iPhone A20 Pro Chip Outperforms Rivals in Benchmarks

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max from Apple feature the cutting-edge A20 Pro mobile chip, which also powers the innovative foldable iPhone Duo.

Manufactured using a 2nm process, the A20 Pro boasts a 6-core CPU comprising two super cores and four efficiency cores, alongside a 7-core GPU equipped with Neural Accelerators. it includes a dual 16-core Neural Engine specifically designed for advanced AI tasks.

But how does this impressive technology translate into real-world performance?

To answer this, we conducted extensive testing on the iPhone 18 Pro (note that the Pro Max delivers nearly identical results). The results were extraordinary; in synthetic benchmark tests, this device outperforms all competitors. The only serious contender is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip found in the Galaxy S26 Ultra. To ensure accuracy, I executed the Geekbench 6 and 7 tests on a brand new, freshly activated iPhone 18 Pro, with no third-party applications running and no background processes active.

Unmatched Performance with the A20 Pro Chip

In the Geekbench 7 CPU test, which is our standard benchmark for evaluating laptops and smartphones, the iPhone 18 Pro recorded a remarkable single-core score of 3,959 and a multi-core score of 10,854. In the GPU test of Geekbench 7, it achieved a score of 61,194.

The GPU performance is equally impressive. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

We also executed Geekbench 6, an earlier version of this benchmarking tool, to facilitate comparisons with older devices. The results were even more astounding. The iPhone 18 Pro achieved a score of 4,673 in the single-core CPU test and 12,483 in the multi-core Geekbench 6 test.

Geekbench 6 results further confirm Apple’s dominance in performance. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

For context, here’s how some other recent flagship smartphones performed on Geekbench 6 during our testing:

• Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: 3,524 single-core, 10,827 multi-core

• Google Pixel 11 Pro XL: 1,800 single-core, 5,000 multi-core

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: 3,097 single-core, 10,277 multi-core

• Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max: 3,779 single-core, 9,778 multi-core

• Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: 2,800 single-core, 9,100 multi-core (with some results reaching as high as 10,049)

The data indicates a significant performance gap; these smartphones cannot compete with Apple’s latest silicon, at least in synthetic benchmark tests. Transitioning to in-house processors was a major achievement for Apple, especially under John Ternus’s leadership before he became CEO.

It’s not surprising that the iPhone 18 Pro outpaces the iPhone 17 Pro Max, with an impressive 25 percent performance improvement across the board.

Will you notice this performance boost in everyday use? The answer is both yes and no.

These new models are undoubtedly faster than any other available devices. as mentioned in my review of the iPhone 18 Pro, the difference is not as pronounced unless you are upgrading from a significantly older device. Apple’s iPhones have maintained high speed and power for some time, so the enhanced performance of the latest model feels like a bonus. Unless you are an intensive user of AI applications, you might not fully utilize the capabilities of the new iPhones.

Lastly, the iPhone Duo also utilizes the A20 Pro chip. We are curious to see how its performance compares to the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. While the chip is the same, the unique design, particularly the large foldable display, may influence the Duo’s performance metrics. We will provide updates once we have the iPhone Duo in hand next month.

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