Apple’s latest A19 Pro chip, that powers the iPhone 17 Pro series, is already making headlines thanks to early benchmark leaks. If the numbers hold up, Apple may once again stay ahead of Qualcomm in raw CPU performance – a rivalry that has defined the smartphone chip race for years. Also Read: Apple OLED MacBook Pro May Finally Come With Touchscreen Support By 2026: Report
A Geekbench test reportedly from the iPhone 17 Pro Max showed the A19 Pro scoring 4,019 points in single-core and 11,054 in multi-core. That’s about a 20% jump compared to last year’s A18 Pro, which powered the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The new chip is said to be built on TSMC’s 3nm process, promising not just better speed but also greater efficiency during long, sustained tasks. 
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On the Android side, leaker Digital Chat Station claims that Qualcomm’s next flagship chip – the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, expected in early 2026 – will reach around 3,393 single-core and 11,515 multi-core. While this suggests Qualcomm is closing the gap, Apple still appears to have the edge in single-core power, a crucial factor for everyday app performance and responsiveness. Also Read: Apple iPhone 16 to Be Available Under Rs 50,000 in Flipkart’s Big Billion Days Sale: Check The Deal Here
That said, not everyone is convinced by the highest A19 Pro scores. Some listings suggest the chip’s multi-core performance may sit below 10,000, sparking speculation that the stronger results could have been achieved in controlled conditions, possibly with cooling aids. If that’s true, the real-world gains might not feel quite as dramatic as the leaks suggest.
Still, even with this uncertainty, Apple’s strength in CPU design and tight integration between hardware and software keeps iPhones consistently fast and reliable. Qualcomm, meanwhile, is expected to push back with improvements in graphics and AI capabilities, areas where Android devices have recently shown strong progress.
With the iPhone 17 lineup already released and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 due just months later in Android phones, the battle for smartphone performance supremacy looks far from over.
