Snapdragon X Elite vs Intel Core Ultra 7 155H: We ran the benchmarks
Intel stole the show at CES, but Qualcomm was there to say it's still coming for them
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Snapdragon X: Everything you need to know about Qualcomm's Arm computing chips
The Snapdragon X Elite will finally reach laptops very soon, and here's everything you need to know about the X series.
Qualcomm has been talking about the Snapdragon X series for quite a while now, with its custom Oryon cores first being announced way back in 2022. These cores and the Snapdragon X series of SoCs are Qualcomm's answer to Apple's Arm-based chips, and they should be arriving for the first time this summer.
I've been waiting for the Snapdragon X Elite for seven years. Ever since Qualcomm and Microsoft announced Windows running on Arm processors with emulated x86 apps in 2016, I've been hyped for it. Finally, we were going to have some real competition to Intel and x86.
Windows games should "just work" on upcoming Snapdragon X Elite laptops
If you like to play x64 games, Qualcomm is saying those should just work on upcoming Snapdragon X Elite devices.
Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite chips were announced last year at the company's Snapdragon Summit, and that's been followed with a trickle of information over time such as benchmarks and expected availability. Now, at a GDC session hosted by Qualcomm, Qualcomm engineer Issam Khalil said that emulation will ensure that x86/x64 games will run at full speed on Windows on Arm laptops launching with the Snapdragon X Elite.
Qualcomm's AI Hub will bring Stable Diffusion, Whisper, and more to Snapdragon devices
Qualcomm's AI hub will bring Stable Diffusion, Whisper, and a ton of other models to Snapdragon devices, including the Snapdragon X Elite.
AI is all the rage, and Qualcomm is absolutely no stranger to it. The company has been touting its prowess in the field for years at this point, banging the drum of superiority in its NPUs when it comes to on-device processing and image processing. Now the company is taking it a step further by launching its own AI Hub, a library of pre-optimized models for deployment on Snapdragon and Qualcomm platforms.
The first Snapdragon X Elite PCs are set to launch this summer with “the next version of Windows”
Qualcomm's CEO revealed in an earnings call an expected launch of the next Windows mid-2024
Rumors surrounding Windows 12 have already been pointing to a 2024 launch, but new information regarding Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite processor seems to further firm up this idea. As reported by PCMag, Qualcomm's CEO Cristiano Amon spoke in a Q1 2024 earnings call about the "next version of Windows" getting the company's custom Arm64 chip in 2024.
Best of 2023: Our favorite products that were announced this year
2023 was a surprisingly robust year for consumer tech, with tons of exciting innovative products getting released
2023 may initially look like a rather typical year in the consumer tech world, but it could end up being a very important one that shifts the mobile computing landscape. Qualcomm finally introduced a custom-designed ARM silicon for Windows machines, which promises to bring the power and efficiency of Apple silicon to the Windows laptop space. Apple, of course, countered with a new set of M3 silicon of its own.
4 reasons 2024 will be an exciting year for PCs
2023 may have been a slow year for laptops, but things are looking way up for 2024 thanks largely to brand new hardware
Just a few days ago, I wrote about how 2023 was a pretty boring year for laptops, with most options keeping the same designs as last year while offering iterative performance upgrades. But things are set to be very different in 2024. With brand-new laptop designs, potentially revolutionary processors, and a big Windows update, it looks like it could be one of the best years for laptops in quite some time. Here are a few reasons I'm very excited about what's coming next year.
Despite looking promising, the Snapdragon X Elite still has a long way to go
For Qualcomm to truly succeed, Microsoft has to step up its game and take Windows on Arm seriously
Recently, Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon X Elite, its latest SoC for laptops, with some impressive performance claims in tow. The company is aiming to breathe new life into Windows on Arm with custom Arm64 Oryon CPU cores. Despite being marketed as a direct competitor to Apple’s M2 chip, the X Elite’s performance comparisons suggest that it can at least give the recently announced M3 chip a good run for its money. Hearing this will be music to the ears of many people, and rightly so, since Windows on Arm has struggled for years. However, when looking at the grand scheme of things, Qualcomm still has a longer way to go than many people think.
3 reasons Qualcomm will need more than speed to beat Apple
Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite looks to be quick, perhaps even quicker than Apple Silicon. But it'll need more than just speed to with the SoC wars.
Qualcomm recently unveiled its Snapdragon X Elite system-on-a-chip, which is the first Arm processor for Windows that features custom-designed cores, called Oryon cores. Up until now, manufacturers building Arm chips made use of pre-existing cores licensed by Arm. The only brand that made custom cores was Apple, and that's part of the reason its M-series chips have blown away the competition. But with Snapdragon X Elite, Qualcomm is now designing its cores, and early results show that this makes a big impact.
Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite is already an exciting Apple M3 competitor
Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite looks like an exciting competitor to Apple Silicon.
Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon X Elite at this year's Qualcomm Summit, sharing some pretty enticing performance figures. The company claimed a 30% improvement in single-threaded performance over the M2 Max, and a 50% improvement in multi-threaded performance when compared to the M2. There are some caveats and reading between the lines to be had here, but ultimately it boils down to the Snapdragon X Elite being not just an M2 competitor, but perhaps even an Apple Silicon M3 competitor.
Apple's M3 Macs aren't enough to steal Qualcomm's thunder
The Apple M3 may be faster, but the Snapdragon X Elite on Windows is still far more exciting.
Apple unveiled its latest Mac refresh last night in a move that felt a bit rushed, considering many of these models were refreshed less than a year ago. The new MacBook Pro and iMac models come packing the new M3 family of chips, which promise faster performance across the board, with a special emphasis on GPU performance.
This is why the Snapdragon X Elite doesn't have any little cores
The Snapdragon X Elite uses 12 of the same cores
Qualcomm flew me out to Hawaii last week for its Snapdragon Technology Summit, where it announced the Snapdragon X Elite. As it stands right now, the new chipset seems poised to revolutionize the Windows laptop market, thanks to a blend of performance and battery life that we've previously only seen from Apple Silicon.
We tested it: Here's how the Snapdragon X Elite compares to Apple Silicon and Intel
Snapdragon X Elite is looking pretty good
For the first time this year, the hero product at Qualcomm's Snapdragon Technology Summit wasn't a smartphone chipset. It was a new SoC for laptops called the Snapdragon X Elite, and it's aiming to reinvigorate Windows on Arm with a combination of performance and battery life.
Why Snapdragon X Elite will fix my least favorite parts of Windows
Snapdragon X Elite is Qualcomm's first custom Arm64 processor, and it will fix some of the worst things about Windows laptops.
Although Qualcomm has been making processors made for Windows on Arm for years, its latest Snapdragon X Elite processor finally looks to make good on the company's promises. This chip is Qualcomm's first fully-custom Arm64 chip, which naturally puts it right up against Apple Silicon. While Apple has figured out how to make powerful and efficient computers, Windows has lagged behind. But with the release of Snapdragon X Elite, there are key performance and quality-of-life enhancements coming that will fix some of the worst parts of Windows. Here's what we're expecting from the Snapdragon X Elite chip, and why it matters for every Windows user.
My biggest hope for the Snapdragon X Elite is that it makes Arm PCs mainstream
Qualcomm has finally created a truly fantastic Arm chip for Windows. Now I just want to see more devices with it.
Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon X Elite earlier this week, and it's one of the most exciting moments for the Windows platform in recent years. Ever since 2017, Microsoft has been building up the Windows on Arm platform, but progress has felt like it moves at a glacial pace, and they just haven't been competitive with the likes of Intel and AMD in terms of performance.
Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite relies on Microsoft to make the most of Windows on Arm
Qualcomm's relying on Microsoft to make the most of Windows on Arm, but the company's track record isn't promising.
Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite is here, and it's Qualcomm's first Arm64 CPU with custom cores made for Windows on Arm. It promises both good performance and efficiency and aims to compete primarily against Intel processors. We're expecting it to arrive in laptops from the likes of Lenovo, Microsoft, Dell, and HP by mid-2024, and Qualcomm claims that this time will be better than when the Windows on Arm initiative started just shy of seven years ago.
4 important Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite facts you probably don't know
The Windows PC market is getting some big changes
Qualcomm is holding its Snapdragon Technology Summit in Maui this week, where it introduced the Snapdragon X Elite. The SoC uses the companies custom Oryon cores, and it's powerful enough to go in some of the best laptops on the market.
The Snapdragon X Elite aims to make your Windows PC better than a Mac
Get ready for way better battery life
It's been nearly seven years since Microsoft and Qualcomm announced the initiative to run full Windows on Arm processors, emulating x86 apps to make it happen. The results have been mostly underwhelming, but that's about to change, according to Qualcomm. At its Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii, the firm announced the Snapdragon X Elite, which includes its first custom Arm64 CPU.
Snapdragon X is the new PC chip tier from Qualcomm that will take on Apple Silicon
It's going to take on Intel and AMD too
Today, Qualcomm is announcing the Snapdragon X (pronounced "ex", not 10) series, which is set to be its new tier of chips based on its custom Oryon CPU cores. Right now, Snapdragon X is for laptops, and it's aimed at competing with Apple's own custom chips.
