Hey guys, if you’re here, you most likely find great interest in the newest CPUs running the A18 and A18 Pro chips of the new iPhone 16 series. Whether you’re a regular user or a die-hard tech fanatic, these small powerhouses are at the center of what makes the iPhone 16 line such a huge deal.
What therefore distinguishes these two CPUs, and why should you therefore pay attention? With some pleasant humor along the way, let’s dissect it in an understandable manner!
Apple has been using the phrase “Pro” rather extensively, and we have all heard it. But is it just marketing hype or is the A18 Pro truly that different from another? spoiler: there are variances and they could matter depending on how you use your phone.
Whereas the 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max contain the A18 Pro, the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus run on the A18. First look would lead one to wonder, “Okay, how much can one extra GPU core actually change things?” Apple did not, however, add that extra core for fun.
Think gamers, photographers, and everyone else utilizing apps that demand significant processing capability; it’s all about giving the Pro models a little more kick.
Let’s explore the reasons for the “Pro” maybe worth the investment for some of you and what drives these chips.
What You Need to Know About A18 and A18 Pro Processors
I now realize that nobody loves looking at a spec sheet. Though your brain will spin with all those cores, gigahertz, and neural engines, don’t panic; I will kindly and simply break it out for you.
A18-processor model
Two performance core and four efficiency core makes the A18 chip This implies what? While the efficiency cores concentrate on saving battery life for daily activities like surfing Instagram or texting friends, the performance cores are like the speed demons handling hard chores.
Basically serving as its graphics engine, the A18 also boasts five GPU cores. Most individuals find this arrangement sufficient for handling games, video chats, and other daily chores.
A18 Pro-processor
What then is the main difference of the A18 Pro? Thanks to an extra GPU core, it resembles the A18 with added punch.
When you’re working on graphics-heavy projects—think high-end mobile gaming, editing 4K films, or rendering precise 3D images—one more core might not seem like a game-changer but really makes a clear difference.
Not only that, but the A18 Pro probably runs at better clock speeds, so it is simply simple quicker. It also has some enhancements in the image signal processor (ISP) area, which affects the phone’s speed and accuracy in processing all those fantastic images and movies you are capturing.
Both processors include an amazing 16 Neural Engine core, which enable almost any artificial intelligence (AI) application including face recognition, voice commands, and essentially anything else. This section of the chip is working hard behind the scenes whether you use Siri to create reminders or Face ID to unlock your phone.
Apple does not provide us all the nitty-gritty information, hence we do not have exact clock speeds or certain other important values. However, the A18 Pro is adjusted for faster performance generally based on what we know and some informed conjecture.
It’s like having a car running the same engine but with a turbocharger. Testing extra power will make you feel that way!
Benchmarking the Apple A18 and A18 Pro
The best way to determine how much faster the A18 Pro is compared to the A18 is through a series of benchmarks. We ran several industry-standard tests to evaluate both chips’ performance across CPU, GPU, and AI workloads.
A18 vs 18 Pro Processors Geekbench 6 Benchmark
Geekbench 6 is a well-known benchmarking tool that tests CPU performance by assessing both single-core and multi-core speeds.
A18:
- Single-core: 3,091
- Multi-core: 7,129
A18 Pro:
- Single-core: 3,279
- Multi-core: 7,855
The A18 Pro offers a modest 4.5% improvement in single-core performance and a 10.1% improvement in multi-core performance. While these differences may not seem drastic, they are enough to make the A18 Pro noticeably faster in processor-heavy tasks like video rendering and machine learning applications.
A18 vs 18 Pro Processors AnTuTu Benchmark
The AnTuTu benchmark is a comprehensive test that evaluates the CPU, GPU and other components like memory and storage performance.
- A18: 1,539,646
- A18 Pro: 1,713,073
The A18 Pro scored about 10.1% higher than the A18 on the AnTuTu test, which aligns with the results seen in Geekbench. This further proves that while the A18 is powerful, the A18 Pro is designed for users who require that extra bit of performance horsepower.
A18 vs 18 Pro Processors 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Benchmark
The 3DMark Wild Life Extreme benchmark is specifically designed to test GPU performance in graphics-intensive environments like gaming. It measures how well the GPU can render graphics in an emulated gaming environment.
A18:
- Score: 3,881
- Average frame rate: 23.2 FPS
A18 Pro:
- Score: 4,592
- Average frame rate: 27.5 FPS
The A18 Pro delivers a 15.5% improvement in GPU performance compared to the A18, thanks largely to that extra GPU core. This makes the A18 Pro better suited for high-end gaming, media creation, and other GPU-intensive tasks.
A18 vs 18 Pro Processors GFXBench Benchmark
We also ran a series of GFXBench tests, which focus on GPU performance in real-world gaming scenarios at different resolutions.
A18:
- 1440p Manhattan 3.1.1 (Offscreen): 81.78 FPS
- 4K Aztec Ruins (Offscreen): 20.42 FPS
- 1080p T-Rex (Offscreen): 351.98 FPS
A18 Pro:
- 1440p Manhattan 3.1.1 (Offscreen): 94.05 FPS
- 4K Aztec Ruins (Offscreen): 26.05 FPS
- 1080p T-Rex (Offscreen): 385.65 FPS
The results here further confirm that the A18 Pro outperforms the A18, especially in 4K and higher-resolution gaming. The A18 Pro is clearly the better choice for users who want to experience console-level gaming on a mobile device.
A18 vs 18 Pro Processors Geekbench AI Benchmark
Lastly, we assessed the AI performance of both chips using the Geekbench AI benchmark, which evaluates how well the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine handle AI-related tasks like image recognition and machine learning.
A18:
- Score: 4,171, 7,288, 5,810 (across three different tests)
A18 Pro:
- Score: 4,549, 7,815, 6,242
The differences in AI performance are more modest, with the A18 Pro showing an average improvement of 7.2%. This may become more significant as Apple integrates more AI-driven features in future software updates.
Conclusion
Alright, so what’s the final takeaway here? Should you really care about the difference between the A18 and A18 Pro?
If you’re someone who just uses their phone for everyday tasks like checking social media, texting, or streaming videos, the A18 is going to be more than enough for you. It’s fast, efficient, and handles most things with ease. You won’t feel like you’re missing out on much.
But, if you’re a power user—you know, the type of person who loves gaming, editing videos, or doing anything that demands the absolute best performance—then the A18 Pro is where you’ll notice a difference. That extra GPU core and likely faster clock speeds will make everything feel smoother, faster, and more responsive, especially in graphics-heavy or AI-driven applications.
In short, the A18 is great for regular folks, and the A18 Pro is perfect for those of you who really want to push your phone to the limit. Both chips are crazy powerful, but if you want that little extra boost for tasks like gaming or media creation, the Pro version is the one to go for.
