The Snapdragon X lineup has specifically been utilized for Copilot+ PCs (like the newly released Vivobook), and today, Qualcomm has revealed new 8-core Snapdragon X Plus chipsets that are lower priced but have similar features.
Qualcomm has put to market their latest Snapdragon X Elite laptops complete with the first Copilot+ certification as part of their latest Windows laptop releases in 2024. The newly released laptops come equipped with the ARM-based Snapdragon X Elite SoC, which boasts “45 TOPS NPU AI” computing performance, but the laptops remain priced at a premium. Today, it has been announced this could change the premium for Copilot+ with their just-revealed Snapdragon X Plus 8-core chips. These SoCs will be featured in a new Dell Inspiron and the ASUS Zenbook 15 for just $899 (as announced at IFA 2024). These latest additions allow the mainstream audience access to the Copilot+ for a cheaper premium.
Interestingly enough, in CGMagazine’s ASUS Vivobook 15 review, it is noted that the Snapdragon X Elite SoC was not particularly suited to gaming, saying “In practice, unless the specific software is optimized for ARM this is not the case, and especially true when it comes to gaming. I’d recommend abstaining from playing load-heavy games on the ASUS Vivobook S 15, at least until they are optimized for ARM chips.”
These new Snapdragon X Plus SoC aim to reduce the price of Copilot+ certification but in a weaker way. While all Copilot+ SoC features the same 45 TOPS of AI performance, the Snapdragon X Plus 8-core has less than half of the GPU power for gaming and more technical graphics-based applications (like Premiere).
| Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus (8-core) | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus (8-core) | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus (10-core) | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus (10-core) | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (12-core) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ID | X1P-42-100 | X1P-46-100 | X1P-64-100 | X1P-66-100 | X1E-84-100 |
| CPU Specs | Qualcomm Oryon, 8 cores, up to 3.4 GHz single-core boost / 3.2 GHz multi-core, 30MB total cache, no boost | Qualcomm Oryon, 8 cores, up to 4.0 GHz single-core boost/3.4 GHz multi-core, 30MB total cache | Qualcomm Oryon, 10 cores up to 3.4 GHz, 42MB total cache, no single or dual-core boost | Qualcomm Oryon, 10 cores, up to 4.0 GHz single-core boost/3.4 GHz multi-core, 42MB total cache | Qualcomm Oryon, 12 cores, up to 3.8 GHz single-core boost/4.3 GHz multi-core, 42MB total cache |
| GPU Specs | Qualcomm Adreno GPU up to 1.7 TFLOPs | Qualcomm Adreno GPU up to 2.1 TFLOPs | Qualcomm Adreno GPU up to 3.8 TFLOPS | Qualcomm Adreno GPU up to 3.8 TFLOPS | Qualcomm Adreno GPU that offers up to 4.6 TFLOPs. |
| NPU Specs | Qualcomm Hexagon, 45 TOPS | Qualcomm Hexagon, 45 TOPS | Qualcomm Hexagon, 45 TOPS | Qualcomm Hexagon, 45 TOPS | Qualcomm Hexagon, 45 TOPS |
While the previously mentioned ASUS Vivobook 15S launched at a premium product price of $1269.99, it is currently listed on sale for $1,099 on ASUS’ website, so while the 8-core variant may be targeting a more mainstream audience, Qualcomm will likely wait to release the new sub-$1,000 PCs until a little later so previous Copilot+ PCs don’t stomp on each other at market, especially when it appears GPU will be notably weaker in the new 8-core Snapdragon X Plus variant.
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