An A5 Powered iPhone Will Have Much Faster Graphics Performance (Benchmarks)

While most of the recent focus has been whether or not the next iPhone will have a dramatic external redesign, one feature that seems to be universally agreed on is that the new iPhone will incorporate the much faster dual-core A5 processor, which also houses a much faster graphics processing unit (GPU).

The A5 was first introduced in the iPad 2 in March. At the time, Apple said the iPad 2 had up to nine times the graphics performance as the original A4-powered iPad.

a5bench
A recent set of GLBenchmark tests by Anandtech (graph above) shows how much faster in this the A5's GPU is as compared to the A4, at least with respect to certain graphics performance. The results may not be exact, as Apple could underclock the new iPhone's CPU as compared to the iPad 2, but the results should be somewhat representative.

Apple is expected to announce the new iPhone on Tuesday, October 4th during a media event.

Popular Stories

CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday April 15, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is less than two months away, and there are already a handful of new features that are expected with the update. Apple should release the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.4.1 With Bug Fixes

Wednesday April 16, 2025 10:11 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4.1 and iPadOS 18.4.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.4.1 and iPadOS 18.4.1 come two weeks after the launch of iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. There have been complaints about ...
tvOS 18 Thumb 1

Apple Releases tvOS 18.4.1

Wednesday April 16, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released tvOS 18.4.1, a minor update to the tvOS 18 operating system that came out last September. tvOS 18.4.1 comes two weeks after Apple released tvOS 18.4, and it is available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models. tvOS 18.4.1 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software....
iPhone Security Feature 25

Five iPhone Security Features You Should Be Using

Wednesday April 16, 2025 4:15 pm PDT by
Apple has quite a few security features that it's added to iPhones, iPads, and Macs over the years. Now more than ever, it's important to make sure you're taking advantage of the built-in security tools that are available to keep yourself and your data safe, so we've rounded up a list of the most important options. If you don't already have these enabled, you might want to consider turning...

Top Rated Comments

Reach9 Avatar
177 months ago
I'm thinking that the A5 will be even more significant for the iPhone, than the iPad, since it's a smaller device. We're looking at a beast here guys. 1GB of RAM, Dual Core A5 processor, this thing will run like water.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
topmounter Avatar
177 months ago
So in short,

The iPad2 processor is faster than the iPhone4 processor and if they put the iPad2 processor in the new iPhone(4S/5), then IT WILL HAVE A FASTER PROCESSOR THAN THE IPHONE4!!1!

Startling.

Is this just to get something new on the front page?
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sanz315 Avatar
177 months ago
Preparing the masses for a total let down.

I believe MacRumors is just preparing us for a letdown on Tuesday. No Legendary iPhone 5. So they are kinda telling us to cheer up because well get an A5 on our iPhone 4S's :(
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kjjnk Avatar
177 months ago
I'm a 3GS owner -- I've been eligible to upgrade for over a year. I passed on the iP4 because of shoddy materials (fragile glass is not durable enough for a tech item I handle over 100 times per day) and signal issues.

I will not buy the iPhone 5 if it uses the same flawed design as the 4.

Plus, as I said earlier, the A5 could be a beast, but you won't see any major app releases that close the door on iP4 and 3GS users anytime soon (would be leaving too much money on the table) -- at minimum until next summer when the iP6 comes out. By then, Apple will have hopefully ditched the terrible design and I'll be more than happy to upgrade.

This is how I'm picturing you:
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
r2fa3l Avatar
177 months ago
I believe everyone already expected this.........
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
oiuh151 Avatar
177 months ago
Yup.

And I'd be shocked if any of the apps written in the near future (read: 8-12 months) will take advantage of this so as to not to alienate the legacy hardware in the iP4.

Big speed increase that you won't see any real benefit from for some time.

Eh?

There were a ton of optimized apps for the iPad 2 at launch that still supported the original iPad.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)