Comparing A19 Pro and A19: Key Differences in SLC Cache, GPU Specifications, Memory Frequency, Bandwidth, and More

Apple has integrated TSMC’s latest lithography advancements through the third-generation 3nm process in its new A19 Pro and A19 chipsets. However, the differences between these two processors are substantial. Although Apple chose not to highlight these distinctions during the recent iPhone 17 event to maintain focus on device capabilities, a detailed comparison has surfaced that sheds light on the specifications that many may find surprising.

In-Depth Specifications: A19 Pro vs. A19

While the specifications table shared by @faridofanani96 does not disclose the total number of transistors, it highlights their respective codenames, ‘Thera’ for the A19 Pro and ‘Tilos’ for the A19. Both chipsets incorporate a 6-core CPU, maintaining identical clock speeds which lead to similar single-core and multi-core performance. However, the L2 shared cache shows a notable difference; the A19 Pro’s configuration offers 22MB across its Big and Small cores, while the A19 features a smaller 12MB cache.

Moreover, the distinction in Single Level Cache (SLC) is significant, with the A19 Pro boasting a 32MB cache versus the A19’s 12MB. This enhancement is likely to be a major factor influencing performance disparities between the two models. Delving deeper into graphics capabilities, the A19 Pro is equipped with a powerful 5-core GPU, whereas the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max elevate the experience further with a 6-core GPU. What’s particularly noteworthy is the top-tier A19 Pro’s configuration of 96 Execution Units (EUs) and 768 Arithmetic Logic Units (ALUs).

Comparison of A19 Pro and A19 specifications

In contrast, the binned version of the A19 Pro located in the iPhone Air possesses fewer EUs at 80, alongside 640 ALUs, which matches the A19’s configuration. GPU clock speeds maintain a consistent rate of 1, 620MHz across all models. Regarding memory, the A19 Pro comes equipped with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM operating at 9, 600MT/s, resulting in an impressive bandwidth of 75.80GB/s. The binned version operates slower at 8, 533MT/s with a bandwidth of 68.26GB/s—identical to the A19, which is capped at 8GB of RAM.

Both the A19 Pro and A19 utilize the same 16-core Neural Processing Unit (NPU), exhibiting no differences in specifications thus far. Although the die size details remain undisclosed, further information is anticipated in the upcoming weeks. Due to format constraints, we cannot present the complete table within this article, but we have distilled the primary differences into a more manageable overview. For those interested in a visual comparison, the full specifications table can be accessed at the following link: here.

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