The buzz around Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X Series is real and for a good reason. A tweet from a tech enthusiast set the stage: “Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4? Nope! Qualcomm is rebranding its compute platform to Snapdragon X Series.”
Inside the New Snapdragon X Series
Forget the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4. Qualcomm is pivoting with a new brand name and impressive new features. The Snapdragon X Series is expected to debut Qualcomm’s custom Arm-based Oryon CPU, a project that has been years in the making since the company acquired Nuvia in 2021.
Besides the brand-new Oryon CPU, the Snapdragon X Series will also feature Qualcomm’s Neural Processing Unit (NPU). This aims to power on-device machine learning. Though we don’t know the full capabilities yet, the current applications of their chips include text-to-image Stable Diffusion models and eye/gaze correction during video calls.
Comparing with Apple’s M1/M2 Chips
The tweet also touched on a critical question: Can Qualcomm compete with Apple’s M1/M2 chips? Without making any promises, the tweet mentions the expectation of “Apple M2-levels of performance” based on rumors. Windows lovers like the tweeter are eager to see if this new chip can make Windows PCs as efficient as Macs.
So, why should you care about all of this? Whether you’re a tech geek or just someone looking to upgrade your laptop, the Snapdragon X Series could be something to watch for. The hope is for a 5G-equipped laptop with all-day battery life, great performance, and Windows 11 support. For those missing Android apps, there’s also mention of using WSA to run apps like Google Home.
