Yesterday, John Gruber at Daring Fireball highlighted just how well Apple's A10 Fusion chip found in its iPhone 7 stands up to the competition in terms of raw speed.

iphone-7-geekbench-scores

(Image taken from Daring Fireball.)

Looking at Geekbench results for single and multi-core performance across a range of smartphones, Gruber noted that the iPhone 7 series beats all newcomers on every score, including Samsung's new Galaxy S7 and Note 7 Android phones.

More impressively perhaps, the A10 Fusion processor scores faster overall results than every MacBook Air Apple has ever made, only once falling behind a multi-core score recorded for the early 2015 MacBook Air, which is powered by an Intel Core i7 and scores 5650, just edging the iPhone 7's result of 5630. Still, the laptop can't keep up with the A10 chip's raw single-core performance (2989 compared to 3261). Apple's latest flagship phone also performs comparably to an early 2013 MacBook Pro, powered by an Intel Core i5.

Apple has invested heavily in its Ax-series of processors, with some commentators and rumors suggesting it could eventually transition an ARM-based processor to future MacBooks. You can learn more about the technology behind Apple's A10 Fusion chip in MacRumors' dedicated article on the subject.

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

bellang Avatar
123 months ago
"iPhone 7 Series is Faster Than Any MacBook Air Ever Made"
Except the really fast one...
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
neuropsychguy Avatar
123 months ago
The headline isn't misleading. The 2015 Air with the dual core i7 is only faster than the iPhone 7 on the multicore benchmark by about 0.4% but is slower on the single core benchmark by about 8.3%.

That means the iPhone 7 is faster overall.

A benchmark is a severely restricted way of looking at performance but for Apple to offer that level of performance with such a low powered processor in the iPhone 7 is impressive.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macslayer118 Avatar
123 months ago
Misleading title is misleading.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ballis Avatar
123 months ago
So when will we be getting phones capable of running osx when docked to a keyboard and monitor?
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SMIDG3T Avatar
123 months ago
Single-Core twice as fast as the exploding Note7. Love it.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JaySoul Avatar
123 months ago
That's more a commentary on the Macbook Air.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
imac video apple feature

Apple Makes Its Second-Biggest Acquisition Ever

Tuesday February 3, 2026 12:45 pm PST by
Apple recently acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to Financial Times sources. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014. This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019....
Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
iphone 16 pro colors 1

Apple Begins Selling Refurbished iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro Models at Lower Prices

Wednesday February 4, 2026 7:44 am PST by
Apple today began selling certified refurbished iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max models on its online store in the U.S., with prices discounted by 12% to 22% compared to Apple's current or former pricing for the devices. Here were Apple's starting prices when the devices launched in September 2024: iPhone 16: $799 iPhone 16 Plus: $899 iPhone 16 Pro:...
Apple TV Color

Apple TV Announces 12 New Shows and Films Coming This Year

Wednesday February 4, 2026 12:29 pm PST by
Apple on Tuesday previewed 12 new shows and films that will be premiering on the Apple TV streaming service throughout 2026. The new series: Imperfect Women — March 18, 2026 Margo's Got Money Troubles — April 15, 2026 Widow's Bay — April 29, 2026 Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed — May 20, 2026 Cape Fear — June 5, 2026 Lucky — July 15, 2026 The new films: Eternity — ...