Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite Challenges Apple M3 with 21% Faster Chips

Qualcomm has announced bold claims about its new Snapdragon X Elite PC chip, asserting it to be 21% faster than Apple’s latest M3 series chips.

The unveiling came during a demonstration witnessed by DigitalTrends, showcasing the potential of Qualcomm’s chip in comparison to Apple’s cutting-edge silicon.

Initially announced in October, Qualcomm’s Oyron CPU was compared to Apple’s M2 Max chip.

At that time, Qualcomm boasted about its component’s ability to match peak performance while utilizing 30% less power compared to an ARM-compatible rival.

However, with Apple’s subsequent release of the M3 series, the competitive landscape has evolved significantly.

Apple’s latest M3 chips and accompanying laptops were unveiled a week after Qualcomm introduced the Snapdragon X Elite. Since then, performance has become the primary comparison point, especially considering Apple’s limited exploration in the AI domain.

Qualcomm has emphasized its CPU’s superiority, comparing it to Apple’s new M3 chip.

The claim suggests that Qualcomm’s chip surpasses the leading ARM-compatible competitor in both single-threaded and multi-core performance by 21%, a claim that stands out for its boldness.

While Qualcomm previously rated its Oyron CPU as faster than the leading x86 CPU, Intel’s recent announcement of the 14th-gen Meteor Lake processors has brought forth another contender.

Intel’s processors come with AI capabilities and impressive integrated graphics. However, Qualcomm has not yet had the opportunity to compare its new series to the Snapdragon X Elite.

Anticipating the availability of Snapdragon-powered PCs by mid-2024 through various vendors such as Acer, Asus, Dell, and others, Qualcomm has been conducting internal reviews.

These reviews highlight not only performance improvements but also the long-rumored integration of on-device AI capabilities for AI PCs.

Sascha Segan, a senior public relations manager at Qualcomm, advised consumers to await the mid-next year release of the first-class Snapdragon-powered PCs rather than purchasing laptops now.