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May 2, 2026

iPhone 16 Pro Max benchmarks: Faster than Android? | usagoldmines.com

Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority

New iPhones can imply just one factor for efficiency junkies — it’s benchmarking time to see if it’s sooner than something Android has to supply. The newest iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max sport a brand new Apple A18 Professional chipset that makes some large efficiency claims over its predecessors, together with reminiscence bandwidth, a beefier CPU, and improved power effectivity.

Let’s see how Apple’s greatest cellular chip compares to its Android-bound rivals and whether or not it has the chops to take the efficiency crown. We’ve grabbed among the latest Android phones powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Tensor G4 to check towards.

Apple A18 Professional specs

Apple A18 Professional
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
Google Tensor G4

CPU

Apple A18 Professional

2x Efficiency @ 4.04GHz
4x Effectivity @ 2.2GHz

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3

1x Cortex-X4 @ 3.3GHz
3x Cortex-A720 @ 3.15GHz
2x Cortex-A720 @ 2.96GHz
2x Cortex-A520 @ 2.27GHz

Google Tensor G4

1x Cortex-X4 @ 3.1GHz
3x Cortex-A720 @ 2.6GHz
4x Cortex-A520 @ 1.92GHz

GPU

Apple A18 Professional

Apple 6-core

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3

Adreno 750

Google Tensor G4

Arm Mali-G715 (MC7 assumed)

AI

Apple A18 Professional

Neural Engine 16-core

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3

Hexagon

Google Tensor G4

Third-gen Tensor Processing Unit

Node

Apple A18 Professional

TSMC 3nm

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3

TSMC 4nm

Google Tensor G4

Samsung 4nm

Apple A18 Professional benchmarks

Robert Triggs / Android Authority

On paper, Apple’s six-core CPU setup and slower clocks appear anemic in comparison with the competitors however might be deceiving. Apple’s customized tackle the Arm structure will get by a number of work with every clock, as you may see under within the single-core outcomes. This extends into stable multi-core efficiency, too.

The Apple A18 Professional has the quickest CPU setup we’ve benchmarked. It bests the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 contained in the Galaxy S24 Ultra by 35% in GeekBench 6’s single-core check however isn’t fairly to this point forward with an 11% lead in multi-core. Google’s Tensor G4 contained in the Pixel 9 Pro XL is way additional off the tempo; the newest iPhone thrashes it by 56% and 66%, respectively.

Should you owned final yr’s iPhone 15 Professional or Professional Max, nonetheless, the improve is much less important. We clocked only a 5% single-core and eight% multi-core enchancment, which gained’t transfer the needle a lot when it comes to app responsiveness. It’s additionally effectively under Apple’s 15% enhance declare. Nonetheless, Apple additionally states the chip is extra environment friendly — it’s constructed on a more moderen manufacturing node (TSMC 3nm) than its rivals — which suggests higher battery life for a similar workloads.

Apple followers have even much less cause to improve within the gaming division, however there’s a silver lining right here. The six-core GPU’s scores are nearly an identical to final yr’s A17 Professional; nothing seems to have modified when it comes to structure. There’s a cause Apple made lots of its launch comparisons towards a lot older chipsets.

Nonetheless, our iPhone 16 Professional Max manages significantly better sustained efficiency scores than final yr’s iPhone 15 Professional. It fingers in stability scores of 75% and 86% for 3DMark’s WildLife Excessive and SolarBay checks, in comparison with 67% and 70% for our older mannequin. This implies greater body charges and fewer dropped frames throughout extended play periods. Whereas the A18 Professional isn’t outright extra highly effective, its extra environment friendly nature means it could possibly understand extra of its potential for longer.

In comparison with Android’s best, the A18 Professional is 60% sooner than the Tensor G4’s Arm Mali-G725, once more showcasing that Google’s newest isn’t a gaming powerhouse. The newest Pixel doesn’t help ray tracing, both. For that, you’ll need a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which clocks in 24% sooner than Apple’s newest in normal rasterization and 46% sooner within the ray tracing check.

Whereas the Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely has the iPhone 16 Professional Max licked for uncooked graphics efficiency, it’s essential to notice its doubtful stress check stability scores of simply 57%. Beneath extended stress, efficiency declines to a really comparable stage to the Professional Max. Nonetheless, this makes the Snapdragon the higher gaming chip total, particularly if you happen to seize a gaming phone with superior cooling.

Is the iPhone 16 Professional Max the quickest smartphone?

Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority

The Apple A18 Professional contained in the iPhone 16 Professional and Professional Max lands some key wins. It’s clearly a extra environment friendly chip than its predecessor, which can please avid gamers, and has a modest CPU enchancment to maintain apps feeling tremendous responsive. That mentioned, it’s actually not a serious improve from final yr’s A17 Professional when it comes to outright efficiency.

Maybe Apple is reaching the top of the generational efficiency positive factors from its present architectures. In fact, it’s not all about traditional efficiency metrics today. Apple has invested sources in boosting its Neural Engine’s efficiency by 30%, which can present a notable uplift to Apple Intelligence options (once they lastly arrive). Nonetheless, AI workloads are notoriously numerous, in order that efficiency acquire possible gained’t be utilized throughout each case.

The A18 Professional primarily improves AI and effectivity.

Regardless, present Android telephones are very a lot within the combine, sporting their spectacular gaming and AI capabilities that give the newest iPhones a run for his or her cash. Nonetheless, Google’s Tensor G4 stays a way behind one of the best iPhone in traditional efficiency metrics and is banking on an AI function result in compete.

We’re only a few weeks away from the primary next-gen Android chipsets, which may surpass Apple’s chipset in most regards for the primary time, supplied they provide stable efficiency positive factors.