On March 12th, according to IT House, the platform X blogger @negativeonehero tweeted today that the performance improvement of Apple A18 Pro is not significant. The multi-core performance has only increased by 10%, with A17 Pro’s previous score being 6989. In other words, the estimated multi-core score of A18 Pro slightly exceeds 8000.
(Image Source: X Platform @negativeonehero)
In fact, since the A15 processor, Apple has not seen much improvement in performance. Previously, the CPU and GPU performance of the A series processors were significantly ahead of Qualcomm Snapdragon and MediaTek. However, now the CPU performance advantage of the A series processors is no longer there, and the GPU performance is significantly lagging behind Qualcomm.
Moreover, despite A17 Pro being ahead in process technology compared to Qualcomm Snapdragon and MediaTek, its superiority in CPU and GPU performance is not evident. Especially in GPU performance, it lags far behind Qualcomm and MediaTek.
Recently, digital blogger @数码闲聊站 also disclosed the detailed configuration of Snapdragon 8 Gen4 on Weibo, which uses TSMC’s N3E process.
(Image Source: Weibo @数码闲聊站)
With Qualcomm also joining the 3nm camp, the Android camp is about to fully embrace the 3nm era. It is also worth noting that the CPU cores of Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen4 will no longer use Arm’s standard architecture but will adopt the self-developed Nuvia architecture.
(Image Source: Lei Technology Production)
It is expected that Snapdragon 8 Gen4 will see a significant improvement in CPU and GPU performance thanks to the support of TSMC’s 3nm process.
By then, the Android camp is expected to surpass Apple in both CPU and GPU performance, leading to the disappearance of Apple’s once proud performance advantage.
Furthermore, nowadays, major manufacturers are focusing on AI large models. In contrast, Apple has not made any moves in the AI field, and recently rumors surfaced about the termination of its decade-long car manufacturing plan. Considering the frequent efforts of Qualcomm and MediaTek in processors, it is foreseeable that Apple will fall behind in the race of smartphone AI large models.
Yet, Apple remains indifferent. The A series processors have been squeezed for three generations, and the updates for iPhones in recent generations show no sincerity.
(Image Source: Lei Technology Production)
Recently, according to IDC’s market research report, Apple’s smartphone sales in China in the first six weeks of 2024 have dropped by 24%, going from first place last year to fourth place. Since 2024, Apple has conducted several rounds of promotions. Although Apple still has various marketing methods including price reductions, it does not address the core issue of declining product strength.
Hence, while Android manufacturers are striving to catch up, Apple’s lack of initiative may lead to the gradual erosion of its past advantages.