Qualcomm launches eight-core Snapdragon for cheaper Windows notebooks

Qualcomm is launching three more notebook processors within the Snapdragon X Plus series: The X1P-66-100 is a ten-core with Turbo, and there are now also two eight-cores, the X1P-46-100 and X1P-42-100. The latter, like the Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100, is likely to be encountered quite frequently, while the other two will probably have a more niche existence.

Qualcomm wants to penetrate the price segment below 1000 euros with these CPUs. Previous notebooks have recommended retail prices starting at 1200 euros; however, retailers are selling models with the cheapest Snapdragon X Plus (X1P-64-100) processor to date from just over 1000 euros – a clear sign that interest in buying is moderate. Snapdragon X laptops primarily impress with their long battery life, which AMD and Intel devices have not yet been able to achieve. They are also the only notebooks on which you can already use the new AI functions of Windows 11, which Microsoft is marketing under the Copilot+ label.

On paper, AMD's Ryzen AI 300 and Intel's brand new Core Ultra 200V also fulfill the prerequisite for this, namely an AI unit (Neural Processing Unit, NPU) that can achieve at least 40 TOPS. However, we have not yet found any Windows AI functions on laptops with the new Ryzen, and those with the brand-new Core Ultra 200V will not go on sale until the end of the month. They also tend to be more expensive than previous Snapdragon laptops.

Good enough, but cheaper

Even with the X1P-42-100 as the cheapest new Snapdragon X model, the cost-cutting measures taken by Qualcomm are bearable. Its eight Oryon cores are still more (and faster) than anything seen in notebooks up to 2020. The integrated GPU only has half the number of execution units, which makes it even less attractive for gamers. However, gaming has already been poor so far, so the sadness or practical impact is limited. Important functions for office workers, such as support for up to four monitors, have remained the same. This also applies to platform functions such as support for USB4 and Wi-Fi 7. And the Hexagon NPU still manages up to 45 TOPS and is therefore suitable for Copilot+.

Prozessor	Kerne / Threads	All-Core-Takt / max. Boost	GPU	NPU	Speicher
Snapdragon X Elite
X1E-84-100	12 / 12	3,8 / 4,2 GHz	4,6 TFlops	45 TOPS	max. 64 GB LPDDR5X-8448
X1E-80-100	12 / 12	3,4 / 4,0 GHz	3,8 TFlops	45 TOps	max. 64 GB LPDDR5X-8448
X1E-78-100	12 / 12	3,4 / - GHz	3,8 TFlops	45 TOPS	max. 64 GB LPDDR5X-8448
Snapdragon X Plus
X1P-66-100	10 / 10	3,4 / 4,0 GHz	3,8 TFlops	45 TOps	max. 64 GB LPDDR5X-8448
X1P-64-100	10 / 10	3,4 / - GHz	3,8 TFlops	45 TOps	max. 64 GB LPDDR5X-8448
X1P-46-100	8 / 8	3,4 / 4,0 GHz	2,1 TFlops	45 TOps	max. 64 GB LPDDR5X-8448
X1P-42-100	8 / 8	3,2 / 3,4 GHz	1,7 TFlops	45 TOPS	max. 64 GB LPDDR5X-8448

We have already been able to verify Qualcomm's promise on a first test device with the new entry-level model: Asus has already unveiled the Windows tablet ProArt PZ13 at Computex, and it should be available in this country shortly after the CPU has now been launched. Unsurprisingly, the X1P-42-100 achieves the same single-threaded results in the Cinebench 2024 render benchmark and Geekbench 6.3 as previous Snapdragons without Turbo (X1P-64-100, X1E-78-100) and plus/minus a third of the multithreaded performance of the twelve-core. The GPU was not only slower as expected, but also refused to run the Solar Bay 3DMark sub-test, stating that ray tracing was not supported. Qualcomm has not yet answered our question whether the feature has actually been removed or whether we have encountered a driver error. Initial measurements of the battery life indicate more than 24 hours in the optimum case. We will publish a detailed test of the ProArt PZ13 at a later date.

Entry-level prices

With the new CPU addition, device prices should be significantly lower than before. Qualcomm's CEO already held out the prospect of device prices starting at 700 US dollars at Computex, but with exchange rate fluctuations factored in as well as the taxes that are usually included in price quotations in this country, we would be surprised if the devices due to be launched in the next few days had manufacturer price recommendations of well under 900 euros. The real retail prices will be exciting. We expect notebooks from all the manufacturers that have already jumped on the Snapdragon bandwagon – and perhaps more will follow.

Future tests will have to clarify whether the inexpensive Snapdragon notebooks also have efficient components and firmware maintenance to achieve particularly long battery life like their more expensive siblings. The ProArt PZ13 mentioned above is not an indicator in this respect: It is said to cost a whopping 1500 euros, which leaves much more scope for more expensive components, such as an energy-efficient screen. What is certain, however, is that the Snapdragon world is foreseeably the cheapest entry into the world of notebooks with powerful NPUs or Copilot+: All notebooks with AMD's Ryzen AI 300 and Intel's Core Ultra 200V cost four figures. And not just above the 1000 euro mark, but sometimes even more than 2000 euros. (mue)