Qualcomm’s scintillating new Snapdragon X2 Elite chips have prompted a ton of conversations previously few days. Can they make it? What do you want about them? And so on.
While I can’t say whether or not or not the Snapdragon X2 Elite and Elite Extreme will finally succeed, I can give you an inside have a look at what individuals are speaking about–at the least what I’ve heard and overheard–at Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii. If you wish to atone for all of the information, the Snapdragon X2 and X2 Elite offer more cores at as much as 5GHz speeds, consists of optional embedded memory, and preserves the performance on battery from the primary technology.
The good: eye-watering efficiency
If you need a general-purpose productiveness laptop computer, the first-generation Snapdragon X Elite was almost good. The new X2 Elite Extreme appears to be like to be even higher, with (managed) benchmarks that simply blow away Intel’s Core Ultra (Lunar Lake) and AMD’s Ryzen AI 300 chips, from CPU to GPU to the AI-enabling NPU. Qualcomm is actually doing virtually the whole lot customers are asking of it on this area.
The CPU benchmarks look notably juicy. Compared in opposition to rival chips in right now’s laptops, the Snapdragon X2 Elite completely smokes all comers within the Cinebench benchmark beloved by reviewers, in each single- and multi-core checks.
Mark Hachman / Foundry
And the Snapdragon X2 Elite’s NPU provides a whopping 80 TOPs, leaving the competitors within the mud. Whether customers are asking for extra TOPS from an NPU, although, is a query mark.
Roughly doubling the TOPS from the primary model appears to be like nice on paper, and definitely larger numbers are higher. But there’s lots being wager on whether or not shopper functions will have the ability to benefit from its prowess, together with this idea of agentic AI everyone seems to be speaking about. No one is nonetheless fairly positive whether or not that may occur.
UL’s Procyon Computer Vision benchmark checks AI inference efficiency and might faucet into NPUs, in contrast to another AI benchmarks.
Mark Hachman / Foundry
It depends upon the way you see it: Is native AI nonetheless a promoting level? Either means, the Snapdragon X2 Elite seems loaded with {hardware} able to blasting via many of the duties you throw at it, AI or not.
The dangerous: Lukewarm PC vendor help, video games, and lack of battery life speak
I couldn’t assist however discover that solely Asus and HP endorsed the Snapdragon X2 structure, and by way of video in addition — not in particular person on the Snapdragon Summit. The odd “agentic AI” Humain Horizon Pro laptop (which received’t use the X2, however the X1) was there, however not Qualcomm’s established prospects. And the place was longtime Qualcomm backer, Lenovo?
Sure, new companions may at all times be introduced. But I had questions.
Another query: 3D graphics efficiency. Yes, supposedly the Snapdragon X2 Elite about doubles the efficiency of the first-gen X Elite platform, which performed (some) video games at roughly 30 frames per second at 1080p Low efficiency. Doubling that’s, what, 60 fps on the similar decision and picture high quality? What about all of the video games that merely refuse to run properly on the first-gen Snapdragon chips?
On the extra fanatic finish of issues, “there’s nothing preventing” the Snapdragon X2 from connecting to a discrete GPU like Nvidia’s GeForce RTX, based on Qualcomm’s senior vp Kedar Kondap…but it surely doesn’t seem prefer it has, or will. This is a tricky one: Gaming is commonly seen as a high-profile design win, and proof {that a} chip just like the X2 Elite must be seen as an attractive, high-margin gaming CPU. But doing so would instantly minimize right into a key Snapdragon profit: lengthy battery life.
Qualcomm
And that was bizarre, too: Qualcomm actually downplayed the battey lifetime of a Snapdragon X2 laptop computer, referring it to “multi-day” on a few events. I’m undecided if that was as a result of the aggressive panorama had erased that benefit, or what. But it merely was not a giant focus.
Again, Qualcomm does have a cross to bear in its Arm legacy, and the way that impacts software compatibility. This solely actually impacts some bizarre, dusty previous enterprise utilities, the occasional printer, and video games. But video games are the one space the place it will probably make inroads, although Snapdragon merely can’t provide the “it just works” assurance of its X86 rivals anytime quickly.
The ugly: A seize bag
Naturally, any new launch provides alternatives for criticism.
Not solely did individuals take challenge with the Microsoft-esque naming scheme — the X2 Elite Extreme, actually?! — critics made the very legitimate level that this was Qualcomm’s first main structure launch in years. Reviewers bought hands-on tests of the X1 Elite two long years ago, in October 2023, forward of the Snapdragon’s launch alongside Copilot+ PCs in May 2024. Qualcomm adopted it up with the cut-down X1 Plus and X within the interim.
As one attendee identified, “You can’t play on that timetable and expect to win against Intel and AMD,” which launch a brand new or up to date cellular chip structure on an annual cadence.
Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry
Qualcomm’s X1 Elite additionally signaled to Intel and AMD that these rivals wanted to have their very own chips so as. But tying Snapdragon X to Copilot+ and Microsoft’s beleaguered Recall didn’t do a lot for Qualcomm, if something. Qualcomm was the flag-bearer for Windows on Arm, and its (now largely undeserved) reputational issues about app compatibility. Then Intel’s Lunar Lake got here alongside, and provided a really aggressive — and possibly even higher — chip with none of that baggage.
One laptop computer maker instructed me that that they had purchased into the unique X1 Elite partly as a bargaining chip with Intel. People had a whole lot of questions on what that meant for Intel’s upcoming “Panther Lake” chip, which must be unveiled this fall.
In my private opinion, probably the greatest issues Qualcomm ever did was to easily provide a compelling third choice to Intel and AMD. That means all of us benefited from an aggressive marketplace for PC processors that solely continues to warmth up.
Disclosure: Qualcomm held its press briefings in Hawaii, and wouldn’t pre-brief reporters in different places or over video conferences. They paid for my room, boarding, and journey bills, however didn’t ask for or exert any editorial management over this story or different PCWorld content material.