on the A18 Pro. They pack similar connectivity features, though, except for a higher Bluetooth standard on the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
Snapdragon 8 Elite vs Apple A18 Pro: Final words
The Apple A18 Pro and Snapdragon 8 Elite are the best smartphone chips. Both feature strong CPUs that can easily handle all your processing needs, and GPUs are good enough for buttery smooth gaming for a long session. They also have integrated powerful AI chips. However, when it comes to benchmark results, the Snapdragon 8 Elite leads the chart.
Although the Snapdragon 8 Elite has an edge over the Apple A18 Pro on benchmarks, choosing one really boils down to your preferred ecosystem. If you’re highly invested into the Apple ecosystem, the A18 Pro would be a better choice; otherwise, go for the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
Snapdragon 8 Elite phones:
Apple A18 Pro phones:
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