Geekbench test shows the iPhone 14's A16 chip, built on a 4nm process, is only marginally faster than the iPhone 13's A15 chip, built on a 5nm process
A Geekbench score for the iPhone 14 Pro with the new A16 Bionic chip has revealed little performance improvement compared to the iPhone 13 Pro from last year.
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple's A15 had delivered measurable CPU and GPU gains in initial testing, while a later A15 review highlighted efficiency gains across workloads. Related coverage had also pointed to an iPhone 14 split in which Pro models received A16 while base models retained A15.
The new Geekbench result makes that product-tier split more consequential: the A16's process change has not translated into a similarly clear year-over-year benchmark jump over the prior Pro chip.
First-order effects
- For iPhone 14 Pro buyers, A16 performance is only marginally ahead of the iPhone 13 Pro's A15 in this Geekbench result, reducing the immediate benchmark-based upgrade case.
- Apple's reported plan to keep A15 in base iPhone 14 models means the A16 remains a Pro differentiator, but not one defined by a large performance leap over the previous Pro generation.
Second-order effects
- The reported A15/A16 split shifts comparisons within Apple's lineup toward the value of Pro-only features and memory configuration rather than CPU benchmark performance alone.
- Apple's earlier A15 efficiency improvements give the company a second performance narrative, as a smaller benchmark gain puts greater weight on gains not captured by this Geekbench result.
Third-order effects
- If successive process transitions continue to yield smaller headline benchmark gains, smartphone chip differentiation will increasingly rest on efficiency and product-line segmentation rather than annual CPU score increases.
- Apple's use of an older chip in base models alongside a newer Pro chip signals a more durable tiering model, with silicon generations serving lineup separation as well as raw-speed advances.
The trend: Flagship smartphone silicon is moving toward smaller year-over-year benchmark gains, making efficiency and tier-specific chip allocation more important to product differentiation.