Apple A12Z Bionic vs Apple M2

Let's find out which one of Apple A12Z Bionic and Apple M2 is of a more recent generation, and what segment it belongs to.

• Name
  Apple A12Z Bionic Apple M2
• Segment
  Mobile Mobile
• Family
  Apple A series Apple M series
• Generation
  12 2
• CPU group
  Apple A12/A12X/A12Z Apple M2
• Predecessor
  Apple A10X Fusion --

In this block we are going to compare Apple A12Z Bionic vs Apple M2 by main technical specifications: number of cores and threads, base and maximum frequencies, process technology and cache size. The higher these specifications are, the more powerful your CPU will be.

• Frequency
  1.59 GHz 3.50 GHz
• CPU Cores
  8 8
• Turbo (1 Core)
  2.49 GHz No turbo
• CPU Threads
  8 8
• Turbo (8 Cores)
  2.49 GHz No turbo
• Hyperthreading
  No No
• Overclocking
  No No
• Core architecture
  hybrid (big.LITTLE) hybrid (big.LITTLE)
• A core
  4x Vortex 4x Avalanche
• B core
  4x Tempest 4x Blizzard

Common specifications for integrated graphics cards in Apple A12Z Bionic and Apple M2 along with supported interfaces and connection options. This block has no effect on the final efficiency of the CPU.

• GPU name
  Apple A12Z Apple M2 (8 Core)
• GPU frequency
  1.59 GHz 3.50 GHz
• GPU (Turbo)
  2.49 GHz No turbo
• Execution units
  8 128
• Max. GPU Memory
  6 GB 16 GB
• Max. displays
  2 3
• Generation
  9 2
• DirectX Version
  --
• Technology
  7 nm 5 nm
• Release date
  Q1/2020 Q1/2022

Let's compare the support of video codecs between Apple A12Z Bionic and Apple M2. Hardware support of video decoding by embedded graphics cards directly affects the speed and quality of rendering videos.

• h265 / HEVC (8 bit)
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• h265 / HEVC (10 bit)
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• h264
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• VP9
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• VP8
  Decode / Encode Decode
• AV1
  No Decode
• AVC
  Decode Decode
• VC-1
  Decode Decode
• JPEG
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode

To choose the best model between Apple A12Z Bionic and Apple M2 you need to pay special attention to memory type, clock frequency, multi-channel features, and PCIe version. The higher these numbers are, the better your CPU will be. Keep in mind that the maximum memory and frequency may also depend on the model of the motherboard.

• Memory type
  LPDDR4X-4266 LPDDR5-5500
• Max. Memory
  16 GB 16 GB
• ECC
  No No
• Memory channels
  2 2
• PCIe version
  4.0

AES-NI encryption support for CPUs Apple A12Z Bionic and Apple M2.

• AES-NI
  No Yes

Let's find out what TDP value would be better for Apple A12Z Bionic or Apple M2? The Thermal Design Power (TDP) indicates the maximum amount of heat that should be dissipated by the chip cooling system. However, the value of TDP gives only a rough indication of the real power consumption of the CPU.

• TDP (PL1)
  15 W 15 W
• TDP up
  -- 20 W
• TDP down
  -- 10 W

Here you can find a comparison of 2nd and 3rd level cache sizes for Apple A12Z Bionic and Apple M2 CPUs along with a list of ISA extensions.

• Instruction set (ISA)
  x86-64 (64 bit) ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
• Virtualization
  None None
• ISA extensions
  Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation
• L2-Cache
  8.00 MB 16.00 MB
• Architecture
  A12 M2
• Technology
  7 nm 5 nm
• Socket
  N/A N/A
• Release date
  Q1/2020 Q1/2022

List of devices based on Apple A12Z Bionic and Apple M2.

• Used in
  Apple iPad Pro 2020 Apple MacBook Air 14 (2022)