Qualcomm introduces new Snapdragon chips for laptops

Besides its new SoC for the phone market, Qualcomm is also developing new solutions for the laptop segment, namely the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 and 7c+ Gen 3. Both are targeted at Windows-on-ARM laptops, but the former will be used on flagship devices, while the latter is aimed at entry-level machines.

Starting with the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3, this 5nm-based chipset will be using an undisclosed amount of Kryo cores, offering up to 85% more multi-core performance and 40% more single-core performance than its predecessor. The new Adreno GPU used in the 8cx Gen3 also brings a noticeable upgrade over the Gen2 chip, boosting its graphics capabilities by 60%.

All these performance upgrades come in a less power-hungry package that can even be used with passive cooling designs and offers increased battery life, which the company claims can last for days. For connectivity, there's a range of choices: the X65 modem capable of delivering 10Gbps downlink speeds, the X55 modem that supports data rates of up to 7.5 Gbps, and for last, the X62 modem, which tops at 4.4Gbps. All modems support 5G and Wi-Fi 6/6E.

As for the 7c+ Gen 3, it's a 6nm-based chipset with an Adreno GPU and an octa-core CPU, with an undisclosed number of Kryo cores. Compared to its predecessor, this SoC has a 40% increase in CPU performance and a 35% increase in GPU performance. Connectivity was also improved, as the new SoC now uses an X53 modem that supports Wi-Fi 6/6E, 5G connectivity and up to 3.7Gbps downlink speeds.

The first Windows 11 laptops using these chipsets should become available in the first half of 2022.

KitGuru says: Microsoft and Qualcomm worked closely in recent years to get Windows 10 running on Arm-based PCs and it looks like that work will continue with Windows 11. Would any of you opt for an Arm-based Windows laptop over an x86 CPU? 

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