Apple A18 vs Dimensity 9400

The Apple A18 and the Dimensity 9400 are both flagship chips, made by Apple and MediaTek. In Geekbench 6, the two chips are nearly level in multi-core (8,023 vs 8,068), but the Apple A18 is 32% faster in single-core. In 3DMark Steel Nomad Light, a graphics test, the Dimensity 9400 scores 48% higher (2,370 vs 1,596).

Apple Flagship

Apple A18

#19 of 116 chipsets · 3 phones

MediaTek Flagship

Dimensity 9400

#18 of 116 chipsets · 4 phones

Benchmarks head to head

Full chipset ranking

Multi-core Geekbench 6

Nearly level
Apple A18 8,023
Dimensity 9400 8,068

Single-core Geekbench 6

Apple A18 +32%
Apple A18 3,288
Dimensity 9400 2,493

Graphics 3DMark Steel Nomad Light

Dimensity 9400 +48%
Apple A18 1,596
Dimensity 9400 2,370

Higher is better. Bars are relative to the faster chip in each test. A dash means we don’t have a reliable result for that chip yet.

Key facts

Specs from the chip makers. The better result in each benchmark is highlighted.

Apple A18Dimensity 9400
Maker Apple MediaTek
Class Flagship Flagship
Announced Sep 2024 Oct 2024
Process 3 nm TSMC N3E 3 nm TSMC N3E
CPU 6 cores 2× 4.04 GHz + 4× 2.2 GHz 8 cores 1× 3.62 GHz + 3× 3.3 GHz + 4× 2.4 GHz
Max CPU speed 4.04 GHz 3.62 GHz
GPU Apple 5-core GPU Immortalis-G925 MC12
5G modem 5G via a separate modem Built-in 5G
Place in our ranking #19 of 116 #18 of 116 (better)
Geekbench 6 single-core 3,288 (better) 2,493
Geekbench 6 multi-core 8,023 8,068
Graphics (3DMark Steel Nomad Light) 1,596 2,370 (better)
Phones in our database 3 phones 4 phones
Best-rated phone Apple iPhone 16 Plus 7.4 OPPO Find X8 Pro 8.8
Lowest US launch price $599 Apple iPhone 16e —
Newest phone Apple iPhone 16e Feb 2025 OPPO Find X8 Pro Oct 2024

Phones with the Apple A18

3 phones in our database, best rated first.

Phones with the Dimensity 9400

4 phones in our database, best rated first.

Compare the Apple iPhone 16 Plus and OPPO Find X8 Pro All about the Apple A18 All about the Dimensity 9400

Apple A18 vs Dimensity 9400: FAQ

Which is faster, the Apple A18 or the Dimensity 9400?

In Geekbench 6, the two chips are nearly level in multi-core (8,023 vs 8,068), but the Apple A18 is 32% faster in single-core. In 3DMark Steel Nomad Light, a graphics test, the Dimensity 9400 scores 48% higher (2,370 vs 1,596). Real-world speed also depends on how well each phone keeps the chip cool and on its software.

Is the Apple A18 or the Dimensity 9400 better for gaming?

3DMark Steel Nomad Light measures graphics performance, which matters most for games. The Dimensity 9400 scores 48% higher than the Apple A18 (2,370 vs 1,596). Cooling, screen refresh rate and game support also make a difference, so check the phones themselves.

Which is newer, the Apple A18 or the Dimensity 9400?

The Dimensity 9400 is newer: it was announced in October 2024, while the Apple A18 was announced in September 2024.

Which phones use the Apple A18 and the Dimensity 9400?

The Apple A18 powers 3 phones in our database, including the Apple iPhone 16 Plus, Apple iPhone 16 and Apple iPhone 16e. The lowest US launch price with this chip is $599, for the Apple iPhone 16e. The Dimensity 9400 powers 4 phones in our database, including the OPPO Find X8 Pro, vivo X200 Pro and OPPO Find X8.

Where do these benchmark scores come from?

They are reference results for each chip: the median of several Geekbench 6 runs on retail phones. The 3DMark Steel Nomad Light graphics score is the median of the results for retail phones with the chip in the official ranking of UL, the maker of 3DMark. The same chip can score a little differently from phone to phone, depending on cooling, clock speeds and software.

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