Qualcomm recently announced the launch of the new Snapdragon X Plus processor, a more compact variant of the powerful Snapdragon X Elite presented last October. Although the new processor has a lower number of cores compared to its bigger brother, it promises to deliver impressive performance for future laptops.
Technical specifications and performance
The Snapdragon X Plus is equipped with 10 cores operating at a frequency of 3.4 GHz, an Adreno graphics unit with a power of 3.8 TFLOPs and a neural processing unit (NPU) of 45 TOPS, similar to that of the X Elite model. Although the number of cores has been reduced, the overall performance has not been significantly affected, except for the top variant of the X Elite processor.
Compared to the flagship X Elite, which offers up to 18% more performance in single-core and multi-core tests on Geekbench, the Snapdragon X Plus performs admirably, taking into account the lower frequency and the two cores in the minus . In terms of graphics performance, the X Elite, with its 4.6 TFLOPs GPU, manages to outperform the X Plus in the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme test, scoring 42 fps versus 37 fps.
Comparison with Apple M3 processors
Qualcomm claims that the new Snapdragon X processors are superior to the Apple M3 processor, presenting comparative results. The Snapdragon X Elite turns out to be 28% faster than the M3 in multi-core tests on Geekbench, while the X Plus is 10% faster. However, it is important to note that these comparisons were made with the 8-core version of the M3 processor, Qualcomm not including the higher-end M3 Pro and M3 Max models with 12 and 14/16 cores in the analysis.
Availability on the market
According to Qualcomm, laptops equipped with the new Snapdragon X Elite and Plus processors will be available from mid-2024. This indicates that the market for laptops with ARM processors under Windows will experience significant development in the near future.
With impressive specifications and outstanding performance, Snapdragon X Plus promises to be a great option for next-generation laptops, offering a smooth and efficient user experience.
