What is the difference between the iPhone Bionic and the M-series chips?

Apple’s iPhone Bionic chips (A-series) and M-series chips differ primarily in their design priorities and intended applications. For mobile devices like iPhones and iPads, the A-series chips, like the A14 or A16 Bionic, prioritize energy efficiency and small size to extend battery life. Compared to the M-series, which are made for Macs and iPads with higher performance requirements, they have smaller GPU configurations and fewer high-performance cores.

However, M-series chips are used in mid- to high-end iPads, like the Air and Pro models. The A17 pro is used in the most recent Mac mini.

With more CPU and GPU cores, larger caches, higher memory bandwidth, and support for unified memory, M-series chips—like the M1 or M2—are better suited for demanding tasks like 3D rendering or video editing. They are based on the same architecture as their A-series counterparts. Furthermore, M-series chips frequently have specialized parts that A-series chips lack, like media engines and faster memory interfaces. Apple’s approach of customizing its silicon to meet the unique requirements of every device category is reflected in this distinction.