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InnoReviews

Apple A18 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6

Apple A18
69.1Inno Score
VS
WINNER
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6
83.6Inno Score
70.2CPU77.8
53.1GPU76.6
—Benchmarks88.6
72AIspec-based—
82.1Efficiencyspec-based100
0 spec wins — Apple A185 spec wins — Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6

InnoReviews verdict

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 wins this mobile chipset face-off, 83.6 to 69.1, pulling ahead mainly in GPU (+23) and CPU (+8). Apple A18 still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.

Which would you pick?

Key differences

Reasons to pick the Apple A18

No decisive spec advantages — this side competes on price and preference.

Reasons to pick the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6

  • Stronger CPU score: 78 vs 70
  • Stronger GPU score: 77 vs 53
  • 68% higher 3DMark Wild Life Extreme: 7,133 vs 4,255
  • 33% lower process: 2 nm vs 3 nm
  • 33% higher cores: 8 vs 6

General

General comparison: Apple A18 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6
SpecApple A18Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6
Announced20242026
Process3 nm2 nm+33%
TDP (typical)7 W—
ArchitectureArmv964-bit Qualcomm Oryon CPU

CPU

CPU comparison: Apple A18 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6
SpecApple A18Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6
Cores68+33%
Core configuration2x4.04 GHz performance + 4x2.2 GHz efficiency2x5.0 GHz Oryon Prime + 6x4.0 GHz Oryon Performance
Max clock4.04 GHz5 GHz+24%

GPU

GPU comparison: Apple A18 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6
SpecApple A18Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6
GPUApple GPU (5-core)Adreno GPU

AI

AI comparison: Apple A18 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6
SpecApple A18Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6
NPUNeural Engine (16-core)Hexagon NPU
AI performance35 TOPS—

Memory

Memory comparison: Apple A18 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6
SpecApple A18Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6
Memory typeLPDDR5X-6400LPDDR5X/LPDDR6-5300
Max bandwidth60 GB/s—

Connectivity

Connectivity comparison: Apple A18 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6
SpecApple A18Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6
ModemSnapdragon X70 5G (external)Qualcomm X105 5G Modem-RF
Max download—14.8 Gbps
Wi-FiWi-Fi 7Wi-Fi 8
Bluetooth5.36.0

Media

Media comparison: Apple A18 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6
SpecApple A18Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6
Max displaySuper Retina XDR4K+ @ 120Hz / QHD+ @ 240Hz
Video capture4K@120fps8K@30fps

Benchmarks

Benchmarks comparison: Apple A18 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6
SpecApple A18Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6
AnTuTu—3,818,907
AnTuTu 12—4,004,168Top 4%
Geekbench 6 (single)3,377Top 5%—
Geekbench 6 (multi)8,362Top 9%—
Geekbench 7 (single)—2,920
Geekbench 7 (multi)—8,248
3DMark Wild Life Extreme4,255Top 13%7,133+68%Top 3%

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