Apple M2 (8-core) vs Intel Core i5-1235U
44Single-core30.7
24.7Multi-core20
80Efficiency75.3
—iGPU32
35Platform47.7
6 spec wins — Apple M2 (8-core)5 spec wins — Intel Core i5-1235U
InnoReviews verdict
Apple M2 (8-core) wins this laptop processor face-off, 41 to 36.3, pulling ahead mainly in Single-core (+13) and efficiency (+5). Intel Core i5-1235U still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the Apple M2 (8-core)
- Stronger Single-core score: 44 vs 31
- Stronger Multi-core score: 25 vs 20
- Stronger efficiency score: 80 vs 75
- 100% higher Performance cores: 4 vs 2
- 60% higher Geekbench 6 (multi): 9,750 vs 6,100
Reasons to pick the Intel Core i5-1235U
- Stronger platform score: 48 vs 35
- 167% higher Max memory: 64 GB vs 24 GB
- 100% higher Efficiency cores: 8 vs 4
- 50% higher threads: 12 vs 8
- 26% higher Boost clock: 4.4 GHz vs 3.5 GHz
General
| Spec | Apple M2 (8-core) | Intel Core i5-1235U |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2022 | 2022 |
| Process | 5 nm+50% | 10 nm |
| Base TDP | — | 15 W |
| Max TDP | — | 55 W |
Cores & Clocks
| Spec | Apple M2 (8-core) | Intel Core i5-1235U |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 8 | 10+25% |
| Performance cores | 4+100% | 2 |
| Efficiency cores | 4 | 8+100% |
| Threads | 8 | 12+50% |
| Base clock | — | 1.3 GHz |
| Boost clock | 3.5 GHz | 4.4 GHz+26% |
| L3 cache | — | 12 MB |
Integrated GPU
| Spec | Apple M2 (8-core) | Intel Core i5-1235U |
|---|---|---|
| iGPU | Apple 10-core GPU | Intel Iris Xe (80 EU) |
| iGPU clock | — | 1,200 MHz |
Memory
| Spec | Apple M2 (8-core) | Intel Core i5-1235U |
|---|---|---|
| Memory support | LPDDR5-6400 | LPDDR5-5200 / DDR5-4800 / LPDDR4X-4267 |
| Max memory | 24 GB | 64 GB+167% |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple M2 (8-core) | Intel Core i5-1235U |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 2,600+30% | 2,000 |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 9,750+60% | 6,100 |
| Cinebench R23 (single) | 1,580+4% | 1,520 |
| Cinebench R23 (multi) | 8,700+40% | 6,200 |
| PassMark | — | 11,800 |
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