Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme crushes Apple M4, Intel, and AMD in new benchmarks

Qualcomm is making a major push into Windows PCs, and things are looking promising. Last week, they unveiled the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme, their most powerful laptop processor yet. Now, initial benchmark tests are available, and the results are impressive. If these numbers translate to real-world performance, the X2 Elite Extreme could significantly change the game for high-end Windows laptops, offering the power of a desktop computer with the long battery life you’d expect from a laptop.

A clean sweep across CPU, GPU, and AI benchmarks

At last week’s Snapdragon Summit, Qualcomm showcased laptops powered by its new Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme processor. This chip boasts 18 cores and can reach speeds of 5.0GHz – a first for processors based on the Arm architecture, according to Qualcomm. The demonstration featured fully functional laptop designs.

I was really impressed with how Qualcomm showed off the Snapdragon X Elite benchmarks – just like they did with the first announcement two years ago. The press ran the tests live, so we could all see a wide range of scores and how consistent they were. Honestly, I have no reason to question these results, though I’m keeping in mind that things might change a little when these chips actually end up in laptops and PCs in 2026, depending on how the cooling systems are set up.

Similar to the first Snapdragon X Elite processors, laptop manufacturers have several options for keeping these new chips cool. They can build laptops with no fans at all, use simple open vents for cooling, or include one or two fans combined with heat sinks and vapor chambers to manage heat.

During a conversation with Kedar Kondap, a Qualcomm executive, I learned that the X2 Elite Extreme chip is designed to deliver consistent performance whether the laptop is running on battery or plugged into a power source. This is an area where laptops from AMD and Intel have often struggled.

When looking at the performance results, Qualcomm’s data shows the X2 Elite Extreme isn’t just keeping up with the competition – it’s leading in almost every area.

So, let’s take a closer look!

Single-core performance

The X2 Elite Extreme achieved a score of 4,080 in the Geekbench 6.5 single-core test, slightly surpassing Apple’s M4 (3,872). It significantly outperformed both AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (2,881) and Intel’s Core Ultra 9 288V (2,919) in the same test.

Qualcomm says its latest chip is up to 41% faster than the competition when running single tasks, making things like opening apps and general use feel much quicker and smoother.

I was looking at the performance claims for Qualcomm’s new X2 Elite Extreme chip, and it’s interesting to compare it to Apple’s M4 Pro. Qualcomm says their chip scores around 4,080 on the Geekbench 6.5 test. From what I’ve seen, the M4 Pro, with its 14 CPU cores, usually scores somewhere between 3,900 and 4,000 – so it’s very close, just a little behind Qualcomm’s number.

The M4 Pro reaches a maximum speed of 4.5GHz, which is quite fast, but still slower than the 5.0GHz achieved by two of the main cores in Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme.

The new X2 Elite Extreme is 39% faster at handling single tasks compared to the original Snapdragon X Elite, which became available in June 2024.

Qualcomm’s processor, reaching speeds of 5.0GHz, delivers impressive performance, challenging Intel and Apple’s traditional dominance in this area.

Multi-core performance

The X2 Elite Extreme really shines when it comes to demanding tasks. In Geekbench 6.5 testing, its multi-core score of 23,491 is almost double that of the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H (11,386), and it significantly outperforms both Apple’s M4 (15,146) and AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 370 (15,443). These results support Qualcomm’s claim of a two-fold increase in CPU speed compared to Intel’s leading mobile processors – something you don’t often see in laptops.

Let’s look at Apple’s M4 Pro chip. It scored around 22,544 on the Geekbench 6.5 benchmark, with 14 cores. While a strong score, it’s about 1,000 points behind Qualcomm’s chip, which achieved 23,491 on a reference laptop. Qualcomm’s advantage comes from having more cores – 18 in total – and the ability for two of those cores to reach a higher speed of 5.0GHz.

The new Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme is 50% faster in multi-core performance on Geekbench compared to last year’s X Elite. This significant improvement is likely due to the chip’s faster processing speed and the addition of six more cores.

Essentially, packing 18 processing cores into a slim and light Ultrabook is impressive, particularly because two of those cores can reach an incredibly fast speed of 5.0GHz – a new high for Arm64 processors.

GPU performance

Windows laptops haven’t traditionally been great for graphics, but the X2 Elite Extreme is different thanks to its powerful Adreno GPU. It achieved a score of 90.06 in the 3DMark Solar Bay benchmark, which is up to 61% faster than the closest competing laptop. This is excellent news for people who create content, play games, or use programs that rely on graphics processing for tasks like video editing and 3D design.

With the recent Windows Insider updates adding anti-cheat for Arm64 processors, the X2 Elite Extreme could significantly improve gaming performance, and also speed up Adobe video editing.

In short, the X2 Elite Extreme boasts a much more powerful graphics card, which could make it a great choice for gaming.

AI/NPU performance

The X2 Elite Extreme really stands out in the Procyon AI Computer Vision benchmark. Its dedicated AI processing unit (NPU) scored 4,151, significantly higher than Apple’s M4 (2,121), AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (1,742), and Intel’s Core Ultra 9 185H (719).

I’ve been looking at Qualcomm’s latest tech, and they’re claiming a significant leap in AI performance – up to 5.7 times better, actually. What’s really interesting is that this could allow our phones and other devices to handle things like instant translation or even create images, all without draining the battery as quickly. It feels like a big step towards more powerful AI right on our devices.

