Snapdragon X Plus Tested: Qualcomm's Game-Changer For Next-Gen AI PCs

We recently had the opportunity to meet with Qualcomm to learn the latest about its Snapdragon X processor line-up for emerging AI PCs and to get more hands-on time for performance benchmarks. During our meeting, we got the scoop on the Snapdragon X Plus, a 10-core variant of the platform that will drop into the line-up behind the Snapdragon X Elite. We were also able to play with some of the latest Arm-native software, including Davinci Resolve and the latest web browsers, and chatted with a myriad of folks from Qualcomm to glean additional details on the company's forthcoming power efficient Windows PC offering.

Machines powered by the Snapdragon X aren’t quite ready to ship just yet, but we’re getting closer by the day. So far, all indicators point to this platform being highly competitive, if not class-leading, in terms of performance and efficiency. Here’s the latest...

Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite Features And Specifications

To date, Qualcomm has disclosed a number of details regarding the Snapdrgaon X Elite, but we now have a complete list of specifications and the full initial line-up of chips. The newly announced Snapdragon X Plus isn't listed in the CPU section about, but it is similar the the Snapdragon X Elite model X1E-78-00, minus two processor cores. Details for all of the platform's capabilities are laid out in the table above, including display capabilities, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Cellular connectivity, and camera features. We don't know if all of Qualcomm's partners building systems will enable every feature, but the Snapdragon X will be a premium option, so its likely many of its features and capabilities will be exploited, once machines hit the market in the second half of the year.


The initial line-up of Snapdragon X processors will consist of three Elite options and a single Plus SKU. All of the chips feature the same 45 TOP NPU, 42MB of total cache and a high-speed LPDDR5X (8448MT/s) memory interface, but differ in terms of core counts, clocks, and GPU configuration. Snapdragon X Elite processors all have 12-cores and differ only in their frequencies. The top-end part has a dual-core boost clock of up to 4.2GHz with a multi-core boost of 3.8GHz. The next step down has a dual-core boost of 4GHz and multi-core boost of 3.4GHz, and the rest of the chips -- including the Snapdragon X Plus -- don’t boost at all and top out at 3.4GHz. In terms of their GPU configurations, the top-end Snapdragon X Elite (model X1E-84-100) also features the most powerful engine, capable of 4.6TFLOPs, while the GPU in the rest of the line-up is scaled back somewhat to 3.8TFLOPs.


The branding is somewhat nebulous and confusing in our opinion, but Qualcomm has provided a decoder to help make sense of it all. All of the chips fall under the Snapdragon X umbrella (X), with the next digit representing the generation – the first wave of chips are obviously generation 1. The next letter designated the tier, E for Elite or P for Plus. Then comes the SKU number and the variant. We not quite sure if the SKU numbers actually relate to any feature or spec, but obviously higher numbers equate to a better performing part.

Snapdragon X Expected Performance And Efficiency

Qualcomm provided some power and performance data versus competitive products from Intel and AMD, and threw in an Apple comparison as well. First up, we have some CPU performance curve comparisons...


Using the multi-threaded Geekbench test, Qualcomm is claiming 37% better performance than Intel (Core Ultra 7 155H) and AMD (Ryzen 9 7940HS) at ISO power, and similar performance at 54% lower power for Snapdragon X Plus -- the Elite obviously performs somewhat better with its two additional cores.


In a similar comparison using Cinebench, the deltas are somewhat smaller, but still favor Snapdragon X Plus by wide margins. Here, the the Snapdragon X Plus offers 28% higher performance at ISO power, and it uses 39% less power at similar peak performance.


Versus Apple's latest M3 processor, the comparison is more straightforward. These results represent the geomean of three runs in the Geekbench multi-threaded benchmark. As you can see, both the Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite finish well out in front.


iGPU performance and efficiency also heavily favors the Snapdragon X Plus, according to Qualcomm. At ISO power, using the UL 3DMark Wildlife Extreme test, the 3.8TFLOP Adreno GPU in the Snapdragon X Plus offers 36% better performance or similar performance at up to 50% lower power.

Snapdragon X Plus Performance Explored

Qualcomm also provided us a set of performance metrics to level set our expectations for its two new Snapdragon X PC offerings. Below are some raw numbers for a few of the mainstream benchmark apps with both the 10 and 12-core variants of Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite, that show performance scaling between the two platforms. 

Additional Hands On Testing With the Snapdragon X Elite and Plus

Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus And X Elite Initial Conclusions

When we first got to see the Snapdragon X Elite running first-hand at the Snapdragon Tech Summit late last year, we came away impressed and cautiously optimistic. Virtually all of the information and data revealed by Qualcomm to date has been overwhelmingly positive. Performance versus other mobile platforms at similar power levels appears to be class-leading on both the Snapdragon X Elite and the newly-announced Snapdragon X Plus. All of our CPU, GPU and NPU performance results are very promising. We have to take Qualcomm on their word at this point, but assuming its efficiency is as good as the company claims, the Snapdragon X Platform should offer all of that high performance, while also offering much better battery life than competing platforms.


Until we get our hands on a retail-ready machine from one of Qualcomm’s partners, we will remain cautiously optimistic. Microsoft and a number of ISVs have been making great strides optimizing software for Arm-based processors and many of the initial indicators we have seen are very encouraging. In terms of wireless connectivity, display features, performance and power efficiency, the Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus seem like a home run. By the time they arrive in-market, however, we should know more about Intel’s Lunar Lake and AMD will likely make some noise in the mobile space a few months later. Where Intel’s and AMD’s next-gen parts land in terms of performance and efficiency remains to be seen. For now though, we can only look forward to the Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus. These processor platforms appear to have it all going for them.