Skip to main content

The iPhone 7 is more powerful than the MacBook Air — but there's a catch

iphone 7 more powerful macbook air a10 chip
Image used with permission by copyright holder
The iPhone 7 is one of the most powerful smartphones to date, but did you know that’s it’s actually more powerful than plenty of computers? In fact, it’s more powerful than both the MacBook Air and the 2013 MacBook Pro.

This appraisal comes from John Gruber, who notes that the iPhone 7 pretty much leaves every other smartphone in the dust when it comes to performance, achieving a single-core score of 3,450 on Geekbench, which is around twice the score as the second-best device, the Samsung Galaxy S7.

Recommended Videos

It’s only recently that we have even been able to compare smartphones and computers. Previously, there wasn’t a direct comparison between Geekbench’s scores for desktop and mobile devices, but Geekbench has made a recent effort to bring the two scoring systems in line with each other to make for easier comparison.

Still, there are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to benchmarks. Benchmarks are an indicator of a phone’s performance, but they don’t always line up with real-world results. In fact, manufacturers can sometimes optimize how a phone runs to achieve higher benchmark scores while leaving real-life performance behind.

The other thing to remember is that Geekbench measures things like CPU speed, but the amount of RAM and SSD speed will help make the MacBook perform a lot faster.

Still, that doesn’t take away from the fact that the iPhone 7 is really the most powerful smartphone ever, and whether the iPhone 7 is more powerful than MacBooks or not, it’s still impressive.  Other smartphone manufacturers will likely be playing catch up for at least the next few months or so. It will be interesting to see how Android handsets stack up against the iPhone 7 once the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 starts shipping on devices.

Christian de Looper
Christian de Looper is a long-time freelance writer who has covered every facet of the consumer tech and electric vehicle…
Apple might discontinue its most ‘courageous’ iPhone accessory
Apple's Lightning to 3.5mm headphone adapter.

Apple introduced the iPhone 7 in 2016. The phone is noted for being the first Apple handset to ship without a traditional 3.5mm headphone jack — something Apple infamously praised as a move that took "courage."

At a time when most wired headphones needed one of those jacks to listen to music, Apple had an interesting solution: a Lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter that shipped with every new phone. According to MacRumors, Apple is set to end production on that accessory.

Read more
It’s the end of the road for these two iPhone models
Apple iPhone 6S Plus

Seeing your favorite handheld gaming device in a retro store has a unique way of making you feel old, but Apple might have topped it. According to the company, the iPhone XS Max and iPhone 6s Plus are now "vintage." They join the ranks of the iPhone 4 and even the iPad Pro 12.9-inch model.

It's not wholly unexpected. Apple declares a device vintage after five years, and that means it becomes more difficult to have that device repaired or to find replacement parts for it. Obsolete is applied to products that are more than seven years old, but sometimes certain variants get that label early.

Read more
MacBook Pro 16 vs. MacBook Pro 14: here’s which M4 you should buy
The MacBook Pro 16-inch on a table.

MacBook Pros are some of the best laptops money can buy. With the M4 chip now onboard, these laptops have never been so powerful, and the update brings some interesting upgrades, such as the improved 12-megapixel webcam and brighter screen. They're the best MacBooks that have ever been made, and it's a perfect time to pick one up based on upgrade timing.

But just because the entire MacBook Pro lineup is better now, that doesn't mean it's any easier to choose between the two size options that are available. Despite the fact that they include many of the same features, the 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro feel like entirely different systems due to their contrast in size.

Read more