ARM’s presence in the PC market is growing as Qualcomm expands its Snapdragon X Plus Series by adding three new processors to its lineup. Qualcomm debuted its 12-core Snapdragon X Elite processor this year, bringing an unprecedentedly powerful ARM processor to Windows Copilot+ PCs, and also introduced its slightly more affordable Snapdragon X Plus product tier. The three new processors, Qualcomm’s first two 8-core models, and another 10-core variant are all part of the Snapdragon X Plus portfolio.
Cristiano Amon, President and Chief Executive Officer, Qualcomm Incorporated.
“The first and best Copilot+ PCs are powered by Snapdragon X Series platforms, launching a new generation in personal computing, made possible by our groundbreaking NPU,”
New Model info and pricing
The XP-46-100 and XP-42-100 8-core processors support LPDDR5X memory, each with a total cache of 30 MB. Maximum boost clocks are limited to a single core at 4.0 GHz and 3.4 GHz respectively. The XP-66-100 is the new 10-core variant limited to a single-core max boost of 4.0 GHz and supports LPDDR5X with a 42 MB cache. It completes the lineup for matching pairs between the 8-core and 10-core offerings. As Qualcomm expands its Snapdragon X Plus products something to note for gamers is that ARM does not offer native x86 support which usually employs code translation/emulation to run some apps. This may result in un-optimal performance for some games but web browsing are some other tasks shouldn’t be affected.
Meanwhile, Qualcomm’s new processors are leading the pack for performance vs. power consumption and claims its new processors can offer up to 179% better power efficiency versus that of other competitors. The other thing holding back quicker adoption rates is pricing. Some laptops can go higher than $1,200 but Qualcomm (per VideoCardz) is hoping that its partners will be able to offer new models featuring these 8-core processors in the $700-$800 range.
Per Press Release:
- “With Snapdragon X Plus 8-core, we are now bringing to more users these transformative AI experiences, and the best-in-class performance and unprecedented battery life of our power efficient custom Qualcomm Oryon CPU. We’re proud to be working with leading global OEMs and retail partners to expand our portfolio and enable enterprise customers and consumers.”
- ASUS is committed to making cutting-edge technology, like the ProArt PZ13, accessible to everyone, everywhere and this partnership with Qualcomm is a significant step in that direction.”
- “Qualcomm’s introduction of Snapdragon X Plus 8-core builds on the incredible energy and momentum for Copilot+ PCs that began in May. Their breakthrough platform unlocks all-day battery life, unprecedented performance and efficiency, and with the powerful NPU, brings AI-powered Windows experiences to even more people. Together, we will continue to collaborate across the Windows ecosystem with Qualcomm to push the boundaries of what is possible with Copilot+ PCs,” said Pavan Davuluri, Corporate Vice President, Windows + Devices, Microsoft