Skip to main content

Next-gen iPhone CPU could be 500x more powerful than the SoC in the original iPhone

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support
  • iPhone chip performance has improved 385x since 2007 launch, according to benchmarks
  • A17 and A18 chips in iPhone 16 models continue Apple’s efficient performance trend
  • Next-gen iPhone could push CPU performance past 500x original iPhone processor

A new investigation from PC Watch has compared the performance of Apple’s smartphone chips over time, and found the iPhone CPU has improved by 384.9x since the original model launched in 2007.

The analysis used Geekbench data to track performance across generations, estimating an average annual improvement rate of around 40%.

Based on that trajectory, the next-generation iPhone 17 Pro, expected later in 2025, could push that figure past the 500x mark.

More performance-focused

The original iPhone, which Steve Jobs launched back in 2007, was powered by a ARM11-based SoC from Samsung. That chip had a rated frequency of 620MHz but it actually ran at just 412MHz.

For the iPhone 3GS, released two years later, Apple went for a Cortex-A8 core Samsung CPU (APL0298C05) marking the beginnings of more performance-focused chip design.

In 2013, Apple launched the iPhone 5s, which was the first smartphone to ship with a 64-bit processor, the Apple A7 (Cyclone). The move nudged Apple ahead of the rest of the mobile industry at the time.

Apple’s design philosophy has long focused on balancing power with efficiency. While Android chipmakers embraced eight- and ten-core designs, Apple has stuck with six-core layouts since 2017, typically featuring two high-performance cores and four efficiency cores.

Despite that, Apple consistently ranks at or near the top in both single-threaded and multi-core performance.

2024’s iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro continued that approach. The standard models use the A17 Bionic chip, built on a 3nm process, and scored over 8100 on PC Watch's Geekbench 6 testing. The Pro models use the A18 Bionic, which achieved scores above 8500 and feature core clocks exceeding 4GHz.

For comparison, the iPhone 13 Pro Max from 2021 scored about 5700 in the same benchmark. That translates to a 50% improvement over three years.

The performance increases achieved by the various generations of iPhone from 2007 onwards is clearly huge, but there are caveats to the methodology used for testing. It’s important to note that the numbers include estimated conversions for the older iPhones which predate modern benchmarks.

You might also like



via Hosting & Support

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Last orders! Breville’s Birthday Sale ends in 24 hours – save an extra 10% on already-discounted espresso machines with our exclusive code

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support It’s been a busy month for coffee machine maestro, Breville. Not only did it celebrate International Coffee Day at the start of the month, but this October is also the company’s birthday month. And to mark the occasion, you can save up to AU$550 on a range of top-performing espresso machines . And that’s not all, as you can save a further 10% on discounted models with our exclusive Breville coupon code . Alternatively, you can use our exclusive promo code sitewide on the complete range of Breville appliances. You’ll need to hurry though, as the Breville Birthday Sale comes to a close at 11:30pm AEDT 21 October. Breville is, of course, responsible for some of the best coffee machines in Australia , and as a result, it can make choosing the ideal model for your household a little bit trickier. To help guide you to cafe-quality coffee at home, I’ve picked out so...

UK small businesses are spending big on Anthropic — but OpenAI isn't far behind as expenditure on AI tools hits new high

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support An estimated 1 out of every 8 UK small and medium businesses are paying for AI tools Over 28% of SMEs are using two or more AI platforms Publishing is the main UK sector adopting AI British SMEs are moving toward AI solutions, with adoption increasing from 1.1% in 2023 to 12.8% in 2026, new research has claimed. The study , by small business credit card providers Capital on Tap, also shows that while smaller companies may have more modest budgets, they’re still happy to spread their bets when it comes to choosing an AI solution. Over 28% of SMEs are using multiple AI platforms – with Anthropic’s Claude just edging out OpenAI’s ChatGPT, with the average quarterly spend growing to a quarterly average of £75.60 per SME. SMEs explore AI Anthropic is the most popular AI provider among British SMEs according to the research, with those businesses devoting 54.1% of ...

How to watch Vigil season 3 online from anywhere – it's *FREE*

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support Watch Vigil season 3 for free on BBC iPlayer (UK) Use NordVPN to watch BBC iPlayer when abroad The first two of the six episodes arrive on Sunday, August 30 After uncovering the dark secrets of drone warfare technology in the Middle East in season 2, Vigil season 3 will see DCI Amy Silva (played by Suranne Jones) and DS Kirsten Longacre (played by Game of Thrones star Rose Leslie) come together to investigate the murder of a covert British Special Forces operative at a remote Arctic search station in a Russian enclave. From high-speed car chases and explosions to tense, gun-packed standoffs, the season 3 trailer tells us that the new season is going to be bigger, more intense, and higher-stakes than anything the duo has handled before. Plus, creator and writer Tom Edge has already hinted that Amy and Kirsten will be looking to avoid an international confr...