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(Image credit: Tom's Guide) |
It pains me to say this as the Managing Editor of Computing, but the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro are quicker than certain PCs. And in order to maximize performance, chipmakers truly need to get more creative.
It became evident to me throughout our testing of Apple's new phones that comparing their capability to rival smartphones is essentially like reviewing on easy mode. They are untouchable, so I modified my comparison to larger and (presumably) more potent gadgets, and the findings are a bit unsettling.
Because the results show that the A18 and A18 Pro's single-threaded performance beats almost every laptop we've ever tested here at Tom's Guide, and the difference in power-intensive multi-core performance is closing quickly.
| Device | Geekbench 6.3 Single-Core | Geekbench 6.3 Multi-Core |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | 3400 | 8341 |
| iPhone 16 | 3301 | 8033 |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 (AMD Ryzen 5 5600H) | 1457 | 6307 |
| M1 MacBook Air | 1731 | 7580 |
| Asus ProArt PZ13 (Snapdragon X Plus) | 2420 | 11484 |
| HP OmniBook X (Snapdragon X Elite) | 2347 | 12861 |
| M3 MacBook Air | 3082 | 12087 |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (Intel Core Ultra 9 185H) | 2525 | 13263 |
| Asus Zenbook S16 (AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370) | 2765 | 13282 |
Let’s break it down
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(Image credit: Future) |
What is happening then? Initially, let us attempt to resolve that issue and explore potential solutions to widen that gap once more. I can't help but grimace a bit at how these smartphone processors are completely ruining larger and more capable devices in the CPU department because I adore anything computer related.
- iPhones outperform CPUs with one core — Apple has demonstrated that single-core operations don't require a lot of power by effectively utilizing the maximum performance possible from its A18 CPUs.
The difference in multi-core performance is narrowing, but phones will still lag behind due to Thermal Design Power (TDP) – Multi-threaded operations require more power to complete, up to 50 watts on certain laptops. It is somewhat limited in this regard because a phone would most likely blow up if you attempted to put that much energy through it.
What worries laptop producers the most is how Apple manages to obtain these figures while maintaining excellent battery life, especially with the M4 MacBooks soon to be released. Despite all of the hype about the impressive increases in stamina that we have seen in Copilot+ PCs, the folks in Cupertino may soon be pushing this to new heights.
And, hey, I am aware that this situation involves other factors. Geekbench is a quick benchmarking tool that ignores extended use (laptops often have fans to ensure sustained performance, whereas phones do not), and I am definitely comparing apples to enormous oranges here in terms of real-world day-to-day usage.
One thing is evident, though: Apple uses a same process for manufacturing processors across all of its devices. The 3nm chipset that was introduced in the iPhone 15 Pro last year was followed by the M3 MacBook Pros, which used 3nm chipsets—you guessed it. They are all developed with the same set of guidelines in mind: maximize performance at the lowest possible power usage.
Therefore, if you're in the market for a new laptop, we have some really good models with Snapdragon chips, new AMD chips, and (shortly to be released) new Intel CPUs, all of which promise significant increases in performance and endurance. However, if I were you, I would hold off a little bit longer to see what Apple has planned for the end of October.