How to read this page. Each section starts Simple, then goes to a Deep dive: stop wherever you have what you need. The small numbers are sources: click one to open the original document. Where the maker has not published a figure -- a price, a die size, a factory address -- this page says so rather than estimate it.
1.At a glance
SimpleStart here
A13 Bionic is the chip Apple called “the fastest chip ever in a smartphone” at launch, 10 September 2019, with iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max 1.
Deep diveThe technical detail
Unusually for an A-series chip, neither Apple’s Newsroom releases nor its tech-specs page for iPhone 11 Pro state an exact CPU or GPU core count 12 — both simply say “A13 Bionic chip” and “Third-generation Neural Engine.” This page reports that gap directly rather than filling it from outside sources.
2.Launch and history
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A13 Bionic is the chip that put dedicated machine-learning hardware directly inside the CPU itself, not just alongside it in a separate Neural Engine block.
Deep diveThe technical detail
Confirmed verbatim from the iPhone SE (2020) announcement: “A13 Bionic was built with a focus on machine learning, with a dedicated 8-core Neural Engine capable of 5 trillion operations per second, two Machine Learning Accelerators on the CPU and a new Machine Learning Controller to balance performance and efficiency” 3. The Neural Engine’s 5-trillion-operations figure is identical to the one Apple stated a year earlier for A12 Bionic — a genuine flat spot in the Neural Engine’s year-over-year throughput claim, not an error on this page’s part.
3.What’s inside it
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Apple’s own material for A13 Bionic never states a CPU or GPU core count — a gap unique among the A-series chips this site has checked. The one number Apple did confirm precisely is the Neural Engine’s.
Deep diveThe technical detail
Apple has not disclosed CPU core count, GPU core count, transistor count, or process node for A13 Bionic in the iPhone 11 Pro Newsroom release, the iPhone 11 base release, or the iPhone 11 Pro tech-specs page — all three were checked directly 142. The only precisely-stated architectural fact across any official A13 material found is the Neural Engine: 8-core, 5 trillion operations per second 3.
4.Full spec table
SimpleStart here
The Neural Engine: 8 cores, 5 trillion operations per second. CPU and GPU core counts are not stated in any official Apple source found 3.
Deep diveThe technical detail
| Spec | Apple A13 Bionic |
|---|
| CPU | Not disclosed by Apple (core count not stated) |
|---|
| GPU | Not disclosed by Apple (core count not stated) |
|---|
| Neural Engine | 8-core, up to 5 trillion operations/sec |
|---|
| Process node | Not disclosed by Apple |
|---|
| Transistor count | Not disclosed by Apple |
|---|
| Memory | Not disclosed by Apple |
|---|
Neural Engine figure per Apple’s iPhone SE (2020) announcement 3, the only official source found that states it precisely. This is the thinnest official spec sheet of any A-series chip on this site — not a gap in this page’s research, but a genuine gap in Apple’s own public disclosure for this specific generation.
5.Where it’s made
SimpleStart here
Apple does not disclose a process node or manufacturer for A13 Bionic in any official source found.
Deep diveThe technical detail
Unlike A12 Bionic (7nm, explicitly claimed) and A14 Bionic (5nm, explicitly claimed), A13 Bionic’s official material contains no nanometer figure at all — checked directly against both iPhone 11 launch releases 14. This page states that gap honestly rather than assuming the commonly-repeated 7nm figure that circulates in secondary coverage.
6.Which systems use it
SimpleStart here
A13 Bionic shipped in iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max (2019); iPhone SE, 2nd generation (2020); and iPad, 9th generation (2021) 435.
Deep diveThe technical detail
This gives A13 Bionic one of the longest active shipping lifespans of any A-series chip — from its September 2019 debut through the iPad 9th generation’s launch in September 2021, a full two years later, still being sold as the chip in Apple’s entry-level tablet 5.
7.Official pricing
SimpleStart here
Not applicable. A13 Bionic was never sold as a separate, priced component.
Deep diveThe technical detail
No official Apple source lists a standalone chip price for A13 Bionic.
9.What came before, what came next
SimpleStart here
Came before: A12 Bionic. Came after: A14 Bionic, announced September 2020.
Deep diveThe technical detail
A13 Bionic sits between two chips Apple made unusually specific process-node claims for (A12’s 7nm first, A14’s 5nm first) — making its own silence on the topic more conspicuous by comparison.
10.Hidden in plain sight
SimpleStart here
Apple’s own most-detailed public claim about this entire chip is about its battery life, not its silicon.
Deep diveThe technical detail
Across every official source checked for this page, the most specific, numeric claim Apple made about A13 Bionic-era iPhones is the battery-life comparison in the iPhone 11 Pro release — “up to four more hours” and “up to five hours more” than the prior generation 1 — not a CPU, GPU, or transistor figure. For a chip Apple called “the fastest ever in a smartphone,” that is a striking gap in Apple’s own numbers.