Qualcomm claims its Snapdragon X Plus is an M3 beater, but is it really?
Qualcomm continues to challenge both Intel and Apple in the processor market, as the tech giant claims the mid-range model of its Snapdragon X chip series will surpass the M3 in performance.
It’s a bold statement that could give the chips a shot at being the best processors you can get in a laptop, but does it really hold up? And what would that mean for its competitors?
Qualcomm recently announced a new cheaper model of its next SoC for laptops, the Snapdragon X Plus, which shares similarities with its flagship Snapdragon X Elite. However, there are a few important differences.
The 4-nanometer process Snapdragon X Plus has 10 cores and lacks the dual-core boost found on the Snapdragon X Elite. GPU performance has also been reduced from the Elite’s 4.6 teraflops to 3.8 teraflops.
According to Qualcomm’s benchmarks for the Snapdragon efficiency. It also claims a 10% performance margin over Apple’s M3 processor, another big plus.
While it’s definitely important to take all of these claims with a grain of salt, since they come from Qualcomm and we haven’t tested any of this ourselves, this could be serious news for both Intel and Apple if any of these claims turn out to be true . β especially the first.
Snapdragon X Plus could be a game changer
The 10% claim against Apple’s M3 is a bit low, but even if the Snapdragon Intels CPU market share from 2024 this will be 75% for laptops and 64% for desktop PCs, a huge lead compared to AMD and Apple.
However, one of Intel’s current problems is the reduced battery life in its laptops. A Qualcomm chip that delivers performance levels around the incredibly powerful M3 while maintaining the current standard of battery life of around 20 hours would definitely be an Intel killer and a major Apple challenger. We could be looking at a chip that could and probably would threaten Intel’s market position.
This is further demonstrated by a new report claiming that the Surface Pro 10 will be equipped with the Snapdragon X Plus. The Pro 10 will already be higher quality with a brighter OLED screen and an improved front-facing webcam (including AI capabilities), as well as a Qualcomm chip that offers superior performance and better battery life.
There is also the fact that Baldur’s Gate 3 was playable – and played Good β on the Snapdragon If Qualcomm can achieve this with other AAA titles, Apple should be concerned about its M3 MacBook gaming ambitions.
It remains to be seen how accurate Qualcomm’s benchmark will be in the long term, but if it comes close to what it claims, we could see a major shift in the laptop market away from Intel, and that level of emerging competition is always good for the customer.