Apple A17 Pro in 2026: A 2023 Flagship Chip That Still Holds Its Own

Dark smartphone chip with glowing green circuits above a titanium phone silhouette.
Apple A17 Pro benchmarksApple A17 Pro benchmarks still tell a useful story in 2026, three years after the chip launched inside the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. The numbers place a 2023 flagship chip well behind its A18 Pro and A19 Pro successors, yet comfortably ahead of what most daily tasks demand.

That gap is the whole point of this profile. A used iPhone 15 Pro is now a value question, and the benchmark record is the evidence that answers it.

The chip arrived on September 12, 2023, as the first 3-nanometer smartphone chip, according to Apple, and the first Apple chip to carry the Pro name.

The Short Version

  • Launched September 12, 2023, in the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max; 3nm TSMC, 19 billion transistors.
  • AnTuTu 11 total 1,467,470 (CR); Geekbench 6 single-core 2,969, multi-core 7,599 (CR).
  • Six-core CPU: 2 Everest cores at 3.78 GHz, 4 Sawtooth cores at 2.11 GHz.
  • Six-core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing, plus a Neural Engine rated at 35 TOPS.
  • NanoReview score 77 out of 100 (CR); CPU 82, gaming 59.
  • Two newer generations now sit above it: the A18 Pro (September 2024) and the A19 Pro (September 2025).

Why This Chip Still Deserves a Look in 2026

Three years is a long time in phone silicon. The A18 Pro and A19 Pro have both arrived since, and each one widened the performance gap.

Apple A17 Pro benchmarks make the generation position plain. This is not a current-generation chip. Apple followed it with the A18 Pro in 2024 and the A19 Pro in 2025, and NanoReview names the A20 Pro as the successor line. A used iPhone 15 Pro should be judged as a three-year-old flagship, not as a rival to the newest Pro phones.

Apple A17 Pro benchmarks: the silicon in brief

Apple A17 Pro benchmarks rest on a six-core CPU with a 2-plus-4 layout: two Everest performance cores at 3.78 GHz and four Sawtooth efficiency cores at 2.11 GHz. The design uses the ARMv8.6-A instruction set, with 256 KB of L1 cache and 16 MB of L2 cache.

The chip is built on a 3-nanometer TSMC process with 19 billion transistors, according to NanoReview. Memory is LPDDR5 at 3,200 MHz, with up to 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth and a maximum of 8 GB. The modem is the Snapdragon X70, with 5G support and downloads up to 7,500 Mbps. Apple said at launch that the performance cores were 10 percent faster than the A16, and the GPU up to 20 percent faster. Those are company claims, not independent measurements. The numbers below are crowd aggregates from NanoReview, labelled (CR).

◆ CHIP PROFILE
A17 Pro · A18 Pro · A19 Pro
Three Generations, Side by Side
THE SILICON, COMPARED
Specs from NanoReview (CR)
Spec A17 Pro A18 Pro A19 Pro
Announced Sep 2023 Sep 2024 Sep 2025
Process 3nm TSMC 3nm TSMC 3nm TSMC
CPU 2x 3.78 GHz + 4x 2.11 GHz 2x 4.05 GHz + 4x 2.42 GHz 2x 4.26 GHz + 4x 2.60 GHz
GPU 6-core, 1,398 MHz 6-core, 1,490 MHz 6-core, 1,620 MHz
Memory LPDDR5, 51.2 GB/s LPDDR5X, 60 GB/s LPDDR5X, 76.8 GB/s
Modem Snapdragon X70 Snapdragon X71 Snapdragon X80
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 6 Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 7
NanoReview score 77 (CR) 82 (CR) 95 (CR)
* Scores and specs: NanoReview crowd aggregates (CR), not controlled lab results
◆ END OF REPORT ◆

Apple A17 Pro benchmarks: AnTuTu 11 and Geekbench 6

Apple A17 Pro benchmarks start with AnTuTu 11, where NanoReview records a total of 1,467,470 (CR) for the chip. The two phones that carry it sit close together: the iPhone 15 Pro Max records 1,467,470 and the iPhone 15 Pro records 1,452,754 on AnTuTu 11 (CR).

Testing note: these scores come from different phones, not one shared test body. A chip score reflects the phone around it, including cooling, memory and software, so read the gaps as directional, not as a same-phone verdict.

◆ BENCHMARK SCORES
AnTuTu 11 · Geekbench 6 (CR)
Crowd Aggregates, Not Lab Tests
PHONE BENCHMARK SCORES
AnTuTu 11 and Geekbench 6, NanoReview (CR)
Chip (reference phone) AnTuTu 11 (CR) Geekbench 6 single (CR) Geekbench 6 multi (CR) Geekbench 6 Compute (CR)
A17 Pro (iPhone 15 Pro Max) 1,467,470 2,969 7,599 28,057
A18 Pro (iPhone 16 Pro) 1,782,199 3,570 8,923 33,278
A19 Pro (iPhone 17 Pro) 2,538,751 3,970 10,558 45,708
* All scores: NanoReview crowd aggregates (CR). AnTuTu 11 and Geekbench 6 only; versions never mixed.
◆ END OF REPORT ◆

Geekbench 6 tells the same story in CPU terms. The A17 Pro records 2,969 single-core and 7,599 multi-core (CR), with a Compute score of 28,057 on Metal (CR). Against the A18 Pro, the gaps are about 20 percent single-core and about 17 percent multi-core. Against the A19 Pro, they grow to about 34 percent and about 39 percent.

