Subj : Qualcomms new Snapdragon X Elite chips could mean better laptop b To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Tue Apr 30 2024 11:30:05 Qualcomms new Snapdragon X Elite chips could mean better laptop battery life than ever before - but one thing worries me about these new processors Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2024 10:14:06 +0000 Description: The Snapdragon X Elite platform allegedly offers up to 65% less power consumption than the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, while still matching performance. FULL STORY ====================================================================== Qualcomm is gunning for Apple and Intel, with its spicy new Snapdragon X Elite chip proving very impressive when I demoed it at an event recently . Performance was excellent across the board, with special attention given to the new chips AI capabilities thanks to its best-in-class Hexagon NPU. But there was one thing I didnt pay enough attention to at first glance: power efficiency. Now, power consumption is perhaps one of the least sexy elements of microprocessor design. Its easy to market powerful new GPU cores or hot-topic AI processing power, but that doesnt mean good power efficiency isnt important - in fact, in laptops, it translates directly to more battery life, which market research cited by Qualcomm indicates is the number one priority factor for people looking to buy a new device. Qualcomm made some bold claims about the X Elites battery-boosting capabilities at the event I attended, stating that it could match Intels new Core Ultra 7 155H laptop processor in performance with just 35% of the power consumption. Sure, I already knew Intels chips had a reputation for guzzling battery, but thats damn impressive - if Qualcomms stats prove accurate once the X Elite is actually out in the wild. The pitfalls of this great new chip On paper, the Snapdragon X Elite seems poised to take the laptop world by storm. Qualcomm claims that it outperforms the Apple M3 chip by almost 30% in GeekBench 6s multi-core tests, and that it can run Microsofts Edge browser 57% faster than Intels competing 155H CPU. Qualcomms battery life promises include 40% more power efficiency while using Office 365 apps and less than half the battery drain during Teams video calls against the same Intel chip. If the X Elite lives up to the hype, we could be approaching a golden era of laptop longevity. Theres one slight wrinkle in the whole affair, however, which has me spooked. No, its not my long-running concern about Windows on Arm (although thats a whole other problem). Even after seven years as a tech journalist, it's still hard for me to believe something so small can be capable of so much. (Image credit: Future) During a Q&A at the Snapdragon X Elite event, 38 floors up overlooking the London skyline, a fellow journalist asked about the scalability of the new chip. The answer we got was a little surprising: Qualcomm is confident that it can leave power regulation for the X Elite chip in the hands of third-party hardware manufacturers, with no fixed operating voltages or wattages provided by the chipmaker itself. In other words, the power drain of the X Elite could vary significantly from device to device. This is actually a very good idea on principle, since it effectively allows Qualcomms manufacturing partners to tweak the Snapdragon X Elites capabilities at will to better suit the power demands of individual systems. A compact Chromebook with only a small battery can draw less power from the chip, while a powerhouse 16-inch ultrabook can max out power use to utilize the X Elites full potential. However, this naturally means that performance could differ greatly between devices, despite them using the same chip - and that creates ripe ground for consumer confusion. A problem without a simple solution The key issue here is that consumers might end up misinformed about the Snapdragon X Elites actual capabilities. While I appreciate that Qualcomm is working to avoid baffling potential customers with confusing CPU nomenclature in the vein of Intel and AMD, at least its easy enough to tell at a glance that a Core Ultra 7 is more powerful than a Core Ultra 5. With the X Elite, two devices could be running at totally different power packets, and vary significantly in performance as a result - but without any clear indication of that on a brief spec sheet, Qualcomm runs the risk of disappointing consumers. I can understand the desire to mirror Apples user-friendly SoC naming conventions, but Apple keeps its M-series silicon inside a tightly controlled hardware and software ecosystem. With dozens of laptop manufacturing partners itching to get their hands on the Snapdragon X Elite, the same rules dont apply here. (Image credit: Future) However, Qualcomm doesnt seem overly concerned about this, so perhaps Im just being a worrywart here. When I posed a question about it, I was informed that while power delivery is left to laptop makers, Qualcomm does provide minimum expected performance guidelines, presumably to prevent a third-party manufacturer from bespoiling the Snapdragon name with a hideously undervolted chip. In any case, we wont know the real ramifications of the Snapdragon X Elite for the laptop market until it arrives in consumer laptops later this year. Personally, Im hoping it lives up to the hype - Id truly love for Qualcomm to dash my fears and deliver an Apple-beating standard for lightweight laptops, so I can finally stop telling people to just buy a MacBook Air . You might also like... Are we about to see Snapdragon X Plus revealed? Qualcomm teaser suggests Apple could have more to worry about than Elite CPU Apple's M4 plans could make the latest MacBooks outdated already I never cared about HDR content before, but Nvidias incredible AI-powered SDR-to-HDR demo has changed my mind ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/cpu/qualcomms-new-snapdragon-x-elite-chips -could-mean-better-laptop-battery-life-than-ever-before-but-one-thing-worries- me-about-these-new-processors --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .