Even though Qualcomm just launched a flagship ARM processor for Windows, it may have a second SoC on the way, which is rumored to be a cheaper offering with mid-tier specifications. While the flagship variant is called the Snapdragon X Elite, the upcoming chip could be called the X Plus.
This upcoming System on a Chip (SoC) is identified by the SKU number X1P. Considering the Snapdragon X Elite is tagged as X1E, it naturally follows that the X1P could be the Snapdragon X Plus.
Since at least February, Qualcomm has been conducting tests on the X1P44100 and X1P46100 chips. These SoCs are equipped with the Snapdragon X65 5G modem. Beyond this, details about the chips’ architecture remain scarce.
It’s plausible to theorize that the X Plus might utilize the same cores as the X Elite, albeit at reduced clock speeds, though this remains conjecture on our end. A report from Winfuture suggests that the Snapdragon X Plus could feature a 10-core configuration, complementing the 12-core structure of the X Elite.
The introduction of Qualcomm’s bespoke ARM cores is anticipated to pose significant competition to Apple’s ARM offerings.
The Snapdragon X Elite is performing remarkably well against the best Intel and AMD offerings, at least when it comes to early benchmarks from Qualcomm itself. The flagship ARM chip is showing 50% better performance than Intel’s top-tier laptop processor and uses 65% less power than its rival at the same performance levels.
It was also shown to run Baldur’s Gate 3 at 30 FPS with 1080p resolution, but it was not shown whether the game was running at high graphical settings.
