Qualcomm privately previews the Snapdragon X Elite, slated for mid-2024, which in some cases seems to outperform some Intel, AMD, and Apple chips in benchmarks
AnandTechRyan Smith
Context & Ripple Effects
This preview marks Qualcomm’s attempt to carry its custom Arm CPU work into PCs and make performance, not only efficiency, the central comparison with established laptop-chip suppliers. The claims are based on a private preview, so they establish a competitive target rather than an independent verdict.
Qualcomm gains a benchmark-led narrative for Snapdragon X Elite ahead of its planned mid-2024 availability, directly challenging Intel, AMD, and Apple in premium PC performance comparisons.
The immediate value of the claims depends on shipping-system testing: private benchmark results give buyers and PC makers a reference point, but not yet a like-for-like market result.
Second-order effects
Intel and AMD face additional pressure to defend both absolute performance and efficiency in laptop comparisons; Apple becomes a salient reference point for Arm-based PC performance.
PC makers evaluating new platforms have a stronger reason to assess Arm-based designs, especially after Qualcomm later said the family would extend across PC form factors including desktops.
Third-order effects
If independent systems consistently support these claims, the PC processor market could become less defined by the traditional x86 duopoly and more by competing CPU architectures and software-platform execution.
The durable contest shifts toward delivering balanced CPU, GPU, and AI capabilities efficiently in finished devices—not simply winning isolated chip benchmarks.
The trend: Snapdragon X Elite is an early point in the broader shift toward Arm-based, heterogeneous PC compute competing directly for premium Windows workloads.
Qualcomm let us see live benchmarking of its highly touted Oryon CPU and Snapdragon X Elite platform. The results hold as it is currently one of the fastest and most efficient CPUs on the planet, and doubly so for Windows laptops. Here's what I learned: https://www.windowscentr…
You might find PCs available in 2024 with ARM-based Qualcomm chips that are not too far off from Apple Silicon, and competitive with AMD and Intel chips in power and efficiency. Microsoft needs to make sure that the software side is handled. — https://www.anandtech.com/...
Looks like Qualcomm might make the processor in your next laptop...the performance results from its latest laptop SoC, the Snapdragon Elite X, are extremely impressive. Windows Central got a PCMark result above 13,000! #qualcomm #laptops #laptop — Now...to get that Windows and…
Qualcomm's handpicked benchmarks are not by any means comprehensive. But the early performance data is enough to get Qualcomm a seat at the table. Just keep in mind that a lot can change between now and mid-2024, both for Qualcomm and its competitors
I spent some time benchmarking these as well. We are at a point, and I'm sure Apple's event will underscore this again today, where the gap between Arm-based PCs is widening against x86 on several of the most important vectors for laptops.
Benchmark out for Snapdragon X elite CPU. It beats M2 pro single core but loses in Multicore, but remember M2 pro tdp is 30W, looks like 30W will also be the sweet spot for the X elite. It doesn't scale well with increasing power too as expected [image]
I'm still digging into the details, but it appears that the Snapdragon X Elite NPU is 2.5X more powerful than the M3? 45 versus 18 int8 TOPS? If that's the case, I wouldn't bring up AI either if I were Apple. #AppleEvent