Snapdragon X Plus 8-Core Chipset for More Affordable Copilot+ PCs Announced Ahead of IFA 2024

 

Snapdragon X Plus 8-Core Chipset for More Affordable Copilot+ PCs Announced Ahead of IFA 2024

On Wednesday, Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon X Plus 8-core CPU, ahead of the upcoming IFA 2024 event in Berlin. This new chipset is a more budget-friendly option compared to the 10-core Arm-based laptop processors that the company introduced earlier this year. Like its more expensive counterparts, the Snapdragon X Plus is manufactured using the same advanced 4nm process technology. It also features Qualcomm's Oryon CPU cores, which are consistent across the company's X series processors. Additionally, the chipset is designed to support on-device artificial intelligence (AI) applications and features.

Features of the Snapdragon X Plus 8-Core Chipset

The Snapdragon X Plus 8-core processor is equipped with eight Oryon CPU cores, offering a 30MB CPU cache, which is 12MB less than what the higher-end X Plus chips provide. The chipset is available in two variants: the X1P-42-100, which has a peak clock speed of 3.2GHz and is paired with a 1.7 TFLOPS Adreno GPU, and the X1P-46-100, which offers a slightly higher clock speed of 3.4GHz with a more powerful 2.1 TFLOPS GPU.

The Adreno GPU in the Snapdragon X Plus 8-core chipset can support up to three external displays, each at 4K resolution with a 60Hz refresh rate. For AI-driven tasks, the Qualcomm Hexagon NPU in the chipset is capable of performing 45 trillion operations per second (TOPS), making it well-suited for on-device AI features in compatible applications.

Additional Capabilities

Qualcomm has designed the Snapdragon X Plus 8-core chipset to be compatible with PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSDs and UFS 4.0 storage options. Devices powered by this chipset will also support up to 36-megapixel cameras, with the ability to capture 4K HDR video through Qualcomm's Spectra ISP. The chipset's Snapdragon X65 5G Modem-RF system allows for connectivity with both mmWave and Sub-6GHz 5G networks, offering download speeds of up to 10Gbps. The Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 system further enhances connectivity with support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, while devices using this chipset can include up to three USB 4.0 ports.

Battery Life and Performance

Qualcomm asserts that the Snapdragon X Plus 8-core chipset can deliver up to twice the battery life compared to its nearest competitor, the Intel Core Ultra 7 155U processor. However, comparisons with Apple's power-efficient M2 chip remain uncertain.

Availability and Pricing

Starting today, laptops powered by the Snapdragon X Plus 8-core chipset will be available from major OEMs such as Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Samsung. Qualcomm's President and CEO, Cristiano Amon, announced that the pricing for these laptops will begin at $799, which is approximately Rs. 67,100.