Snapdragon X Elite: Qualcomm’s Game-Changer in Laptop Efficiency

The first Snapdragon X Elite laptops started shipping in June of this year. It brings an ARM-based chip to the forefront of PC technology. What sets this chip apart from Intel processors is its impressive power efficiency. This efficiency translates to significantly longer battery life and allows for thinner, lighter designs. After all, the chip doesn’t need the same level of cooling as Intel chips. This combination of longer battery life and slimmer form factors makes the Snapdragon X Elite a compelling choice for modern laptops. Interestingly, the Snapdragon X Elite series represents a new milestone for Qualcomm. The company failed to deliver decent CPUs for ARM PCs in the fast. However, the situation changed with the new CPUs.

Snapdragon X Elite Architecture Exposed

The first Snapdragon X Elite laptops were launched in June. They garnered attention for their ARM-based architecture and notable power efficiency. These two factors set them apart from Intel chips. This efficiency leads to longer battery life and allows for thinner, lighter laptop designs. After all, it eliminates the need for extensive cooling systems. But how did Qualcomm achieve such a significant shift with just a chipset change?

The Snapdragon X Elite X1E-84-100 is a high-performance ARM-based SoC designed for Windows laptops, debuting in September 2024. It stands as the second-fastest chip in Qualcomm’s X Elite lineup. It features 12 Oryon CPU cores clocked at up to 4.2 GHz. Its graphics are powered by the 4.6 TFLOPS Adreno X1-85 iGPU, providing substantial performance for both gaming and productivity.

The SoC also includes a 45 TOPS Hexagon NPU for AI tasks and supports an LPDDR5x-8448 memory controller with over 100 GB/s of memory bandwidth, ensuring fast data handling. Connectivity options are robust, with support for USB 4.0, Thunderbolt 4, and PCIe 4, making the X1E-84-100 well-equipped for modern computing needs.

While initial claims centered around improved efficiency, details about the Snapdragon X Elite’s inner workings have been scarce—until now. Recently, kernel images and a module distribution map of the Snapdragon X Elite were revealed. They’ve been compared to Apple’s M4 chip, uncovering some unexpected insights into how Qualcomm’s latest innovation stacks up against its competition.

The X Elite is only slightly larger than Apple’s M4, with a core area of 169.6 square millimeters, which nearly matches the M4. However, the key difference lies in their manufacturing processes. While the Snapdragon X Elite uses TSMC’s 4nm process, the Apple M4 benefits from TSMC’s more advanced 3nm process. This allows the M4 to pack more transistors into the same area, it gives it an edge in performance and energy efficiency. As the process node shrinks, transistors become smaller, enabling more to fit within the same die area, leading to better performance and reduced power consumption.

The Snapdragon X Elite and the Apple M4

Despite the process advantage, the performance gap between the Snapdragon X Elite and Apple M4 isn’t as significant as one might expect. Factors such as architecture, design, and optimizations also play a crucial role in determining overall performance. Qualcomm’s Oryon cores, AI accelerators, and design choices help close the gap to a degree.

Interestingly, the Snapdragon X Elite features a much larger CPU cluster compared to the Apple M4. It boasts up to 12 Oryon architecture cores (codenamed Phoenix). Each core is 2.55mm² in size, slightly smaller than the Apple M4’s 3mm² performance core. Additionally, these cores are backed by significant cache resources. Each core has its own L1 instruction and data caches, while groups of four cores share a sizable 12MB L2 cache.

On the other hand, Qualcomm’s Adreno X1 GPU is more compact, measuring 24.3mm²—about 25% smaller than Apple’s GPU. This design approach suggests Qualcomm has prioritized CPU performance, while Apple may have focused more on GPU capabilities.