Discussion Apple Silicon SoC thread

[Eug]

M1
5 nm
Unified memory architecture - LP-DDR4
16 billion transistors

8-core CPU

4 high-performance cores
192 KB instruction cache
128 KB data cache
Shared 12 MB L2 cache

4 high-efficiency cores
128 KB instruction cache
64 KB data cache
Shared 4 MB L2 cache
(Apple claims the 4 high-effiency cores alone perform like a dual-core Intel MacBook Air)

8-core iGPU (but there is a 7-core variant, likely with one inactive core)
128 execution units
Up to 24576 concurrent threads
2.6 Teraflops
82 Gigatexels/s
41 gigapixels/s

16-core neural engine
Secure Enclave
USB 4

Products:
$999 ($899 edu) 13" MacBook Air (fanless) - 18 hour video playback battery life
$699 Mac mini (with fan)
$1299 ($1199 edu) 13" MacBook Pro (with fan) - 20 hour video playback battery life

Memory options 8 GB and 16 GB. No 32 GB option (unless you go Intel).

It should be noted that the M1 chip in these three Macs is the same (aside from GPU core number). Basically, Apple is taking the same approach which these chips as they do the iPhones and iPads. Just one SKU (excluding the X variants), which is the same across all iDevices (aside from maybe slight clock speed differences occasionally).

EDIT:



M1 Pro 8-core CPU (6+2), 14-core GPU
M1 Pro 10-core CPU (8+2), 14-core GPU
M1 Pro 10-core CPU (8+2), 16-core GPU
M1 Max 10-core CPU (8+2), 24-core GPU
M1 Max 10-core CPU (8+2), 32-core GPU

M1 Pro and M1 Max discussion here:

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M1 Ultra discussion here:

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M2 discussion here:

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Second Generation 5 nm
Unified memory architecture - LPDDR5, up to 24 GB and 100 GB/s
20 billion transistors

8-core CPU

4 high-performance cores
192 KB instruction cache
128 KB data cache
Shared 16 MB L2 cache

4 high-efficiency cores
128 KB instruction cache
64 KB data cache
Shared 4 MB L2 cache

10-core iGPU (but there is an 8-core variant)
3.6 Teraflops

16-core neural engine
Secure Enclave
USB 4

Hardware acceleration for 8K h.264, h.264, ProRes

M3 Family discussion here:

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M4 Family discussion here:

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[Doug S]

Have mobile sensors and optics made such huge strides lately?

(Or should I take it in the "Homepod speakers are Hi-Fi audio" sort of sense?)

It isn't so much they've made "huge strides" as the cases where a larger sensor (i.e. in a camera used in a big budget Hollywood film) makes a difference are limited. Mostly low light or high contrast scenes. Optics aren't much of an issue because there are external lenses available that can handle a wide zoom range for you when it is needed for stuff like action shots (whether one still considers it "shot on iPhone" in such cases is left to people who want to argue pedantry)

 

[DZero]

I've seen a few different people now say the iPhone Air sometimes overheats when recording video outdoors in warm weather. The same people are saying the 17 Pro does not in the same conditions.

I can understand this, as the heat dissipation on this 17 Pro Max really is great. The soft aluminum being prone to denting and scratches is a downer, but so far this phone has stayed noticeably cooler than my prior 12 Pro Max. It'd be good if they could somehow wedge a vapour chamber into the iPhone Air in a year or two.

Also, I'd hazard to guess the real world battery life on the 17 Pro Max is nearly twice as long as the 12 Pro Max. (And it's not due to battery degradation. The 12 Pro Max has 100% battery health, because Apple replaced its battery earlier this year.) In that context, going from a 12 Pro Max to an iPhone Air would actually be fine in terms of comparative battery life, but going from a 12 Pro Max to a 17 Pro Max is a battery life revelation. I wish I had this battery life back in August when I was on vacation. I was continually fearing my battery dying on my 12 Pro Max as we were often away from a charging port when traveling. I don't think I'd have anywhere near the battery anxiety on the 17 Pro Max, because its battery life is truly stellar.

BTW, on my 12 Pro Max, I’ve deactivated cellular, signed out of iCloud and Messages, and turned off background checking for a bunch of apps, but kept mail and what not on it. I still would occasionally surf on it for short periods and check email. With that type of limited usage, I’ve seen that the battery on even that 12 Pro Max can actually last for a couple of days.

