The A18 Pro chipset on iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max competes directly with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor found in Android flagship smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and OnePlus 12. It’s newer, built on a 3nm process, and promises a lot of performance and efficiency. But does it dethrone the 8 Gen 3? Let’s find out in our A18 Pro vs. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 comparison.
Note: For benchmark comparisons, we used an iPhone 16 Pro Max (256GB) with an A18 Pro chip and a OnePlus 12 (512GB) with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in high-performance mode.
Table of Contents
A18 Pro vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: Specifications
| Apple A18 Pro | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | TSMC | TSMC |
| Fabrication Process | 3nm (N3E) | 4nm (N4P) |
| No. of CPU Cores | Hexa-core (2+4) | Octa-core (1+3+2+2) |
| CPU Structure | 2x Performance cores (4.04GHz), 4x Efficiency cores (~2.2GHz) | 1x Prime Cortex-X4 core (3.30 GHz) 3x Cortex-A720 (3.2 GHz) 2x Cortex-A720 (3.0 GHz) 2x Cortex-A520 cores (2.3 GHz) |
| Max. Clock Speed | Up to 4.04GHz | Up to 3.30GHz |
| Instruction Set | ARMv9.2-A | ARMv9.2-A |
| GPU | New Six-core GPU Hardware-Accelerated Ray Tracing | Adreno 750 Hardware-Accelerated Ray Tracing |
| Machine Learning and AI | New 16-core Neural Engine Next-gen ML accelerators 35 TOPS | Hexagon NPU 45 TOPS |
| Memory | LPDDR5X | LPDDR5X |
| Modem | Snapdragon X75 5G modem | Snapdragon X75 5G modem |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3 | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 |
| USB Support | USB 3 | USB 4 |
A18 Pro vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: CPU
The Apple A18 Pro is a hexa-core CPU built on TSMC’s 3nm fabrication process. It features 2x performance cores clocked at up to 4.04 GHz and 4x efficiency cores with clock speeds that are not yet confirmed but are estimated to be around 2.2 GHz.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is built on a slightly older TSMC 4nm fabrication process. It is an octa-core CPU with one Cortex-X4 Prime core clocked at 3.30 GHz, 3x Cortex-A720 performance cores clocked at 3.3 GHz, 2x Cortex-A720 cores clocked at 3.0 GHz, and 2x Cortex-A520 efficiency cores clocked at 2.3 GHz.
The A18 Pro’s 3nm process node allows for even smaller transistors, enabling more to be packed into the same space. This translates to faster performance and also better efficiency. Both processors utilize the ARMv9.2-A instruction set, L3 caches, and support LPDDR5X memory.
A18 Pro vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: GPU
Apple’s A18 Pro uses a new 6-core GPU, boasting a 20% performance increase over last year’s A17 Pro GPU. It also supports 2x faster hardware ray tracing compared to A17 Pro. Meanwhile, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has Adreno 750 GPU that operates at 900MHz.
Both GPUs support hardware-accelerated ray tracing. This allows for enhanced visual realism in games and other graphics-intensive applications. You’ll see highly accurate reflections on surfaces like water, metal, or glass, adding another layer of realism to the visuals.
You can see Apple’s ray tracing in action in Resident Evil 4 and other supported AAA games.
A18 Pro vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: AnTuTu Benchmark
In the AnTuTu benchmark, the A18 Pro scores a total of 1,797,197 points, whereas the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 leads with 1,853,881 points. The CPU and GPU scores are almost on par with each other.
However, keep in mind that AnTuTu scores for Android and iOS aren’t directly comparable due to differing test processes. Consider these scores as a general reference point.
| AnTuTu Benchmark | A18 Pro | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 447,064 | 413,209 |
| GPU | 732,871 | 729,612 |
| Memory | 258,993 | 395,403 |
| UX | 358,269 | 315,657 |
| Total Score | 17,97,197 | 18,53,881 |
A18 Pro vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: Geekbench CPU
In Geekbench 6 CPU tests, you can clearly see the A18 Pro outperforming the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 by a huge margin. It scores 3,409 points in single-core and 8,492 in multi-core tests. On the other hand, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 scored 2,137 and 6,360 points in single-core and multi-core tests, respectively.
