Snapdragon X Plus unveiled as 10-core Snapdragon X Elite alternative

So far, Qualcomm has talked extensively about its flagship Snapdragon X Elite chips. A previous Geekbench listing confirmed the existence of its younger sibling, the Snapdragon X Plus. It has now been officially unveiled alongside the Snapdragon X Elite and contrary to earlier leaks, there is only one version instead of four. Qualcomm claims the Snapdragon X Plus has the world's most powerful 45 TOPS laptop NPU. It is manufactured on an unspecified 4 nm node (likely TSMC N4P). 

Qualcomm's claims about the Snapdragon X Plus X1P-64-100 are a bit confusing. While it can outperform the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS, it is only possible with hard power limits enabled. The 25-watt to 45-watt windows seem to be the sweet spot, after which Intel and AMD get back their lead. Similarly, its Adreno GPU peaks at 20 Watts before getting trounced by Intel and AMD. It is evident that Qualcomm wants to highlight the chip's efficiency instead of raw processing power, something Apple did successfully with its M series.

The Snapdragon X Plus X1P-64-100 is the sole variant with a 10-core CPU in a 6+4 configuration. Its single-core boost clock is set at 3.4 GHz. For the GPU, it uses Qualcomm's in-house GPU by default, but the company doesn't mention if dGPUs are supported like on the Snapdragon X Elite. It can power a 4K 120 Hz screen internally and 3x 4K 120 Hz/2x 5K 60 Hz displays externally via a DP 1.4 interface. Other Snapdragon X Plus X1P-64-100 specs include support for up to 64 GB of LPDDR5x 8,488 memory, UFS 4.0/PCIe Gen4/SD v3.0 storage. Like its smartphone counterparts, it also includes a Spectra ISP, which allows a connected sensor to capture 4K HDR video or 64 MP stills.

Similarly, the Snapdragon X Plus X1P-64-100 also includes a Snapdragon x65 5G modem which supports both sub-6 GHz and mmWave networks. However, it isn't baked into the silicon and needs to be connected via an M.2 slot. Other wireless connectivity features include Wi-Fi 7, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4, and Bluetooth LE. Lastly, devices powered by a Snapdragon X Plus can potentially come with 3x USB 4.0 ports. Laptops powered by the Snapdragon X Plus are expected to hit shelves in mid-2024, likely as low-cost alternatives to Snapdragon X Elite-powered devices.