You are lucky... iPhone 11 Pro max and before that, didn't shared the same fate. The first jump came with the 12 series and then by the 15 or 16 came another jump in terms of battery life.

 

[Eug]

I got my Cosmic Orange 17 Pro Max today. That vapour chamber works wonders. Even with installing all the new apps for the initial setup and charging at the same time over MagSafe, the phone only got mildly warm.

Form factor is definitely chonky though. Noticeably thicker than my 12 Pro Max, although feels decent in-hand since the width is the same. Camera is a HUGE upgrade. Like totally different league.

I'm having a hard time getting used to the new phat 17 Pro Max form factor. The 12 Pro Max was a bit awkward for me with my small hands, but the 17 Pro Max is bit more awkward, and may have pushed me over the edge.

The 17 Pro Max is good in the hands if I'm holding it with both hands and typing with both my thumbs, but if I try to hold it in my left hand alone while scrolling with my right, it's more annoying than the 12 Pro Max was, especially with the case I have on it which is a bit thicker than my 12 Pro Max case. So, I bought a 17 Pro and will give that a whirl. Here are the two side by side, in elago silicone cases.



I've only had the iPhone 17 Pro for a few hours but so far I prefer it. However, I do notice that in desktop optimized webpages, the 17 Pro can sometimes feel a bit cramped, maybe partially because I run with 115% zoom for Safari fonts. The Pro also feels small in two-handed typing mode.

 

[fastandfurious6]

what's the real benefit of iphone 17 over iphone 12 other than telescope camera on pro?

phone upgrades stopped being relevant many years ago... phones reached endgame in 2020

 

[okoroezenwa]

what's the real benefit of iphone 17 over iphone 12 other than telescope camera on pro?

I’m sure you can look up comparisons between successive generations of iPhones and make a list. Hell, I’m pretty sure Macrumors used to make posts comparing the latest iPhone to previous generations up to a number of years ago. Maybe they have one for 12 -> 17?

phone upgrades stopped being relevant many years ago... phones reached endgame in 2020

If you say so!

 

[Eug]

what's the real benefit of iphone 17 over iphone 12 other than telescope camera on pro?

phone upgrades stopped being relevant many years ago... phones reached endgame in 2020

As someone who currently has the 12 Pro Max, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max, here are my 2¢.

It depends upon what you use it for. If you do mobile gaming on it, then the 17 series is way, way faster. Also, with 8 GB RAM there is support for AI. Although I don't use most of the AI stuff, I really like the Photos Cleanup feature which is AI assisted removal of objects in photos.

For me though the telephoto is the main reason, along with the general camera improvements. In general the photos in the 17 Pro are noticeably better than the 12 series, even at the same focal lengths, partially due to the larger and much higher resolution sensors (48 MP x 3), and partially due to the improved photo processing hardware and software. There is also the ability to add portrait mode after the fact, which is very, very convenient, and which is not possible on the 12 series. Portrait mode on the 17 series is also higher quality, with better edge recognition. For video, the 17 series also has wind noise reduction, but the 12 series does not. There is also the square* FaceTime sensor on the 17 series, which allows you to choose between landscape and portrait shots while keeping the iPhone in portrait mode (with the centred FaceTime camera at the top, not off to the side).

The iPhone 17 series also has 120 Hz ProMotion, but personally I don't care much. 60 Hz on the 12 series is perfectly fine for me.

The other factor is the battery life. The 12 series doesn't have good battery life.

However, if it weren't for the photo and video upgrades, I could use the 12 Pro Max for a few more years as my primary driver. It's reasonably fast and doesn't significantly lag. 6 GB RAM in an iPhone is still very decent, whereas I had started noticed some mild lags in 3 GB devices (iPhone XR). The mediocre battery life would continue to bug me when I'm not working from home though.

*The FaceTime sensor is not actually square, despite what Apple claimed in its event. It's octagonal, sort of, or actually more of a square with the corners cut off on a curve. That's how vertical and horizontal rectangular images can be generated in portrait orientation, but probably one of the reasons why open gate images from that camera are not allowed.

 

[mvprod123]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1974292624388612122

 

[Eug]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1974292624388612122

What's the difference between C1 and C1X that accounts for the big difference in uploads? BTW, although all the numbers are close enough to not really matter that much, I find it amusing that my kid's budget iPhone 16e with C1 has the fastest download speeds out of all those tested, beating C1X and X80.

 

[adroc_thurston]

What's the difference between C1 and C1X that accounts for the big difference in uploads?

Upload carrier aggregation.