Snapdragon X Elite: Qualcomm's Powerful New Laptop Processor

June 22, 2024 by Kelvin Maina

The Snapdragon X Elite is Qualcomm's latest venture into the laptop processor market, promising performance and efficiency on par with Apple's M-series chips. Launched in 2024, these Arm-based processors are designed to power a new generation of Windows laptops, potentially rivaling the best MacBooks in terms of power and endurance.

Performance Benchmarks

Initial benchmarks from various laptops featuring the Snapdragon X Elite show promising results, with performance matching or exceeding Apple M processors and keeping pace with Intel's AI-focused Meteor Lake chips.

General Performance

The Snapdragon X Elite X1E80100, featuring 12 cores and a base clock of 3.4GHz, has shown impressive results in CPU performance tests.

Geekbench 6 Results

Device	Single-core	Multi-core
Microsoft Surface Pro 11	2,813	14,432
HP OmniBook X	2,347	12,861
HP EliteBook Ultra	2,371	12,717
Asus Vivobook S 15	2,418	14,352
MacBook Air 13-inch M3	3,082	12,087
MacBook Air 15-inch M3	3,102	12,052
MacBook Pro 14-inch M3	3,037	11,968
Dell XPS 14 (Meteor Lake)	2,326	12,701
HP Omen Transcend 14 (Meteor)	2,362	13,248
Acer Swift Go 14 (Meteor)	2,364	12,612

While Apple M3 chips lead in single-core performance, Snapdragon X Elite and Intel Ultra 7 CPUs show superior multi-core performance.

Handbrake Video Editing Test

Device	Time (mins:secs)
Microsoft Surface Pro 11	5:24
HP OmniBook X	6:20
HP EliteBook Ultra	6:24
Asus Vivobook S 15	6:50
MacBook Air 13-inch M3	7:40
MacBook Air 15-inch M3	6:34
MacBook Pro 14-inch M3	5:38
Dell XPS 14 (Meteor Lake)	5:49
HP Omen Transcend 14 (Meteor)	4:57
Acer Swift Go 14 (Meteor)	5:16

Snapdragon X Elite laptops performed well in the Handbrake test, generally outpacing Apple M3 MacBooks but falling slightly behind Meteor Lake machines.

Gaming Performance

While the Snapdragon X Elite shows promise in general computing tasks, its gaming performance is currently limited. Many games, including popular titles like Fortnite, are not yet compatible with Arm-based computers.

Civilization VI Frame Rate Test (1080p)

Device	Frame Rate
Microsoft Surface Pro 11	20 fps
HP OmniBook X	20 fps
MacBook Air 13-inch M3	41 fps
MacBook Pro 14-inch M3	51 fps
Dell XPS 14 (Meteor Lake)	47 fps
Acer Swift Go 14 (Meteor)	36 fps

3DMark Benchmark Results

Test	Microsoft Surface Pro 11	Acer Swift Go 14
Time Spy	1887	3827
Fire Strike	5743	8046
Night Raid	24853	27154

These results indicate that for demanding games, dedicated gaming laptops are still the better choice.

Battery Life

Early battery life tests show promising results for Snapdragon X Elite laptops:

Device	Battery Life (hours:mins)
Microsoft Surface Pro 11	12:10 (first run)
MacBook Air 13-inch (M3)	15:10
MacBook Air 15-inch (M3)	17:16
Acer Swift Go 14	8:25

While not yet matching Apple's impressive battery life, the Snapdragon X Elite shows significant improvement over traditional Windows laptops.

Compatibility Issues

A significant challenge for Snapdragon X Elite laptops is software compatibility. Many applications and games are not yet optimized for Arm architecture, leading to compatibility issues at launch.

Notable Incompatible Software:

Various security programs
Some Adobe software (temporary)
Google Drive desktop app
Games like League of Legends and Halo Infinite

However, Qualcomm claims that over 1,000 games on platforms like Steam, Battle.net, and Epic Games Launcher are playable at full HD at 30+ fps on Copilot+ PCs. Cloud gaming services like Xbox Game Pass and GeForce NOW are also supported.

Snapdragon X Elite Variants

Qualcomm offers multiple variants of the Snapdragon X Elite:

X1E-00-1DE: Dev Kit variant for developers
X1E-84-100: Most powerful variant, exclusive to Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge
X1E-80-100: Mid-tier variant
X1E-78-100: Low-tier variant

Comparison of X1E-78-100 and X1E-80-100

Both variants feature:

12-core Oryon CPU
42 MB cache
Max multithreaded frequency of 3.4 GHz
3.8 TFLOPs of Adreno GPU performance
Hexagon NPU capable of 45 TOPS

The key difference is in dual-core boost capabilities:

X1E-80-100: Capable of reaching 4.0 GHz with dual-core boost
X1E-78-100: Lacks dual-core boost option

Performance Comparison

Test	X1E-78-100 (HP Elitebook Ultra)	X1E-80-100 (Microsoft Surface Pro)
Geekbench 6.3 Multi	12,717	14,432
Geekbench 6.3 Single	2,371	2,813
Geekbench ML	2,861	2,859
HandBrake (x64)	9:41	8:12
HandBrake (ARM)	6:53	5:21

The X1E-80-100 variant shows approximately 13-22% better performance in various benchmarks compared to the X1E-78-100.

Final Thoughts

The Snapdragon X Elite represents a significant step forward for Windows laptops, offering competitive performance and potentially superior battery life compared to traditional x86-based processors. While it faces challenges in software compatibility and gaming performance, it shows promise in general computing tasks and AI capabilities.

As more developers optimize their software for Arm architecture and Qualcomm continues to refine its chipsets, Snapdragon X Elite-powered laptops could become increasingly attractive alternatives to both Intel-based Windows laptops and Apple's MacBooks.

For users considering a Snapdragon X Elite laptop, the X1E-80-100 variant currently offers the best performance among widely available options. However, those seeking a more budget-friendly Arm-powered Windows laptop might consider devices featuring the Snapdragon X Plus chipset (X1P-64-100), which offers similar AI capabilities at a lower price point.

As the technology evolves and the ecosystem matures, Snapdragon X Elite laptops are poised to play a significant role in the future of mobile computing.

About author

Kelvin Maina

Kelvin Maina is a dedicated content creator. He has a Bsc. Computer Science, and has worked for companies such as Investingcube.com, and cryptopolitan.com as a financial research analyst. At Shortfi, he mostly focuses on the latest technologies, gadgets, and technologies companies making progress in advancing humanity through innovation.