Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus 8-Core promises top AI performance for $700
The Snapdragon X Plus 8-core global launch begins today, September 4
🤖 Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X Plus 8-Core will deliver top AI performance for the mainstream
📈 The chip boasts big gains over Intel and AMD with impressive efficiency
👏 The Snapdragon X Plus 8-Core also delivers the same 45 TOPS on the NPU
💰 The entry-level CPU will be found in laptops and desktops costing around $700
Qualcomm has announced a new entry-level addition to its impressive CPU lineup, the Snapdragon X Plus 8-Core, that promises to deliver top AI performance in PCs and laptops for around $700.
The Snapdragon X Plus 8-Core chip features eight high-performance cores of up to 3.4 GHz, with single core speeds of up to 4.0 GHz. The new CPU, designed for mainstream PCs, includes 30 MB of total cache, LPDDR5x, and a 135 GB/s memory bandwidth.
Qualcomm says its new chip will deliver up to 79% faster single-thread performance, up to 40% faster CPU performance, and up to 108% faster multithread performance while consuming significantly less power than Intel Core Ultra and AMD Hawk Point.
The Snapdragon X Plus 8-Core also delivers up to 65% faster GPU peak performance and up to 100% faster GPU performance at lower voltage than Qualcomm’s rivals.
However, perhaps more importantly, the Snapdragon X Plus 8-Core will deliver fast and efficient AI for the mainstream user. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips already power Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC devices and boast huge gains over AMD and Intel in AI performance. Despite having fewer cores, the Snapdragon X Plus 8-Core delivers the same 45 TOPS NPU as Qualcomms other Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus CPUs.
If that wasn’t enough, the Snapdragon X Plus 8-Core’s efficiency gains translate to up to 2x longer battery life than the competition. Expect up to 77% longer battery life when YouTube streaming compared to an Intel Core Ultra 7 155U and up to 55% longer battery life when browsing the web.
For power users, the Snapdragon X Plus 8-Core will be able to keep up with your workflow as it’s able to power three 4K 60Hz monitors, or two 5K 60Hz monitors. It can also deliver up to 2.1 TFLOPS of GPU performance and up to 120Hz 4K with HDR10 on its internal display.
Expect Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Samsung to include the Snapdragon X Plus 8-Core in future hardware, as the CPU’s global launch is today, September 4.
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.