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

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

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.