Apple M2 VS Apple M1 — differences in specs

Comparing Apple M2 vs Apple M1

Comparison of video cards Apple M2 vs Apple M1 in benchmarks and specifications.

Differences Specifications Benchmarks

Differences

Top features of Apple M2

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Higher clock speed

3.50 GHz 3.20 GHz

Around -9% better clock speed

Top features of Apple M1

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Specifications

Complete list of technical specifications

Apple M2 Apple M1

CPU generation and family

Let's find out which one of Apple M2 and Apple M1 is of a more recent generation, and what segment it belongs to.

Specification	Value
Name	Apple M2 Apple M1
Segment	Mobile Mobile
Family	Apple M series Apple M series
Generation	2 1
CPU group	Apple M2 Apple M1

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

In this block we are going to compare Apple M2 vs Apple M1 by main technical specifications: number of cores and threads, base and maximum frequencies, process technology and cache size. The higher these specifications are, the more powerful your CPU will be.

Specification	Value
Frequency	3.50 GHz 3.20 GHz
CPU Cores	8 8
Turbo (1 Core)	No turbo No turbo
CPU Threads	8 8
Turbo (8 Cores)	No turbo No turbo
Hyperthreading	No No
Overclocking	No No
Core architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE) hybrid (big.LITTLE)
A core	4x Avalanche 4x Firestorm
B core	4x Blizzard 4x Icestorm

Internal Graphics

Common specifications for integrated graphics cards in Apple M2 and Apple M1 along with supported interfaces and connection options. This block has no effect on the final efficiency of the CPU.

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

Hardware codec support

Let's compare the support of video codecs between Apple M2 and Apple M1. Hardware support of video decoding by embedded graphics cards directly affects the speed and quality of rendering videos.

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

Memory & PCIe

To choose the best model between Apple M2 and Apple M1 you need to pay special attention to memory type, clock frequency, multi-channel features, and PCIe version. The higher these numbers are, the better your CPU will be. Keep in mind that the maximum memory and frequency may also depend on the model of the motherboard.

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

Encryption

AES-NI encryption support for CPUs Apple M2 and Apple M1.

Specification	Value
AES-NI	Yes Yes

Thermal Management

Let's find out what TDP value would be better for Apple M2 or Apple M1? The Thermal Design Power (TDP) indicates the maximum amount of heat that should be dissipated by the chip cooling system. However, the value of TDP gives only a rough indication of the real power consumption of the CPU.

Specification	Value
TDP (PL1)	15 W 15 W
TDP up	20 W 20 W
TDP down	10 W 10 W

Technical details

Here you can find a comparison of 2nd and 3rd level cache sizes for Apple M2 and Apple M1 CPUs along with a list of ISA extensions.

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

Devices using this processor

List of devices based on Apple M2 and Apple M1.

Specification	Value
Used in	Apple MacBook Air 14 (2022) 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)