Early Benchmarks Show Apple’s MacBook Neo Outperforming Top x86 CPUs in Single-Core Tests

Benchmark results from Notebookcheck reveal that the new Apple MacBook Neo, powered by the A18 Pro chip, delivers record-breaking single-core performance that surpasses all current x86 processors from Intel and AMD. In Cinebench 2024 testing, the A18 Pro achieved 147 points while consuming only 3.5 to 4 watts. This efficiency is noteworthy, as the test itself lasts roughly ten minutes and taxes a CPU core consistently during the process. The performance figure places Apple’s chip ahead of even high-end desktop CPUs such as Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K and AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D—not to mention every modern mobile chip from AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm.

The A18 Pro also tops Apple’s previous M3 generation, cementing the company’s continued lead in single-core efficiency. Despite these impressive results, the article notes that Apple’s architectural design includes specialized accelerators that favor workload types optimized for its ecosystem, meaning the raw benchmark may not represent typical real-world usage outside macOS or Apple-optimized software. Notebookcheck suggests that Apple’s tight integration between hardware and software provides a unique advantage versus general-purpose processors. Industry reactions are mixed; some applaud the innovation, while others label the coverage as overly promotional. Regardless, the results signal a new level of competition between Apple’s ARM-based systems and the traditional x86 giants, Intel and AMD.