Qualcomm Impressive Snapdragon X Elite Benchmarks Against M3 Macbook Pro

Updated: May 28 2024 17:55
Qualcomm has recently released official benchmarks for its highly anticipated Snapdragon X Plus and Snapdragon X Elite chipsets, showcasing the impressive capabilities of the integrated Hexagon Neural Processing Unit (NPU). The Hexagon NPU, which is present in all Snapdragon X chipsets, delivers a theoretical performance of up to 45 TOPS (Tera Operations Per Second), setting a new standard for mobile computing.


Here is the PDF whitepaper from Qualcomm describing the needs of NPU and heterogeneous computing:

The NPU is built from the ground-up specifically for accelerating AI inference at low power, and it has evolved along with the development of new AI use cases, models, and requirements. NPU design is heavily influenced by analyzing the overall SoC system design, memory access patterns, and bottlenecks in other processor architectures when running AI workloads. These AI workloads primarily consist of calculating neural network layers comprised of scalar, vector, and tensor math followed by a non-linear activation function.

The star of the show is undoubtedly the Hexagon NPU, capable of delivering 45 TOPS for local AI acceleration. This outperforms the current generation NPUs from Intel (10 TOPS) and AMD (16 TOPS) by a significant margin. Qualcomm claims that the Snapdragon X Elite (X1E-80-100) requires significantly less power compared to competitors like the Apple M3 and Intel Core Ultra 7 155H while offering higher NPU performance per watt.


Qualcomm has provided official benchmark results showcasing the Hexagon NPU's capabilities. The Snapdragon X Elite (X1E-80-100) outperforms its peers in Procyon AI and excels in image generation and photo editing tasks using GIMP + Stable Diffusion 1.5 and Luminar Neo, respectively. However, it's important to note that Qualcomm has not provided data for the more power-hungry X1E-84-100 variant or the lesser X1E-78-100 and Snapdragon X Plus (X1P-64-100) SKUs.





The Snapdragon X Elite comes in three variants: X1E-84-100, X1E-80-100, and X1E-78-100. While they differ in certain aspects, all three SKUs feature the powerful Hexagon NPU. The flagship X1E-84-100 boasts a 12-core Oryon CPU built on a 4nm node, with clock speeds reaching up to 3.8GHz and a dual-core boost mode that can hit 4.2GHz. The Adreno GPU handles up to 4.6 TFLOPS and supports DirectX12, making it suitable for demanding Windows games.


Qualcomm's emphasis on performance per watt suggests that the Snapdragon X Elite can deliver superior performance while consuming less power, an essential characteristic for sustainable computing. The Snapdragon X Elite outperformed its competitors in Procyon AI, suggesting a clear edge in artificial intelligence tasks. Additionally, performance metrics in graphics-intensive applications like GIMP with Stable Diffusion 1.5 and Luminar Neo indicate the chip's versatility and power.

Snapdragon demonstrates the power of AI-accelerated video editing with DaVinci Resolve on a Snapdragon X Elite powered laptop. The following demo compares a Snapdragon X Elite powered laptop, running AI on Qualcomm Hexagon NPU, to an X86 laptop with AI running on the GPU. Magic Mask on DaVinci Resolve not only saves time, its performance boost on Snapdragon X Elite allows editors to work more efficiently and quickly:




Bytedance’s CapCut is an easy-to-use video editing app to create more engaging videos for social media and more. The Auto Cutout feature allows you to segment people and objects out of a video, so you can place them on different backgrounds. Bytedance has recompiled CapCut so it runs natively on the Snapdragon X Elite to optimize performance and power efficiency. Bytedance moved the neural network powering Auto Cut from the CPU to the NPU within Snapdragon X Elite — it now runs five times faster.


Cephable app uses neural networks for audio recognition, facial expression recognition and head movement tracking to control Windows and Windows Apps. It enables users to control these apps through voice, face and motion for a more accessible digital experience. Cephable recompiled their app to be Arm-compatible so it runs native on the CPU within Snapdragon X Elite for maximum CPU performance and power efficiency. Cephable moved the neural networks from the CPU to the NPU, resulting in 10 times faster performance.

By moving Cephable neural networks to the NPU, Snapdragon X Elite experiences less CPU and GPU utilization compared to an Apple M3 in an Apple MacBook Pro and an NVIDIA 3070 Ti discrete graphics card in an Intel PC. The fast inferencing speeds are needed to maintain facial detection at 30 frames per second. Cephable neural networks running on NPU delivered inferencing speeds that were faster than an Apple M3 in an Apple Macbook Pro and faster than an NVIDIA 3070 Ti discrete graphics card in an Intel PC.


Luminar Neo is a simple-to-use photo editing app that allows you to effortlessly enhance your photos with cutting-edge AI technology. The AI capabilities within Luminar Neo operate directly on the local device, leveraging 45 different neural models to ensure the seamless execution of tasks. Luminar Neo moved the 20 neural networks required for Upscale AI and Supersharp AI, computationally “heavy” models, from the CPU to the NPU within Snapdragon X Elite. It showcases the remarkable speed enhancements facilitated by NPUs, with features like Supersharp AI and Upscape AI running over 190 times faster.


In addition to the Snapdragon X Elite, Qualcomm has also introduced the Snapdragon X Plus (X1P-64-100) platform. The X Plus features a 10-core Oryon CPU with a maximum clock speed of 3.4GHz, an Adreno GPU with 3.8 TFLOPS, and the same Hexagon NPU with 45 TOPS. It is nearly identical to the X Elite (X1E-78-100) but with two fewer cores. The X Plus is expected to power more budget-friendly Arm PCs, while the X Elite will be reserved for premium devices prioritizing top performance.




Major OEMs, including Dell, Lenovo, Microsoft, and Samsung, have already announced devices powered by the Snapdragon X series. The implications for these tech giants are substantial. Devices like the Surface Laptop 7 15 are expected to deliver unprecedented AI performance, longer battery life, and reduced thermal output. These processors are set to revolutionize not just laptops but 2-in-1s, convertibles, and possibly even larger AI-driven tasks in industrial or automotive sectors.


Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite chipsets, with their powerful Hexagon NPU, are set to revolutionize the mobile computing landscape. While independent reviews of Snapdragon X-powered devices are yet to be released, the official benchmarks provided by Qualcomm paint a promising picture. As more OEMs adopt these chipsets and the first wave of devices hit the market, it will be exciting to see how they perform in real-world scenarios and compare against established competitors like Apple and Intel.


We're looking forward to directly testing the Snapdragon X Elite once its supporting laptops are released, as many factors at play can affect performance. It will also be interesting to test the real-world performance differences between the three X Elite SKUs. Nevertheless, the X Elite is shaping up to be an incredibly strong and efficient SoC.


President and CEO Cristiano Amon will present at the upcoming Computex 2024 keynote June 2 at 10:30pm PT, where he’ll discuss the PC Reborn and how Snapdragon X Elite will revolutionize the computing experience, from game-changing performance to best-in-class efficiency. COMPUTEX 2024 with the theme "Connecting AI," is set to take place from June 4th to June 7th. The event will feature 1,500 exhibitors using 4,500 booths, showcasing six major themes: AI Computing, Advanced Connectivity, Future Mobility, Immersive Reality, Sustainability, and Innovations. Below is the Qualcomm Keynote Teaser: