Despite being announced in October 2023, the first “Qualcomm inside” notebooks using the new chips only started to reach store shelves in the middle of 2024. The initial Snapdragon X line-up consisted of four configurations (SKUs), split between the “Elite” and “Plus” branding, with a higher-end Elite model launching a few weeks later.

Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus promotional image.
Qualcomm is diversifying its Snapdragon X lineup to reach lower price-points. / © Qualcomm Image source: Qualcomm

New model

The three new SKUs are part of the Plus range but feature a significantly different configuration compared to the original Plus model (retroactively suffixed “10-core”).

Snapdragon X family chips

Family Model Oryon cores Cache Max dual-core boost GPU TFLOPS
Elite X1E-00-1DE 12 @ 3.8 GHz 42 MB 4.3 GHz 4.6
X1E-84-100 12 @ 3.8 GHz 42 MB 4.2 GHz 4.6
X1E-80-100 12 @ 3.4 GHz 42 MB 4.0 GHz 3.8
X1E-78-100 12 @ 3.4 GHz 42 MB n/a 3.8
Plus X1P-66-100
(new)		 10 @ 3.4 GHz
4.0 GHz single-core boost		 42 MB n/a 3.8
X1P-64-100 10 @ 3.4 GHz 42 MB n/a 3.8
X1P-46-100
(new)		 8 @ 3.4GHz
4.0 GHz single-core boost		 30 MB n/a 2.1
X1P-42-100
(new)		 8 @ 3.2 GHz
3.4 GHz single-core boost		 30 MB n/a 1.7

While the original Snapdragon X Plus chip only had two Oryon CPU cores disabled compared to the base Elite chip (10 cores instead of 12), the new Snapdragon X Plus options feature both 10 and 8-core layouts at a multithread maximum frequency of either 3.4 or 3.2 GHz.

Other significant changes for the 8-core configuration are the reduction in total cache capacity: 30 MB instead of 42 MB, and an Adreno 741 GPU with less than half of the computing power, at 2.1 or 1.7 TFLOPS (versus 3.8 for the Plus 10-core SoC).

Other specifications were inherited from the more expensive chips, including the full 45 TOPS of AI processing required by Microsoft for its “Copilot+” branding, support for LPDDR5x-8448 RAM, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 5.4.

Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus promotional image.
Samsung’s Galaxy Book consumer laptop was one of the highlighted devices for the new chip. / © Qualcomm Image source: Qualcomm

Different from what we originally expected, the new 8-core model is not a simple “die harvest” of partially functional 12-core chips that didn’t reach the original specifications. In a brief press demo, an Asus representative displayed both chips side by side, highlighting the smaller die on the new 8-core CPUs.

The radical GPU downgrade may initially seem like a significant sacrifice. However, given that gaming is already a major weakness of Windows on ARM laptops, we believe that the few games currently compatible with the Snapdragon X won’t suddenly become unplayable.

Different from the trickled release of the original chips, Qualcomm announced that laptops powered by the new Snapdragon X Plus 8-core chip should be launching globally today, from Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Samsung. First in line is expected to be the Vivobook S 15 from Asus.

Have you tried the new Snapdragon laptops with Windows? What are your impressions so far? We expect to have some hands-on experience with a few models in the coming weeks, so sign up for our weekly newsletter and our browser notifications.