Snapdragon X2 Elite outperformed the Apple M5 in synthetic benchmarks but fell short of the Ryzen AI 9 and Core Ultra X9 in games

Launch of laptops based on Snapdragon X2 – first results

*Qualcomm* announced the release of laptops with second‑generation ARM‑CPU processors – Snapdragon X2 – in the first half of 2024.

The *Hardware Canucks* channel received a reference build of a laptop powered by the Snapdragon X2E‑88‑100 Elite chip and already conducted a series of tests.

Technical details
Parameter Value
Cores 18 (12 Prime + 6 performance)
Prime frequency up to 4.0 GHz (Boost – up to 4.7 GHz on 1–2 cores)
Performance frequency up to 3.4 GHz (Boost – up to 4.7 GHz)
Cache 53 MB
Integrated graphics Adreno X2‑90, 1.7 GHz
Memory GPU LPDDR5X‑9523, 192‑bit bus, 228 GB/s (for the Extreme model)

> Important: Adreno X2 drivers are in early development, firmware is a beta version, and Windows has not yet been fully optimized for the new hardware. Nevertheless, the figures are impressive.

Benchmarks
1. Cinebench R23 (multi‑core)
Processor Score Power consumption
Snapdragon X2E‑88 43231 W
Apple M5 11326 W
Intel Core Ultra X9 388H 972–AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370925–

*Single‑core:*
Apple M5 – 200 points, Snapdragon X2E‑88 – 146. X2E‑88 outperformed all others in single‑core tests.

2. Blender 5.01 (render one frame)
Processor Time
Snapdragon X2E‑88 3 min 31 s
Apple M5 5 min 33 s
Intel Ultra X9 388H > 7 min
AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 > 6 min

3. HandBrake (video encoding)
Processor Time
Snapdragon X2E‑88 3 min 29 s
Apple M5 5 min 14 s
Intel Ultra X9 388H > 6 min
AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 > 5 min

Gaming results
Game Resolution Settings Average FPS Minimum FPS (1 %)
Cyberpunk 2077 1200p medium, FSR 3 Performance 40.018.4
Snapdragon X1E‑78‑100: 22.1 / 15.9
Radeon AI 9 HX 370: 31.4 / –
Intel Ultra X9 288V: 34.8 / –

Baldur’s Gate 3 1200p low 54.347.0
Snapdragon X1E‑78‑100: 29.6 / 25.5
Radeon AI 9 HX 370: 45.9 / 35.7
Intel Ultra X9 388H: 59.3 / 53.8
Apple M5: 69.8 / 49.1

Counter‑Strike 2 1200p max, 4x MSAA, HDR Performance 113.363.0
Snapdragon X1E‑78‑100: 86.5 / 58.7
Intel Ultra X9 388H: leads

What this means
- Despite the early stage of drivers and firmware, Snapdragon X2E‑88 delivers competitive results in most tests.

- In synthetic workloads it outpaces Intel Ultra X9 388H and AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 but falls behind Apple M5 in single‑core loads.

- In real games performance sits at a mid‑range level: better than Snapdragon X1E‑78‑100, yet lower than top x86 processors and the Apple M5.

Conclusion: the first launch of laptops based on Snapdragon X2 looks promising. With further driver improvements and Windows optimization, an even stronger position is expected in the near future.