iPhone 18 Pro's Vapor Emulator Matches GTX 1650 Performance in GTA V

Apple set the standard for modern smartphones with its first iPhone in 2007, a benchmark that Android platforms later strived to meet in terms of performance. This led to a competitive era where advancements in mobile technology were consistently matched and surpassed by rivals. Today, Apple appears to lead in graphical performance. The GPU within the Apple A20 Pro chip has shown an impressive capability, matching a GTX 1650 graphics card in Grand Theft Auto V while consuming minimal power.

Just a few years ago, the iPhone 15 Pro showcased its ability to play console and PC games by running titles like Resident Evil 8 Village on its iOS port. This was a significant development for mobile devices, which, despite their power, hadn't previously been envisioned as platforms for such demanding games. This paved the way for more ports and versions of other titles, including Resident Evil 4 Remake and Assassin's Creed Mirage.

iPhone 18 Pro Max with A20 Pro Exceeds 60 FPS in GTA V via Vapor

With the latest A20 Pro chip powering the iPhone 18 Pro, Apple has achieved performance exceeding its initial presentation claims. Specifically for Resident Evil 4 Remake, the chip improved average FPS by 50.3% and minimum FPS by a notable 77.8%. This already indicated its substantial power, but the ability to rival a GTX 1650 in games like GTA V was unexpected. This comparison was made using the game's benchmark on an iPhone 18 Pro Max through emulation with Vapor.

During testing, the emulator achieved an average of 66 FPS in the urban driving scene and reached 80 FPS in other segments. These results were obtained with the game running at 1080p, Medium/Normal graphics settings, DirectX 11, High textures, FXAA, 16x anisotropic filtering, 75% population density, 50% draw distance scaling, MSAA disabled, and sharp shadows enabled.

Performance Significantly Outperforms Madeira Emulation

The performance is striking given that it involves emulating PC games on iOS via Metal. It significantly surpasses previous results seen with Madeira, another emulator that uses multiple compatibility and translation layers. In contrast, Madeira ran GTA V at approximately 30 FPS, making Vapor more than twice as fast.

Beyond frame rates, visual quality is also superior. The Vapor test achieved 1080p with medium-high graphics, whereas Madeira operated at minimum settings and 720p. Vapor is not yet publicly available; its developer is currently refining the emulator, optimizing it, and resolving bugs to ensure a polished release.