The AnTuTu gap is wider still. Apple A17 Pro benchmarks sit about 21 percent below the A18 Pro total of 1,782,199 (CR) and about 73 percent below the A19 Pro total of 2,538,751 (CR).

One caution applies to every number here. These are crowd aggregates from NanoReview, pooled from user-submitted results, not controlled lab tests, so treat the figures as directional and the gaps between generations as the reliable signal.

Apple A17 Pro benchmarks: gaming and 3DMark

Apple A17 Pro benchmarks in graphics start with the 3DMark suite. NanoReview records Steel Nomad Light at 1,391 with 71 percent stability, Solar Bay at 6,089 with 73 percent stability, and Wild Life Extreme at 3,655 with 63 percent stability (CR).

The generational pattern is clear. The A18 Pro scores 1,732 in Steel Nomad Light and 7,585 in Solar Bay (CR), about 25 percent ahead on both. The A19 Pro reaches 2,487 and 10,999 (CR), about 79 percent and about 81 percent ahead.

◆ GRAPHICS TESTS
3DMark · NanoReview (CR)
Where the Age Shows Most
3DMARK, GENERATION BY GENERATION
Steel Nomad Light, Solar Bay, Wild Life Extreme (CR)
3DMark test A17 Pro (CR) A18 Pro (CR) A19 Pro (CR)
Steel Nomad Light 1,391 1,732 2,487
Solar Bay 6,089 7,585 10,999
Wild Life Extreme 3,655 Not listed Not listed
* All scores: NanoReview crowd aggregates (CR). Wild Life Extreme was not listed for A18 Pro or A19 Pro.
◆ END OF REPORT ◆

For casual and mid-tier gaming, the A17 Pro remains capable. For the heaviest ray-traced titles at high settings, the newer chips hold a real advantage, and stability figures in the low 70s suggest the A17 Pro throttles under long sessions.

Battery Life and Efficiency

NanoReview gives the A17 Pro a battery life rating of 96, the highest of its three headline ratings. That number needs careful reading. It is a crowd aggregate tied to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, and battery life is a property of the phone, not the chip alone.

Still, the battery in a used iPhone 15 Pro is three years old, and its health depends on how the previous owner charged and used it. Check battery health on the specific phone, not the chip rating, before deciding.

No chip wins on battery here. Battery life is a property of the phone, not the chip alone, and no same-body test settles it.

Connectivity and the Rest of the Package

The Snapdragon X70 modem gives the A17 Pro 5G support, with downloads up to 7,500 Mbps and uploads up to 3,500 Mbps on paper. Real-world speeds depend on the carrier, the plan and the signal. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 cover wireless duties.

Two details mark the chip as a 2023 design: Wi-Fi 6, not Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 5.3, not 6.0. The A18 Pro moved to Wi-Fi 7, and the A19 Pro added Bluetooth 6.0. Most buyers will not feel either gap today.

Who Should Still Buy an iPhone 15 Pro in 2026

Pick an iPhone 15 Pro with the A17 Pro if you want a Pro iPhone at used-market value, you mostly use everyday apps and photography, and you play games occasionally rather than for hours at high settings.

Skip it if you play demanding games daily, you need Wi-Fi 7 at home, or you want the longest possible runway. The A18 Pro and A19 Pro phones are the honest step up.

Either way, judge the specific phone in front of you. Check its battery health, its storage and its physical condition. Apple A17 Pro benchmarks describe the silicon; the phone you hold decides the experience.

Quick Answers

What do Apple A17 Pro benchmarks show in 2026?

Apple A17 Pro benchmarks show a 2023 flagship chip that still performs well for daily use, with AnTuTu 11 at 1,467,470 (CR) and Geekbench 6 at 2,969 single-core and 7,599 multi-core (CR). It trails the A18 Pro by about 21 percent on AnTuTu and the A19 Pro by about 73 percent.

Is the A17 Pro still good for gaming?

It handles casual and mid-tier games well, with a 3DMark Solar Bay score of 6,089 (CR). Heavy ray-traced titles are its weak point. Serious daily gamers will get more from the A18 Pro or A19 Pro.

How does the A17 Pro compare with the A18 Pro?

Apple A17 Pro benchmarks trail the A18 Pro by about 21 percent on AnTuTu 11, about 20 percent on Geekbench 6 single-core and about 17 percent on multi-core (CR).

The Takeaway

The A17 Pro was a genuine step forward in 2023: the first 3nm phone chip, the first Pro-named Apple silicon, and the first with hardware ray tracing.

Its CPU still clears daily work with room to spare. Its GPU still plays most games well, but the newest titles and the newest chips have moved on. None of that makes it a bad chip.

If the used iPhone 15 Pro in front of you is in good condition, with healthy battery life, the A17 Pro inside it will serve most buyers well. That is what Apple A17 Pro benchmarks point to. If you game hard or want the longest runway, spend the step up to a newer Pro chip instead.

Sources

Score methodology: Lab-reviewer (LR) scores come from named outlets with controlled testing. Crowd (CR) scores come from aggregator databases such as NanoReview, which pool user-submitted results and are less controlled. Company (MF) numbers are manufacturer claims. This article uses NanoReview (CR) scores throughout and Apple (MF) claims only where labelled as such.

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