Leaked Qualcomm Snapdragon SC8280 chipset details suggest 5G connectivity, 32 GB of RAM support and a larger die size for Windows on ARM PCs

Roland Quandt has found traces of a possible successor to the Snapdragon 8cx and Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2, codenamed the Snapdragon SC8280. Writing on WinFuture, Quandt states that the Snapdragon SC8280 has appeared in import/export databases embedded within several test systems. While these databases do not provide any details about the development stage of the Snapdragon SC8280, Quandt asserts that they have offered insights into the hardware with which Qualcomm will complement the chipset.

According to Quandt, the Snapdragon SC8280 supports LPDDR4X and LPDDR5 RAM and has been tested with capacities ranging from 8 GB to 32 GB. Additionally, Qualcomm has tested the chip with its Snapdragon X55 modem, which would enable 5G connectivity. These database entries do not necessarily guarantee that Qualcomm intends for OEMs to use the Snapdragon SC8280 in Windows 10 machines.

Still, Quandt believes that the chip's die size implies that it is a successor to the Snapdragon 8cx and 8cx Gen 2. Apparently, a version of the Snapdragon SC8280 measures 20 x 17 mm, making it larger than any Snapdragon 8cx chipset and much larger than Snapdragon SoCs designed for smartphones.

Quandt adds that Qualcomm has been testing at least two versions of the Snapdragon SC8280, a basic one and a more powerful one. It is unclear how many cores either SoC will feature, but Quandt expects Qualcomm to unveil the SC8280 sometime this year. If that does happen, then we would not be surprised to see Microsoft utilise it in a future Surface, like a proper second-generation version of the Surface Pro X. The current Surface Pro X is no slouch in real-world use, anecdotally, but it does not offer the same performance as the Apple M1 versions of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.

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