Last month, news emerged about Qualcomm preparing a new eight-core Snapdragon X Plus processor for more affordable Copilot+ PCs with Windows 11. Today, at IFA in Berlin, the new chip became official. This entry-level processor SKU opens the door for $700 Windows computers, making them notably more affordable than existing Copilot+ PCs.
According to Qualcomm, the new eight-core Snapdragon X Plus processor lowers the price of new Windows on ARM computers to the $700-900 range while maintaining "performance leadership" and "best-in-class power efficiency."
Qualcomm offers the new model in two variants with different clock speeds. One can operate at 3.4GHz and boost to 4.0GHz, while another peaks at 3.2GHz base and 3.4GHz boost. The latter also has slightly less capable graphics, outputting 1.7 TFLOPS compared to 2.1 TFLOPS. Other specs are the same, and they include eight cores, 30MB of cache, LPDDR5x memory support, and 45 TOPS NPU.
| Cores | Clocks | Boost Clocks | Cache | GPU | NPU | Memory | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snapdragon X Plus X1P-66-100 | 10 | 3.4GHz | 4.0GHz (single core) | 42MB | 3.8 TFLOPS | 45 TOPS | LPDDR5x 8448 MT/s |
| Snapdragon X Plus X1P-64-100 | 10 | 3.4GHz | None | 42MB | 3.8 TFLOPS | 45 TOPS | LPDDR5x 8448 MT/s |
| Snapdragon X Plus X1P-46-100 | 8 | 3.4GHz | 4.0GHz (single core) | 30MB | 2.1 TFLOPS | 45 TOPS | LPDDR5x 8448 MT/s |
| Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100 | 8 | 3.2GHz | 3.4GHz (single core) | 30MB | 1.7 TFLOPS | 45 TOPS | LPDDR5x 8448 MT/s |
Qualcomm says that the new models should deliver up to 80% of the CPU performance of the flagship 12-core models. In addition, Qualcomm claims the new eight-core Snapdragon X Plus beats Apple"s M2 chip in the MacBook Air in various benchmarks while delivering a better NPU, memory, connectivity, external monitor support (up to three displays), media engine, and more.
The first computers with the new eight-core Snapdragon X Plus processors are available right now. Dell, Asus, Lenovo, and other manufacturers will offer their laptops with the new entry-level ARM chips. However, Qualcomm is no longer the exclusive partner for the Copilot+ PC program. Yesterday, Intel announced its Core Ultra 200V chips that will get all the AI-powered Windows features later this year.