Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus processor for laptops called more powerful than Apple M3

Qualcomm has unveiled the Snapdragon X Plus processor for Windows laptops, based on the same Oryon architecture as the Snapdragon X Elite. The company says it’s faster than Apple’s M3 chip and uses less power.

The processor has 10 cores – six productive and four energy-efficient. Unlike the older model, Qualcomm did not implement an increase in clock frequency in it, but each core can operate at a frequency of up to 3.40 GHz, subject to the temperature limit.

The processor also has 42 MB of cache and is built on TSMC’s 4 nm process technology. The Snapdragon X Plus features an Adreno graphics chip with up to 3.8 TFLOPS performance and a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) with 45 TOPS performance.

Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus supports up to 64GB LPDDR5X 8448 MT/s RAM. Laptops with Snapdragon X Plus will be able to get the best webcams using the Qualcomm Spectra ISP image processor – one 64 MP camera or two 36 MP cameras. The chip can support 4K HDR video shooting from a single camera.

The advantage over Apple’s Macbook will be the laptops’ support for 5G networks. There is also compatibility with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 adapters.

When running at maximum performance, the processor consumes approximately 54% than the Intel Core Ultra 7 155Hor AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS. However, Qualcomm didn’t share gaming benchmarks on performance slides, although early testing showed the Snapdragon X Elite could get 30fps in Baldur’s Gate 3 at 1080p with low graphics settings.

Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite will subsequently appear in premium laptops, and for a more affordable segment, Qualcomm has prepared the Snapdragon X Plus chip. The first Windows laptops powered by Snapdragon X Plus will be released in the second half of 2024.