Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus: What’s the Difference, SKUs, and Benchmarks

Qualcomm has finally announced the entire lineup of Snapdragon X series processors. There are four different chipsets including three from the Elite tier and one from the Plus tier. So in this article, we unpack the naming scheme of Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus processors. Further, we explain the difference between variants, benchmark scores, and more. On that note, let’s jump in.

Snapdragon X Series Naming Scheme

The Snapdragon X Series has a total of four processors and two SoC platforms: Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus. Snapdragon X Elite has three different SKUs and Snapdragon X Plus has just one SKU. Here are the different SKUs for each platform.

Snapdragon X Elite

• Snapdragon X Elite (X1E-84-100)
• Snapdragon X Elite (X1E-80-100)
• Snapdragon X Elite (X1E-78-100)

Snapdragon X Plus

• Snapdragon X Plus (X1P-64-100)

Let’s now understand the naming scheme. The product number X1E-84-100 has ‘X’ which means it’s a Snapdragon X series processor; ‘1’ denotes the generation since this is Qualcomm’s first Oryon-based PC chipset; ‘E’ is for Elite, likewise ‘P’ is for Plus; ’84’ is the SKU which is different for each processor; finally ‘100’ is the variant which is the same on all processors.

Each SKU is largely differentiated by the CPU clock speed. Although there must be a difference in power draw for all these processors, Qualcomm has not officially disclosed TDP figures.

Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus Processors Explained

Now that we have understood the naming scheme, let’s go through the various SKUs and understand their differences. But before that, here is what is common across all the chipsets. All four processors across the Elite and Plus tiers have the same Hexagon NPU which delivers performance up to 45 TOPS.

In addition, all four processors support LPDDR5x memory and PCIe 4.0/UFS 4.0 storage. Next, the memory bandwidth is 135 GBps across all chipsets. Unlike Apple, Qualcomm has not reduced the memory/storage speed for different-tier chipsets which is great. Lastly, Elite tier chipsets have 12 CPU cores and the Plus tier chipset has 10 CPU cores.

Snapdragon X Elite (X1E-84-100)

Now, let’s come to the differences. Snapdragon X Elite has three different processors and all of them feature 12 Oryon CPU cores. The top-of-the-line processor is X1E-84-100 which packs 12 CPU cores and has a total 42MB of system-level cache. It can boost dual cores up to 4.2GHz and the maximum multithreaded frequency is 3.8GHz.

This is the highest CPU frequency you can get on any consumer ARM64 processor, even higher than Apple’s 4.05GHz clock speed on the M3 lineup. As for its Adreno GPU, it can perform up to 4.6 TFLOPs and the NPU can perform up to 45 TOPS.

In the leaks so far, we have not seen any laptop using this particular processor, apart from Qualcomm’s reference device. Perhaps, this top-tier chipset has a higher TDP and to manage thermals, OEMs may be skipping the processor for other SKUs. It may also be possible that laptop makers will release premium Windows laptops with this flagship processor after mid-2024. So stay tuned for official announcements.

Snapdragon X Elite (X1E-80-100)

Next, we come to the second-most powerful chipset in the Snapdragon X Elite lineup. The X1E-80-100 processor has the same 12 CPU cores and 42MB of cache. However, the frequency is slightly reduced here. It can boost dual cores up to 4.0GHz and the maximum multithreaded frequency is clocked up to 3.4GHz. There is a reduction of 400MHz to 200MHz in top clock speeds, compared to X1E-84-100.

The Adreno GPU is again slightly less powerful, performing up to 3.8 TFLOPs (as opposed to 4.6 TFLOPs on the top variant). And the NPU can perform up to 45 TOPS. In the leaks, we have seen this particular variant on Samsung’s Galaxy Book4 Edge and Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 6.

Snapdragon X Elite (X1E-78-100)

Now, coming to the third-most powerful and last processor in the Snapdragon X Elite lineup. The X1E-78-100 processor features 12 CPU cores and comes with 42MB of cache. It does not offer dual-core boost and the maximum multithreaded frequency is amped up to 3.4GHz. In comparison to the second variant, the max frequency is the same, however, you don’t get turbo boost.

The Adreno GPU and the NPU remain the same, delivering 3.8 TFLOPs, and 45 TOPS, respectively. So far, we have seen this processor on Lenovo’s upcoming Snapdragon-edition laptops.

Snapdragon X Plus (X1P-64-100)

Finally, we come to the Snapdragon X Plus chipset which has only one SKU. The X1P-64-100 processor has 10 CPU cores (instead of 12) and features 42MB of total cache. Just like its nearest Elite tier chipset (X1E-78-100), it doesn’t offer a dual-core boost and has the same maximum multithreaded frequency, clocked up to 3.4GHz. The only difference is the CPU core count between the Plus and the nearest Elite variant.

Its Adreno GPU can perform operations up to 3.8 TFLOPs and the NPU can perform up to 45 TOPS. As for leaks, we have seen this particular processor on Microsoft’s upcoming Surface Pro 10 laptop.

Snapdragon X Series Processor Differences

Here is a detailed table explaining the differences between various Snapdragon X series SKUs.

Snapdragon X Elite vs Snapdragon X Plus: Benchmark Scores

Finally, we come to benchmark scores. In the below table, we have mentioned official benchmark scores shared by Qualcomm for both Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus chipsets. We are assuming the Snapdragon X Elite scores are from the top variant, X1E-84-100. Check out benchmark scores from Geekbench, Cinebench, PCMark, 3DMark, and more.

In the below image, we have plotted the benchmark scores between Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus.

Here is a Geekbench comparison between various SKUs of Snapdragon X Elite, X Plus, and Apple’s M3 and M2 chipsets. We have added some leaked Geekbench scores from various laptop makers as well.

So this is all about Snapdragon X series processors including Elite and Plus-tier chipsets. Looking at the benchmark scores, it seems Qualcomm’s Oryon CPU core is still slightly behind Apple’s high-performance core in the M3. Despite boosting the frequency up to 4.2 GHz, it can’t beat Apple M3 in the single-core test where Apple’s cores are clocked up to 4.05GHz.

Yes, in the multi-core test, it does beat Apple M3, but with a slight margin. I would say, both are on par and I am really interested in Snapdragon X Plus as it would be relatively affordable and performs better than the base Apple M3 in multi-threaded tasks due to higher 10 CPU cores.

What is your opinion on the Snapdragon X series lineup for Windows PCs? Let us know in the comments below.