Apple M1
vs
Apple M2

vs

CPU Comparison Result

Below are the results of a comparison of Apple M1 and Apple M2 processors based on key performance characteristics, as well as power consumption and much more.

Advantages

  • Higher Performance-core Max Turbo Frequency: 3.48 GHz (3.204 GHz vs 3.48 GHz)
  • Higher Memory Type: Unified LPDDR5-6400 (Unified LPDDR4X-4266 vs Unified LPDDR5-6400)
  • Newer Launch Date: June 2022 (November 2020 vs June 2022)

Basic

Apple
Label Name
Apple
November 2020
Launch Date
June 2022
Laptop
Platform
Laptop
Apple Firestorm + Apple Icestorm
CPU Architecture
Apple Avalanche + Apple Blizzard
Apple M1
CPU Name
Apple M2
T8103
Part Number
-
Apple M1
Model Name
?
The Intel processor number is just one of several factors - along with processor brand, system configurations, and system-level benchmarks - to be considered when choosing the right processor for your computing needs.
Apple M2
TSMC
Foundry
TSMC
-
Generation
Apple M2 series

CPU Specifications

4
Performance Cores
4
8
Total Cores
?
Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).
8
8
Total Threads
?
Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.
8
4
Efficient-cores
4
2.064 GHz
Efficient-core Max Turbo Frequency
?
Maximum E-core turbo frequency derived from Intel® Turbo Boost Technology.
2.42 GHz
NEON
Instruction Set Extensions
NEON
3.204 GHz
Performance-core Max Turbo Frequency
?
Maximum P-core turbo frequency derived from Intel® Turbo Boost Technology.
3.48 GHz
ARMv8.4-A, NEON
Extended Instruction Set
ARMv8.6-A, NEON
P-cores: 192 KB instruction + 128 KB data per core; E-cores: 128 KB instruction + 64 KB data per core
L1 Cache
P-cores: 192 KB instruction + 128 KB data per core; E-cores: 128 KB instruction + 64 KB data per core
P-core cluster: 12 MB; E-core cluster: 4 MB
L2 Cache
P-core cluster: 16 MB; E-core cluster: 4 MB
-
L3 Cache
8 MB system level cache
5 nm
Technology
?
Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.
5 nm
ARMv8.4-A
Instruction Set
?
The instruction set is a hard program stored inside the CPU that guides and optimizes CPU operations. With these instruction sets, the CPU can run more efficiently. There are many manufacturers that design CPUs, which results in different instruction sets, such as the 8086 instruction set for the Intel camp and the RISC instruction set for the ARM camp. x86, ARM v8, and MIPS are all codes for instruction sets. Instruction sets can be extended; for example, x86 added 64-bit support to create x86-64. Manufacturers developing CPUs that are compatible with a certain instruction set need authorization from the instruction set patent holder. A typical example is Intel authorizing AMD, enabling the latter to develop CPUs compatible with the x86 instruction set.
ARMv8.6-A
16 billion
Transistor Count
20 billion

Memory Specifications

128-bit
Memory Bus Width
128-bit
Unified LPDDR4X-4266
Memory Type
?
Intel® processors come in four different types: Single Channel, Dual Channel, Triple Channel, and Flex Mode. Maximum supported memory speed may be lower when populating multiple DIMMs per channel on products that support multiple memory channels.
Unified LPDDR5-6400
-
LPDDR5 Speed
LPDDR5-6400
16 GB
Max Memory Size
?
Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.
24 GB
2
Memory Channels
?
The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.
-
68.25 GB/s
Max Memory Bandwidth
?
Max Memory bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by the processor (in GB/s).
100 GB/s
-
Maximum Memory Speed
6400 MT/s
No
ECC Memory Supported
?
ECC Memory Supported indicates processor support for Error-Correcting Code memory. ECC memory is a type of system memory that can detect and correct common kinds of internal data corruption. Note that ECC memory support requires both processor and chipset support.
-

GPU Specifications

-
External Display Standard
Thunderbolt 3 / USB4 with DisplayPort
Apple M1 GPU
GPU Name
Apple M2 GPU
-
Max External Display Resolution
Up to 6K 60Hz external display
H.264, HEVC (H.265); multiple 4K video streams / up to 4K 60 fps depending on codec, bitrate and app
Video Decode
H.264, HEVC, ProRes, ProRes RAW; up to 8K H.264 and HEVC decode; multiple 4K and 8K ProRes streams
H.264, HEVC (H.265); up to 4K 60 fps depending on profile, level and app
Video Encode
H.264, HEVC, ProRes, ProRes RAW; up to 8K H.264 and HEVC decode
-
Video Processing Unit
Apple media engine with ProRes acceleration
-
GPU Max Dynamic Frequency
1398 MHz
8
Graphics Core Count
10
-
Number of Displays Supported
One external display up to 6K 60Hz
Metal, OpenCL
GPU APIs
Metal, OpenCL
Up to 2.6 TFLOPS FP32
Graphics Performance
Up to 3.6 TFLOPS FP32
Media encode and decode engines
Media Engine
Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW
1
Video Decode Engines
1
1
Video Encode Engines
1
No
ProRes Encode/Decode Engines
1
-
OpenCL Support
?
OpenCL (Open Computing Language) is a multi-platform API (Application Programming Interface) for heterogeneous parallel programming.
Yes

AI Specifications

16-core Apple Neural Engine
AI Engine
16-core Apple Neural Engine
16
Neural Engine Core Count
16
Apple Neural Engine
NPU Name
Apple Neural Engine
11 TOPS
NPU Performance
15.8 TOPS

Connectivity

Yes
Bluetooth Support
Yes
Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth Version
Bluetooth 5.3
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi Standard
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)

Interfaces and Ports

Yes, up to 40 Gbps
Thunderbolt Support
Yes, Thunderbolt 3 up to 40 Gb/s
USB4
USB Version
USB4
Yes, up to 40 Gbps
USB4 Support
Yes, USB4 up to 40 Gb/s

Miscellaneous

Yes, Apple silicon secure boot chain of trust
Hardware-Verified Secure Boot
Yes, Apple silicon secure boot chain of trust
Apple image signal processor
Image Signal Processor
Apple image signal processor
KIP, FPR, SCIP, PAC, PPL
Runtime Anti-Exploitation
Kernel Integrity Protection, Pointer Authentication Codes, Fast Permission Restrictions
Secure Enclave
Security Processor
Secure Enclave

Benchmarks

Cinebench R23 Single Core
Apple M1
1512
Apple M2
1595 +5%
Cinebench R23 Multi Core
Apple M1
7728
Apple M2
8654 +12%
Geekbench 6 Single Core
Apple M1
2347
Apple M2
2597 +11%
Geekbench 6 Multi Core
Apple M1
8341
Apple M2
9707 +16%
Geekbench 5 Single Core
Apple M1
1729
Apple M2
1914 +11%
Geekbench 5 Multi Core
Apple M1
7501
Apple M2
8812 +17%
Passmark CPU Single Core
Apple M1
3674
Apple M2
3885 +6%
Passmark CPU Multi Core
Apple M1
14128
Apple M2
15654 +11%
Cinebench 2024 Single Core
Apple M1
110
Apple M2
120 +9%
Cinebench 2024 Multi Core
Apple M1
444
Apple M2
555 +25%
Cinebench 2024 GPU
Apple M1
510
Apple M2
3340 +555%