The first laptops with Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus chips are here. These chipsets are significantly more power-efficient and powerful than their x86 counterparts. Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus are ARM-based chips, meaning that they draw less energy, deliver more power, have better thermals, better battery life, and are significantly more cost-effective than x86 chips.
Qualcomm claims that the Snapdragon X Elite laptops are more powerful and efficient than Apple’s M3 MacBook Air machines. This might seem like a bold claim, but it is true. Several manufacturers, including Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, Acer, and ASUS, have announced their Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus laptops. So, let’s look at some of the reasons why you would want a Snapdragon X Elite laptop for yourself.
1. Superior Performance
You heard it right! An ARM-based chip is as powerful as an x86 chip, especially in multi-core performance. Sure, these chips still have a long way to go. But for now, they can easily outperform an Intel i9-13890HX in single-core performance while consuming less performance per watt.
The Snapdragon X Elite features a 12-core architecture, all high-performance cores. Benchmark tests indicate that the Snapdragon X Elite outperforms the Apple M3 in multi-core performance while achieving competitive scores in single-core performance, coming very close to the M3’s figures. It should be noted that this test was conducted on Snapdragon X Elite’s 80W TDP configuration.
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2. Excellent Power Efficiency
ARM-based chips are generally less power-hungry than x86 chips. This is because most of the components are closely packed, including the CPU, GPU, memory, and NPU. Manufacturers using the Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus chips are quoting up to 22 hours of battery life, something unheard of in the Windows world before. This is on par or even better battery life than Apple’s M3 MacBook Air.
3. Faster Neural Processing (AI)
These chips come with Qualcomm’s Hexagon NPU, capable of up to 45 TOPS (trillions of operations per second) for on-device AI tasks. This is more powerful than Apple’s Neural Engine in the M3 which can only do a mere 18 TOPS, making the Snapdragon chips superior for AI and machine learning applications. In fact, even the latest Apple M4 can only do 38 TOPS, noticeably lower than the Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus.
So, what does TOPS even mean? A higher TOPS number means that you have a better and more powerful NPU. A more powerful NPU will help execute AI tasks faster and more efficiently. It can help with code generation, image recognition, generative text, and a lot more. The possibilities are just endless.
4. Windows on ARM
We all know that x86 CPUs have been optimized well for Windows and Windows apps. Now, with ARM-based chips, Microsoft and Qualcomm say that they’re working with app developers to optimize more and more apps for ARM. While the number of well-optimized apps are still limited, the future seems to be really bright for Windows on ARM.
Microsoft and Qualcomm are both seriously working on improving the app situation by investing in tools, resources, and support for developers to create and optimize applications for ARM. As this ecosystem grows, we can expect a seamless and powerful experience on ARM-based Windows devices, making them a compelling alternative to traditional x86 systems.
ALSO READ: Microsoft Reveals Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus Laptops Coming in June/July 2024
5. Fanless and Slim Design
A lower power draw means less heat is produced during operation. The Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus chips are available in laptops with a fan and without. This means that you can have a Snapdragon X Elite laptop that’s completely silent, even during heavy workloads.
Also, since most of the internal components are smaller and closely packed into one single chip, the Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus require less physical space in the laptop’s chassis. Remove the fan and the unnecessary cooling system. OEMs can make the laptop slim and lightweight without compromising battery life or performance.
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6. AV1 Encode and Decode Support
The AV1 codec is used by several streaming platforms due to its high compression quality, lower size, and better efficiency. Streaming platforms like YouTube and Netflix use the AV1 codec. AV1 codec is still used on x86 laptops but that is software-based.
Hardware-based AV1 codec is significantly more efficient and faster than the former. This means that the Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus laptops will consume less power when streaming content on YouTube and OTT platforms.
7. Copilot+ PC
Most of the Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus laptops are being classified as Copilot+ PC. A Copilot+ PC boasts several AI features like “Recall” that takes a snapshot of your PC for you to get back to it later. Microsoft also says that the GPT-4o model will soon be coming to Copilot+ PCs. It’s your personal AI assistant on your laptop.
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Final Words
The Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus laptops leave little to no room for complaints. They offer top-class performance, excellent battery life, stellar AI performance, Copilot+, AV1 codec, and good graphics performance. The support for apps is a bit shaky at the moment but that would soon be resolved, given the efforts being put in by Qualcomm, Microsoft, and individual app developers. So, are you considering yourself a Snapdragon X Elite laptop now? Let us know in the comments section below.
CHECK OUT: Snapdragon X Elite Laptops Price List in India 2024
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