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The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 posts the higher AnTuTu score in 91mobiles’ published comparison, but that result alone does not prove it will be faster in every phone or workload. Apple’s A18 and Qualcomm’s chip also differ in architecture and published specifications, while the available comparison does not establish matched test conditions or identify a specific Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 handset.

How do the A18 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 compare?

Apple introduced the A18 in iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus on September 9, 2024. Apple lists a six-core CPU, five-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine. Qualcomm describes the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 as using a custom Oryon CPU, an Adreno GPU and a Hexagon processor.

Specification or result Apple A18 Snapdragon 8 Gen 5
CPU Six-core CPU, per Apple’s announcement (Apple, September 9, 2024). Custom Oryon CPU. Qualcomm’s product brief specifies two prime cores up to 3.8 GHz and six performance cores up to 3.32 GHz (Qualcomm product brief).
GPU Five-core GPU, per Apple. Adreno GPU, per Qualcomm’s product page.
AI hardware 16-core Neural Engine. Hexagon processor.
Manufacturing process Apple describes second-generation 3-nanometer technology. Qualcomm describes a 3nm process.
AnTuTu score reported by 91mobiles 1,764,170 3,098,258
Connectivity information in the cited chip materials Apple’s cited announcement does not give a directly comparable modem specification. Qualcomm lists X80 modem-RF and FastConnect 7900 capabilities, including 5G and Wi-Fi 7.

Specifications and vendor performance claims are not a controlled head-to-head test. In particular, GHz figures cannot be compared directly across different CPU architectures as if they were a common measure of speed.

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What does the benchmark comparison show?

91mobiles reports AnTuTu scores of 3,098,258 for Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 and 1,764,170 for A18 on its comparison page. That is a higher reported score for the Snapdragon chip in this comparison, not a universal result for all devices using either processor.

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The captured comparison does not establish that both chips were tested in matched phones with the same software, cooling, power limits, AnTuTu version and test conditions. Those variables can affect results. Treat the numbers as one publisher’s reported result; they do not establish how a phone will perform in a particular game, app, or extended workload.

How should you interpret each company’s performance claims?

Apple’s A18 claims use A16 Bionic as the baseline

In its September 9, 2024 announcement, Apple said A18’s CPU is 30% faster than A16 Bionic, its GPU is up to 40% faster and 35% more efficient, and its Neural Engine executes machine-learning models up to 2x faster. These are Apple’s claims against A16 Bionic—not results comparing A18 with Snapdragon 8 Gen 5.

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Qualcomm’s claims use its previous generation as the baseline

Qualcomm describes Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 improvements against the preceding Snapdragon generation. Those generation-over-generation claims do not provide a direct A18 comparison. The cited Qualcomm material lists CPU, GPU, AI and connectivity capabilities, but does not establish a matched A18-versus-Snapdragon benchmark.

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Which chip is likely to be faster in a real phone?

The 91mobiles AnTuTu result favors Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 for that reported test, but the available evidence is not enough to declare an overall winner. Peak benchmark performance is only one part of the experience. A phone’s cooling and sustained power can influence performance over time; software, battery, display, camera and price matter to the purchase decision as well.

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The A18 is tied to identifiable retail devices: iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. The cited sources do not identify a specific retail phone using Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, so they cannot support a phone-versus-phone recommendation. Before comparing actual devices, look for results that name both phone models and disclose the benchmark version, software and test conditions; distinguish a brief peak score from sustained performance.

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What do the specifications say about connectivity and efficiency?

Qualcomm lists X80 modem-RF and FastConnect 7900 capabilities, including 5G and Wi-Fi 7. These are chip-platform capabilities, not a guarantee that every phone will expose every feature: handset design and market configuration also matter. Apple’s cited A18 launch announcement focuses on iPhone features and does not provide a directly comparable modem specification.

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The process labels and efficiency statements also do not settle which phone lasts longer on a charge. Apple’s stated 35% GPU-efficiency improvement is relative to A16 Bionic, while Qualcomm’s efficiency claims are relative to its previous generation. Neither comparison establishes battery life for an A18 phone versus a Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 phone.

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