EXCLUSIVE: Qualcomm to make renewed PC push with Snapdragon X Elite chipsets

Snapdragon X Elite will power new devices starting with mid-2024

by Vlad Turiceanu

Vlad Turiceanu

Passionate about technology, Windows, and everything that has a power button, he spent most of his time developing new skills and learning more about the tech world. Coming… read more

qualcomm snapdragon x elite oryon cpu

Qualcomm is releasing a new AI super-charged platform called the Snapdragon X Elite that aims to revolutionize the PC landscape with faster CPU performance (up to 2 times vs. competitors) at just one-third of the power consumption. The company’s latest top-of-the-range CPU, Qualcomm Orion, makes this possible.

Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite platform: Full details

According to a source familiar with the company’s plans, the big unveiling will occur at the Snapdragon Summit 2023. We’ve already shared details about Snapdragon Seamless, the set of features that will enable cross-platform device experiences, that will also be unveiled at the same event.

As expected, the two platforms are closely intertwined and will make communication between Snapdragon-based devices much more effortless. But what’s the Snapdragon X Elite bringing to the table? First, to no one’s surprise, AI. Lots of it.

Snapdragon X Elite boasts generative AI models with over 13 billion parameters on-device to enhance productivity, creativity, and entertainment. The company also promises improved battery life along with the new Snapdragon Oryon CPU.

Based on a 4nm architecture, the CPU has 12 high-performance cores clocked at 3.8GHz, with a dual-core boost of 4.3GHz. The memory is LPDDR5x with 42MB of total cache and 136 GB/s memory bandwidth. This combo promises 50% better multi-thread performance than ARM-based competitors. Other specs include support for internal display up to 4K@120Hz, HDR10, triple UHD or dual 5K external display support, and an integrated Qualcomm Adreno GPU.

PCs with Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite are expected to land somewhere in mid-2024. Check out the full specs below.

CPU Qualcomm® Oryon CPU
64-bit Architecture
12 cores, up to 3.8 GHz
Single and Dual-Core Boost, up to 4.3 GHz
GPU Qualcomm® Adreno GPU
Up to 4.6 TFLOPs
API Support: DX12
Memory Memory Type: LPDDR5x
Transfer rate: 8533 MT/s
Capacity: Up to 64 GB
Bandwidth: 136 GB/s
Bit Width: 16-bit
Number of Channels: 8
Storage SD: SD v3.0
SSD/NVMe Interface: NVMe SSD over PCIe Gen 4
UFS: UFS 4.0
Display Display Processing Unit (DPU) Name:
Qualcomm® Adreno DPU
Max. On-Device Display Resolution: eDP v1.4b, up to
UHD120 HDR10
Max. External Display Resolution: DP v1.4 – 3
displays, up to UHD60 HDR10, 2 displays 5K60
VPU Video Processing Unit (VPU) Name:
Qualcomm® Adreno VPU
Encode: 4K60 10-bit encode – H.264,
HEVC (H.265), AV1
Decode: 4K120 10-bit decode – H.264,
HEVC (H.265), VP9, AV1
Concurrency: 4K60 decode – H.264,
HEVC (H.265), VP9, AV1 / 2x 4K30 encode –
H.264, HEVC (H.265), AV1
Camera Image Signal Processor Name:
Qualcomm Spectra ISP
Dual 18-bit ISPs
Always-sensing ISP
Dual Camera: 2x 36 MP
Single Camera: Up to 64 MP
Video Capture: 4K HDR
Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Wi-Fi/Bluetooth System: Qualcomm® FastConnect
7800 System
Generations: Wi-Fi 7, Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 6
Standards: 802.11be, 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n,
802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a
Spectral Bands: 6 GHz, 5 GHz, 2.4 GHz
Spatial Streams: Up to 4
Peak QAM: 4K QAM
Features: Passpoint, 8×8 Sounding, TDLS, Wi-Fi
QoS Management, Wi-Fi Optimized Connectivity,
Wi-Fi Location, OFDMA (UL/DL), Miracast, Target
Wake Time, Voice-Enterprise, MU-MIMO (UL/
DL), Multi-Link Operation (MLO), High-band
Simultaneous (HBS)
Bluetooth
Specification Version: Bluetooth 5.4
Bluetooth Connection Technology: Bluetooth LE
M.2. Interface: WiFi M.2. card over PCIe Gen 3
USB USB Specification Version: USB 4.0
Interface Type: 3x USB-C
3x USB4, 2x USB3.2 Gen2, 1x eUSB2
Snapdragon X Elite Full Specifications

On-device AI: How the future looks like

The Snapdragon X Elite is built from the ground up for on-device generative AI. With the new CPU and NPU, Windows 11 computing will take a massive leap in performance and efficiency. Expect to see devices from Microsoft, Google, Xiaomi, Honor, and Lenovo integrating Qualcomm’s latest platforms for seamless integration between their line-ups next year.

On-device photo expansion looks promising, as it’s much faster and more precise. That’s paired with what the company describes as the fastest Stable Difusion on the market, but we’ll have to wait and try it out ourselves. Maybe the most interesting one is the AI Assistant with Skyscanner plugin, as it will enable route planning with on-the-go modifications straight from your AI assistant. And guess what? Your AI assistant will be able to send that route planning to Skyscanner and give you options to choose from.

The new CPUs promise improved generative AI tasks, bringing the on-device chat assistants and image generation to a new level. Snapdragon Seamless will ensure task continuity across all devices, from phones and laptops to smart glasses and cars.

Based on all that, it seems like Qualcomm is slowly rebuilding its ecosystem from the ground up. What’s your take on Qualcomm’s new AI path? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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