Qualcomm launches Snapdragon Elite X2 Plus. Two new chips join the previously launched Snapdragon X2 Elite CPUs and expand Qualcomm’s processor range for laptops.
At CES, Qualcomm is launching two new processors under the Snapdragon Elite X2 Plus banner. Qualcomm introduced the first chips of its second-generation Snapdragon Elite X CPUs in September last year with Snapdragon X2 Elite. The X2 Plus processors have lighter specifications and are therefore suitable for more entry-level ARM-based laptops.
Where Snapdragon X2 Elite has eighteen to at least twelve cores on board, Qualcomm equips the X2 Plus processors with ten or six self-developed Oryon cores. The clock speed of both chips is 4 GHz. They both have an X2-45 GPU on board, but the variant in the 6-core chip is clocked considerably lower.
The following two components are new:
| CPU | Type | Cores (P+E) | Max freq. (GHz) | Cache (MB) |
| X2 Plus | X2P-64-100 | 10 (6+4) | 4,04 | 34 |
| X2 Plus | X2P-42-100 | 6 (6+0) | 4,04 | 32 |
Most powerful NPU
Qualcomm enthusiastically presents the Hexagon-NPU, which is more integrated with the CPU. It is identical across all models (Plus and Elite) and delivers 80 TOPS. That is a lot more than what Intel and AMD can offer with their latest x86 processors. The recently launched AMD Ryzen AI 400 chips have 50 to a maximum of 60 NPU-TOPS on board, the brand new Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors do not exceed 50 NPU-TOPS.
Qualcomm can therefore state that its ARM CPUs have the most AI computing power on board, even in more budget-friendly CPUs. Whether that is useful is another question. NPU-driven workloads remain rare in the context of office work.
read also
Intel launches Core Ultra Series 3: Panther Lake for laptops, 18A and focus on the US
Qualcomm further points to the efficiency of the Snapdragon X2 Plus processors. The chips should give laptop manufacturers the ability to build systems that can survive for several days on a single battery.
ARM adoption
The launch of the Plus models is important for the compact portfolio of Qualcomm’s ARM chips for the (Windows) laptop. The first generation of Snapdragon Elite X processors was certainly appealing to us: it guaranteed light and high-performance laptops with high autonomy. Whether the second generation will be a success will depend more on laptop manufacturers and software companies than on Qualcomm itself. After all, ARM PCs remain a rarity in an x86-dominated landscape.