Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon X Elite Processor to Compete with Apple's M3

Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon X Elite Processor to Compete with Apple’s M3

Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon X Elite Processor to Compete with Apple’s M3

At the recently held 2023 Qualcomm Summit, Qualcomm officially introduced its brand new Snapdragon X platform designed specifically for PC.

The flagship model is named the “Snapdragon X Elite.” According to Qualcomm’s official presentation, the Snapdragon X Elite processor boasts superior energy efficiency compared to its main competitors, Apple and Intel.

Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon X Elite Processor to Compete with Apple's M3

In terms of CPU specifications, the Snapdragon X Elite features Qualcomm’s in-house Qualcomm Oryon CPU, built on a 4nm process with a 64-bit architecture, sporting over 12 cores, with a maximum clock speed of 3.8GHz. The maximum single-core and dual-core boost clocks reach 4.3GHz, and it offers a total cache of up to 42MB. It supports LPDDR5x memory with a maximum capacity of 64GB, an 8-channel configuration, and a bandwidth of 136GB/s.

In comparison, Qualcomm’s CEO Cristiano Amon stated that the Snapdragon X Elite outperforms Apple’s 12-core M2 Max chip and Intel’s i7-1355U in single-threaded performance. When it comes to peak performance similar to the M2 Max, i7-1355U, or i7-1260P, the Snapdragon X Elite’s power consumption is only one-third of its competitors.

Compared to Intel’s current flagship mobile CPU, the i7-13800H, the Snapdragon X Elite delivers around a 60% performance improvement with power consumption only a third of the 45W.

In terms of multi-core performance, the Snapdragon X Elite achieves a 50% faster peak performance compared to Apple’s M2 processor and is twice as fast as Intel’s i7-1355U and i7-1360P. Furthermore, power consumption at peak performance is only one-third of the latter two.

Regarding the GPU, the Snapdragon X Elite integrates an Adreno GPU, supporting DX12 with 4.6 TFlops of compute power. In Qualcomm’s official presentation, the integrated graphics performance is twice as fast as Intel Xe integrated graphics in the i7-13800H with only a quarter of the power consumption. Compared to the AMD R9 7940HS with the 780M integrated graphics, the Snapdragon X Elite achieves around 80% higher performance with just one-fifth of the power consumption, a significant improvement.

To embrace the AI era, the Snapdragon X Elite also integrates the Hexagon NPU with 45 TOPs of AI compute power, surpassing current mobile CPUs and capable of running large voice AI models with over 13 billion parameters at lightning speed.

In other aspects, the Snapdragon X Elite will support the X65 5G modem with speeds of up to 10Gbps, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and a maximum of three USB 4.0, two USB 3.2 Gen2, and one eUSB 2.0 ports. It also supports DP 1.4 and can simultaneously drive three 4K 60Hz displays or five displays. Furthermore, it supports AV1 encoding, 4K HDR video decoding, and will be compatible with the upcoming Windows 12 operating system.

Devices equipped with the Snapdragon X Elite chip are expected to hit the market in mid-2024, with initial partners including Microsoft, Lenovo, HP, Dell, and other top manufacturers.

The Snapdragon X Elite is just one model in the Snapdragon X platform, and Qualcomm anticipates launching multiple models across various price ranges to compete with Intel, AMD, and Apple.

Of note, Apple recently announced an upcoming event scheduled for October 31 in Beijing, where they are likely to unveil the new M3 series of chips, including the M3 Pro and M3 Max. The M3 chips may use TSMC’s 3nm manufacturing process, which could result in improved performance and energy efficiency. Once the Snapdragon X Elite is officially available, Apple’s M series chips and Mac may face their most significant challenge since their release.