When Qualcomm first unveiled the Snapdragon X Elite in late 2023, it included a powerful AI processor (called a Hexagon NPU) capable of up to 45 trillion operations per second. Now, with the new Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme, Qualcomm has significantly increased that capability, boosting the NPU’s performance to 80 TOPS.

The X2 Elite Extreme is almost twice as fast at AI tasks as the previous version, which is why it leads in AI performance tests. It significantly outperforms Apple’s M4 and M4 Pro chips (scoring around 2,200-2,300), and also beats the newest processors from Intel and AMD.

As a researcher, I’ve been really impressed with the performance gains we’re seeing with the X2 Elite Extreme. The significant increase in TOPS allows it to tackle much more demanding AI tasks directly on the device – things like processing video in real-time or even creating content – without needing a connection to the cloud. And, importantly, it still delivers the excellent power efficiency that ARM is known for.

Currently, not many apps need that much processing power (80 TOPS), but having that capability allows developers to explore more complex AI tasks directly on the device, which is something we haven’t seen a lot of yet. This gives them room to innovate and experiment.

The bottom line: Qualcomm, again, leads the way for AI PCs.

Under the hood: a new architecture for Windows laptops

The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme features Qualcomm’s newest Oryon CPU, a more powerful Adreno GPU, and an advanced Hexagon NPU. Its design focuses on:

High IPC (instructions per cycle) for both single-threaded and multi-threaded tasks.
Advanced power gating to shut down unused cores and subsystems instantly.
Unified memory architecture for faster data sharing between CPU, GPU, and NPU.
3nm process
3rd Gen Oryon cores (up from first gen)
12 Prime Cores (4.4 GHz) + 6 Performance Cores (3.6 GHz)
Up to 5.0 GHz dual-core boost
53 MB total cache
GPU: DirectX 12.2 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, OpenCL 3.0, Enhanced GMEM, Ray tracing improvements
80 TOPS Hexagon NPU
LPDDR5x-9523 MT/s
228 GB/s Bandwidth

Qualcomm isn’t just focusing on speed with its new chip; it believes its ARM-based design can offer the performance of a desktop computer while using power like a mobile device. This could lead to very thin, fanless laptops or ultra-lightweight devices with dramatically improved battery life – lasting days instead of hours.

A key feature of the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme is its unique memory design. Unlike previous versions, it integrates the RAM directly onto the same chip as the CPU, GPU, and NPU. This close integration significantly reduces delays and increases data transfer speeds – up to 228 GB/s, compared to 152 GB/s in older models. It also creates a unified memory architecture, similar to Apple’s M-series chips, allowing the CPU and GPU to share the same memory for faster and more efficient performance.

The top-end configuration showcased by Qualcomm includes 48 GB of built-in RAM, although manufacturers can customize this. This design allows for flexible allocation of memory between general tasks and graphics, resulting in more consistent performance, improved efficiency in smaller laptops, and the potential for sleeker, more powerful devices.

Why this matters for Windows PCs

As a researcher tracking processor performance, I’ve long considered Apple’s M-series chips the gold standard for efficiency – getting the most performance out of every watt of power. For years, Intel and AMD have been playing catch-up. Now, Qualcomm’s X2 Elite Extreme is the first Windows processor I’ve seen that genuinely competes with – and sometimes even surpasses – Apple’s performance. What’s particularly exciting is that it also promises the excellent battery life we’ve come to expect from ARM-based designs.

As a researcher tracking processor performance, I’ve been watching Qualcomm’s Snapdragon line closely. While the first generation Snapdragon X chips were already becoming competitive with Apple’s processors, this next generation – built around the new Oryon 3 cores – appears to be a significant leap forward. Based on my analysis, it’s poised to outperform not only Intel and AMD, but in all key areas: CPU performance, graphics, and AI processing capabilities.

The road ahead

While Qualcomm’s test results look good, the true test will be how their chips perform in actual phones and tablets when they’re available for purchase and reviewed with everyday tasks.

If these early results are accurate, the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme could represent a major turning point for high-end Windows PCs – a change we haven’t seen in ten years. It might not only match Apple’s performance, but actually redefine what’s possible with portable computers.

Apple’s next M5 chips are expected around the same time as Qualcomm’s new X2 Elite Extreme, and they might perform as well or even better. However, this isn’t the main point. Qualcomm is truly competing with Intel and AMD, and it appears to have become the leading provider of CPUs, GPUs, and NPUs for high-end, portable Windows laptops.

Qualcomm’s second-generation processors performing as well as Apple’s fifth-generation chips demonstrates that Qualcomm is a serious competitor in the market.

Beyond the main X2 chip, how do Qualcomm’s other X2 models (like the X2 Elite, and the upcoming X2 and X2 Plus) stack up against Apple’s chips? While Apple will likely remain more energy-efficient, Qualcomm is still expected to outperform Intel and AMD.

When does Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme release?

It typically takes some time after Qualcomm reveals a new processor before you can find laptops actually using it.

Qualcomm is saying we’ll see the new Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme sometime in the first half of 2026, but everything I’m hearing points to actual laptops from companies like Dell and HP being shown off at CES in January. If that happens, we might even see those new laptops hitting stores as early as February or March! Qualcomm seems pretty confident we won’t have to wait until June for them, which is awesome.

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2025-09-29 16:13