Qualcomm has claimed that its next-generation Snapdragon X Elite platform can beat Apple’s M2 Max and Intel’s Core i9-13980HX processors in single-threaded performance while consuming significantly less power.
The Snapdragon X Elite is not yet available in commercial products, but it is expected to be released in mid-2024. It could be a major competitor to the M2 Max and other high-end mobile processors if it can live up to its promises.
How will compare to Apple M2 Max in performance and power efficiency? Find out here.
Snapdragon X Elite is promised to have performance and efficiency gains over the M2 Max
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite is a new ARM-based platform designed to challenge Apple’s M2 Max chip as the leading mobile processor for Windows laptops. It is powered by the new Oryon CPU, which Qualcomm claims can deliver up to 30% better single-threaded performance and 70% better power efficiency than the M2 Max.
Here is a table comparing the M2 Max, i9-13980HX, and Snapdragon X Elite:
| Processor | Cores/Threads | Clock Speed | Single-Threaded Performance | Multi-Threaded Performance | Power Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M2 Max | 12/14 | 3.5GHz | Slightly behind i9-13980HX | Slightly ahead of i9-13980HX | Better than i9-13980HX |
| Intel Core i9-13980HX | 24/32 | 5.6GHz | Slightly ahead of M2 Max | Slightly ahead of M2 Max | Worse than M2 Max |
| Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite | 12/14 | 3.5GHz | Claims to beat M2 Max | Claims to beat M2 Max | Claims to be better than M2 Max |
Performance
Qualcomm has released some benchmarks that show the Snapdragon X Elite outperforming the M2 Max in Geekbench 5.1 by a margin of 3.227 to 2,841 points. It also outperforms the Intel Core i9-13980HX by a margin of 3,227 to 3,192 points.
In terms of power efficiency, Qualcomm claims that the Snapdragon X Elite consumes 30% less power than the M2 Max at peak performance and 70% less power than the Core i9-13980HX at peak performance.
Features
The Snapdragon X Elite platform includes a number of features that make it well-suited for Windows laptops, including:
- Support for Windows 11 and Windows 10
- Compatibility with existing Windows applications
- Support for Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4
- Support for 5G connectivity
- Support for AI-powered features such as image processing and voice recognition
Benefits
The Snapdragon X Elite platform offers a number of benefits over traditional x86-based mobile processors, including:
- Better performance in single-threaded workloads
- Improved power efficiency
- Support for 5G connectivity and AI-powered features
- Potential impact
The Snapdragon X Elite platform has the potential to revolutionize the Windows laptop market. If it can deliver on its performance and efficiency promises, it could lead to more innovative and affordable Windows laptops.
Potential use cases
The Snapdragon X Elite platform is well-suited for a variety of use cases, including:
- Ultraportable laptops: The Snapdragon X Elite’s power efficiency makes it ideal for ultraportable laptops that need to provide long battery life.
- Gaming laptops: The Snapdragon X Elite’s performance makes it suitable for gaming laptops. It can also be used to power cloud gaming services.
- Business laptops: The Snapdragon X Elite’s performance and features make it suitable for business laptops. It can also be used to power enterprise applications.
- Creative laptops: The Snapdragon X Elite’s performance and AI-powered features make it suitable for creative laptops. It can be used for tasks such as video editing and photo editing.
What to expect next
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite platform is a major step forward for ARM-based processors on Windows laptops. With its promised performance and efficiency gains over the M2 Max, the Snapdragon X Elite has the potential to shake up the market and make Windows laptops more competitive.
However, it is still too early to say how successful the Snapdragon X Elite platform will be. We will have to wait until mid-2024 to see how the Snapdragon X Elite performs in real-world tests and how it is received by consumers.
Read more:
