Apple M1
VS
Apple M2
Apple M1
VS
Apple M2

Which to select

It is time to pick the winner. What is the difference between Apple M1 vs Apple M2? What CPU is more powerful? It is quite easy to determine – look at comparison table. The processor with more cores/ threads and also with higher frequency is the absolute winner!

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

Who will win between Apple M1 vs  Apple M2. The general performance of a CPU can easily be determined based on the number of its cores and the thread count, as well as the base frequency and Turbo frequency. The more GHz and cores a CPU has, the better. Please note that high technical specs require using a powerful cooling system.

3.20 GHz
Frequency
3.50 GHz
8
CPU Cores
8
No turbo
Turbo (1 Core)
No turbo
No
Hyperthreading
No
No
Overclocking
No
No turbo
Turbo (8 Cores)
No turbo
hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Core architecture
hybrid (big.LITTLE)
4x Firestorm
A core
4x Unknown
4x Icestorm
B core
4x Unknown
--
C core
--

CPU generation and family

Apple M1
Name
Apple M2
Mobile
Segment
Mobile
Apple M1
CPU group
Apple M2
Apple M series
Family
Apple M series
1
Generation
2
--
Predecessor
--
--
Successor
--

Internal Graphics

Some manufacturers complement their CPUs with graphic chips, such a solution being especially popular in laptops. The higher the clock frequency of a GPU is and the bigger its memory, the better. Find a winner - Apple M1 vs Apple M2. 

Apple M1 (8 Core)
GPU name
Apple M2 (8 Core)
3.20 GHz
GPU frequency
3.50 GHz
No turbo
GPU (Turbo)
No turbo
1
Generation
2
128
Execution units
128
2
Max. displays
3
5 nm
Technology
5 nm
Q4/2020
Release date
Q1/2022
8 GB
Max. GPU Memory
16 GB

Hardware codec support

Here we deal with specs that are used by some CPU manufacturers. These numbers are mainly technical and can be neglected for the purpose of the comparison analysis.

Decode / Encode
h264
Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode
JPEG
Decode / Encode
Decode
VP8
Decode
Decode / Encode
VP9
Decode / Encode
Decode
VC-1
Decode
Decode
AVC
Decode
Decode / Encode
h265 / HEVC (8 bit)
Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode
h265 / HEVC (10 bit)
Decode / Encode
Decode
AV1
Decode

Memory & PCIe

These are memory standards supported by CPUs. The higher such standards, the better a CPU’s performance is.

LPDDR4X-4266
Memory type
LPDDR5-5500
16 GB
Max. Memory
16 GB
2
Memory channels
2
No
ECC
No
4.0
PCIe version
4.0

Encryption

Data encryption support

Yes
AES-NI
Yes

Memory & AMP; PCIe

Thermal Management

The thermal design power (TDP), sometimes called thermal design point, is the maximum amount of heat generated by a computer chip or component (often a CPU, GPU or system on a chip) that the cooling system in a computer is designed to dissipate under any workload.

--
Tjunction max.
--
20 W
TDP up
20 W
10 W
TDP down
10 W
15 W
TDP (PL1)
15 W
--
TDP (PL2)
--

Technical details

8
CPU Threads
8
--
L3-Cache
--
5 nm
Technology
5 nm
M1
Architecture
M2
None
Virtualization
None
N/A
Socket
N/A
Q4/2020
Release date
Q1/2022
ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
Instruction set (ISA)
ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
16.00 MB
L2-Cache
16.00 MB
--
Part Number
--
Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation
ISA extensions
Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation

Devices using this processor

You probably know already what devices use CPUs. These can be a desktop or a laptop.

Apple iMac 24 (2021) Apple MacBook Pro 13 (L2020) Apple MacBook Air (2020) Apple Mac mini (2020) Apple iPad Pro 11 (2021) Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
Used in
Apple MacBook Air 14 (2022)

Compatibility

Technologies and extensions

Virtualization technologies

Memory specs

Peripherals