Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X line of ARM-based processors is designed for Windows laptops, offering CPUs capable of competing with Intel and AMD processors. The Snapdragon X Plus (10 core) and Snapdragon X Elite, announced last year, include high-performance NPUs for AI processing. Qualcomm has now introduced the entry-level Snapdragon X Plus 8-core processor, targeting the $700 to $900 laptop market instead of the ~$1,300+ asked for something like the Microsoft Surface Laptop 15. It reduces CPU and graphics performance while maintaining the same AI features as the higher-end models.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus lineup includes two octa-core processors: the X1P-46-100 and X1P-42-100, both built on a 4nm process. These processors come with eight Oryon CPU cores, clocked at 4GHz and 3.4GHz respectively, and are equipped with the Qualcomm Hexagon NPU, delivering 45 TOPS for AI tasks like Copilot+ PC. They also integrate Qualcomm Adreno GPUs offering 2.1 TFLOPS for the X1P-46-100 and 1.7 TFLOPS for the X1P-42-100 which are less powerful than GPUs in higher-core models.
Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus 8-core specifications:
- CPU – 8-core 64-bit Armv8 Oryon processor, 30MB cache
- Max Multi-Core Frequency
- X1P-46-100 – 3.4 GHz
- X1P-42-100 – 3.2 GHz
- Single-Core Boost Frequency
- X1P-46-100 – 4.0 GHz
- X1P-42-100 – 3.4 GHz
- Max Multi-Core Frequency
- GPU – Qualcomm Adreno GPU up to 2.1 TFLOPS
- NPU
- Qualcomm Hexagon NPU with up to 45 TOPS
- Dual micro NPU on the Qualcomm Sensing Hub
- VPU – Qualcomm Adreno VPU
- Encode – 4K UHD 30 fps 8-bit recording H.264, HEVC (H.265), AV1
- Decode
- 4K 30 fps 10-bit playback HEVC (H.265), VP9, AV1
- 4K 60 fps 8-bit playback H.264, HEVC (H.265)
- Concurrency
- 4K 30 fps 8-bit decode + 1080p 30 fps encode
- 1080p 60 fps 10-bit decode + 1080p 30 fps encode
- Memory – Up to 64GB 8-channel LPDDR5x memory with 136GB/s bandwidth and 8448 MT/s transfer rate
- Storage
- NVMe SSD over PCIe Gen 4
- SD v3.0 and UFS 4.0
- Video Interfaces – Qualcomm Adreno Display Processing Unit (DPU)
- eDP v1.4b up to UHD120Hz (4Kp120) with HDR10
- DP v1.4 – 3 displays, up to UHD60Hz with HDR10, 2 displays up to 5K60 or UHD120
- Camera – Qualcomm Spectra ISP
- Single Camera up to 64 MP
- Video Capture up to 4K HDR
- Audio – Qualcomm Aqstic audio technology, Qualcomm aptX audio
- Wireless connectivity
- Qualcomm FastConnect 7800
- Tri-band WiFi 7, WiFi 6E, WiFi 6 with up to 4 spatial streams
- Peak QAM – Up to 4K QAM
- Bluetooth 5.4
- Modem – Snapdragon X65 5G Modem-RF System
- Supported features – 5G NR, Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS), mmWave, sub-6 GHz, HSPA, WCDMA, LTE support for CBRS, CDMA 1x, EV-DO, GSM/EDGE
- Peak speeds – 10 Gbps download and 3.5 Gbps upload speed
- 1,000 MHz bandwidth (mmWave), 300 MHz bandwidth (sub-6 GHz)
- Technologies – Qualcomm Smart Transmit technology, Qualcomm Wideband Envelope Tracking, Qualcomm AI-Enhanced Signal Boost adaptive antenna tuning, Qualcomm 5G PowerSave
- Qualcomm FastConnect 7800
- USB – 3x USB Type-C interfaces with support for USB4, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2, and one eUSB2 (Embedded USB 2.0)
- Process Node – 4nm
Numerous PC makers have adopted the Snapdragon X family, including Microsoft with its Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, as well as laptops from Acer, Asus, and more. Honor also entered the PC market specifically to use Qualcomm’s chip, and many manufacturers are expected to utilize the new X Plus 8-Core chip in their devices.
According to the company, the 8-core Qualcomm Oryon CPU in this Snapdragon X Plus promises 61% faster CPU performance while competitors are using 179% more power during peak performance. It shares the same 4nm process node and technology as other Snapdragon X series chips. Fonearena posted a presentation slide from Qualcomm comparing its CPU performance against the AMD Ryzen 7 8840U and Intel Core Ultra 7 155U processors.
The chipsets include a Qualcomm Secure Processing Unit that supports Microsoft Pluton TPM, total memory encryption, and Microsoft Secured-core PC. This setup enhances security by providing hardware-based protection against attacks, ensuring secure data handling and system integrity.
Laptops featuring the new Snapdragon X Plus 8-core processor will be launched soon and will include models like the Asus Vivobook S 15 and Dell Inspiron 14. For more details, check out the product page or read the official press release.
Sayantan Nandy, an electronics engineer with over four years of hands-on experience in PCB design, circuit development and power electronics, is proficient in EAGLE CAD, Ki-Cad, and Altium. He has a proven track record of delivering efficient and effective systems. His expertise extends from R&D, and prototyping to production support, making him a valuable asset to any engineering team.
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