During the Snapdragon Technology Summit in October 2023, Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon X Elite, signaling a significant stride for the company in the PC market. Now, Qualcomm further solidifies its position in the PC processor market with the launch of the Snapdragon X Plus chipset.
The Snapdragon X Plus, the latest addition to the Snapdragon X series, boasts performance enhancements. Utilizing a 4nm process, it features a 10-core Oryon CPU clocked at up to 3.4GHz and 42MB of total cache capacity. Compared to the Apple M3, it leads in CPU performance by approximately 10%, and slightly edges out the Core Ultra 7 155H in multi-threaded performance, all while consuming only 46% of the power.
Notably, the Snapdragon X Plus excels in GPU performance, surpassing Intel’s ARC cores by 36% in the 3DMARK Wildlife Extreme test while consuming half the power at peak performance. Additionally, it inherits the Snapdragon X Elite’s ultra-high memory bandwidth and supports external PCIE solo displays, expanding its versatility for future products.
Qualcomm’s marketing strategy for the Snapdragon X series is marked by flexibility. Rather than fixating on a TDP slot, it adapts performance levels based on the product’s thermal design. This flexibility empowers OEMs to customize products according to market demand and product design.
Highlighting its collaboration with ISV partners in the Chinese market, Qualcomm underscores its commitment to localized ecosystems and adaptability across global markets.
The technological prowess of the Snapdragon X series extends beyond performance to AI support. With an NPU hardware capable of up to 45 TOPS, it enables a range of AI experiences, from automatic code generation to AI filters and noise reduction, offline.
- Visual Studio Code Empowers Programmers with Codegen: Instantly Generate Fresh Code Using On-Device Generative AI
- Audacity Transforms Music Creation with Riffusion: Generate New Music from Prompts or Existing Tracks Using On-Device AI
- OBS Studio Revolutionizes Livestreaming with Live Captions: Real-Time Translation of 100 Spoken Languages into Captions Using Whisper On-Device AI
Qualcomm continues to champion Snapdragon Seamless technology, enhancing interoperability and user experiences across devices through partnerships with Google and Microsoft.
Connectivity-wise, the Snapdragon X Plus mirrors the Snapdragon X Elite, boasting Wi-Fi 7, high-frequency concurrent multi-connectivity, and 5G connectivity up to 10GB/s with sub-6GHz and millimeter-wave support.
For imaging, the Snapdragon X Plus supports advanced capabilities, including 18-bit dual ISP and MIPI cameras. On the audio front, it integrates leading Snapdragon Sound features like Bluetooth 5.4 audio transfer.