In short, the A18 Pro performs about 59% better in single-core and 33% better in multi-core tests.
| Geekbench 6 | A18 Pro | Snapdragon 8 Gen3 |
|---|---|---|
| Single-core | 3,409 | 2,137 |
| Multi-core | 8,492 | 6,360 |
A18 Pro vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: Geekbench GPU
In Geekbench GPU tests, the A18 Pro achieved a total score of 32,870 points. Whereas the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 scored 14,974 in the OpenCL framework and 16,508 in the Vulkan framework.
Note that the A18 Pro’s Geekbench GPU score is based on the Metal API, which is Apple’s proprietary graphics API and is different from Android’s Vulkan and OpenCL. Between the latter two, Vulkan is considered to be a more modern and efficient API.
The A18 Pro’s Metal score is significantly higher than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s scores on both Vulkan and OpenCL. This suggests that the A18 Pro likely has a more powerful GPU, but it’s difficult to quantify the difference precisely due to the API disparity.
| Geekbench GPU | |
|---|---|
| A18 Pro | 32870 |
| Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | 16,508 (Vulkan) 14,974 (OpenCL) |
A18 Pro vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: Geekbench AI
On paper, the A18 Pro’s 6-core NPU can perform 35 trillion operations per second, while the 8 Gen 3’s Hexagon Neural Processing Engine can do 45 trillion operations per second.
The Geekbench AI benchmark tests the Neural Engine, which is the phone’s machine learning and AI capabilities. The latest 1.1 version added support for the newer TensorFlow Lite and QNN framework for Android, allowing for more comprehensive benchmarking of Android devices’ ML capabilities.
Here, we’re benchmarking the scores of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with the A18 Pro. In Single Precision, the A18 Pro blows the 8 Gen 3 out of the water by scoring nearly 10 times higher at 4422 points. The Half Precision test brings down the gap, where the A18 Pro scores 32095 points, more than double the 8 Gen 3’s 15401 points.
In the Quantized score, the A18 Pro, with a score of 44086, performs 13% better than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s score of 39598.
| Geekbench AI (NPU) | A18 Pro | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (TensorFlow Lite QNN) |
|---|---|---|
| Single Precision Score | 4422 | 493 |
| Half Precision Score | 32095 | 15401 |
| Quantized Score | 44086 | 39598 |
Here’s what Single, Half, and Quantized Scores mean:
- Single Precision (FP32): Uses 32 bits to represent each number, providing the highest level of accuracy but requiring more processing power and memory.
- Half Precision (FP16): Uses 16 bits per number, offering a balance between accuracy and efficiency. It’s faster and requires less memory than single precision.
- Quantized (INT8): Uses only 8 bits per number, making it the most efficient format. It’s ideal for devices with limited resources, but it may sacrifice some accuracy compared to higher precision formats.
A18 Pro vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: 3DMark WildLife Extreme Stress Test
3DMark’s Wild Life Extreme Stress test benchmarks the sustained performance of a device’s GPU (graphics processing unit) under heavy load for an extended period. While the results can depend heavily on the external environment and the phone’s thermal control and cooling capabilities, here are the results for the iPhone 16 Pro Max and OnePlus 12.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max (A18 Pro) achieved the best loop score of 3,683 and the lowest loop score of 2,901, with a stability of 78.8%. The OnePlus 12 (with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3) scored a better best loop score of 4,639, followed by a lowest loop score of 2,743, but with a less impressive stability score of 59%.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s GPU performs better in quick bursts; however, it is the A18 Pro that sustains the load well and performs consistently over time. So, you’ll have an overall better gaming experience with the A18 Pro.
| 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test | A18 Pro | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Best Loop Score | 3683 | 4649 |
| Lowest Loop Score | 2901 | 2743 |
| Stability | 78.8% | 59% |
Conclusion
The A18 Pro clearly dominates this comparison. It’s the newer chip, so that’s not surprising. Geekbench shows it’s about 60% faster for single tasks and 33% faster for multitasking compared to the 8 Gen 3.
Even its sustained graphics performance is better than the 8 Gen 3 under heavy use. And though both devices got pretty hot in the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress test, the Apple did better and was much more stable with a higher peak performance. Apple seems to have a slight edge in heat management, but I’ll leave that to phone design.
Now, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is already a year-old chip, and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is arriving soon with powerful Oryon CPU cores. And so will MediaTek’s upgraded Dimensity 9400 chip. Both processors are presumed to outperform the Apple chip but let’s wait and watch.
We’ve already compared the A18 Pro with the 8 Gen 4 and Dimensity 9400 based on their specifications and leaked benchmark scores.
