When Qualcomm released their Snapdragon X series chips for Windows laptops, many people thought Intel’s x86 chips were old-fashioned. But Intel’s new Lunar Lake processors are showing that they can still compete. Let’s compare Lunar Lake and Snapdragon X Elite to see which one is better.
Intel Lunar Lake vs Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite: A Detailed Comparison in 2024
CPU Performance: Core Wars
Intel’s Lunar Lake processors feature a mix of performance and efficiency cores, with the top-end Core Ultra 9 288V offering eight cores (4 Lion Cove + 4 Skymont). This setup claims a 20% higher performance per watt compared to Qualcomm’s 12-core Snapdragon X Elite (X1E-80-100), as per Intel’s internal benchmarks.
In single-core tests like Cinebench 2024, the Lunar Lake’s Core Ultra 9 288V performs 7% faster than Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite, with similar results in Geekbench single-core tests. However, in multi-core scenarios, Qualcomm’s 12-core design shows its strength, maintaining a significant lead.
Ultimately, while Intel matches Snapdragon in efficiency and single-core tasks, Snapdragon X Elite dominates in multi-threaded workloads due to its core advantage.
Geekbench Scores: A Closer Look
A detailed Geekbench comparison between Intel’s Core Ultra 5 228V and Snapdragon X Plus (X1P-46-100), both with 8 cores, provides further insights. Snapdragon outperforms Intel by around 7% in single-core and 16% in multi-core scores. Snapdragon X Plus runs at 3.4GHz, boosting to 4.0GHz, while Intel’s performance core goes up to 4.5GHz.
Despite these differences, Qualcomm’s multi-core dominance remains clear, especially when comparing the flagship Snapdragon X Elite with Intel’s Lunar Lake Core Ultra 9 288V.
Battery Life: Efficiency Gains
Battery life has been a key focus for Intel with Lunar Lake. Intel claims its Core Ultra 9 288V delivers up to 14 hours of battery life on the UL Procyon Office Productivity benchmark, compared to Snapdragon X Elite’s 9.5 hours on the same test using a 75Whr battery.
In real-world scenarios like Netflix streaming, Snapdragon still leads with 27 hours of battery life on Dell XPS 13, compared to Intel’s 26 hours. However, this margin is much narrower than Qualcomm’s earlier dominance, indicating Intel’s significant strides in power efficiency, partly due to its shift to TSMC’s foundry.
GPU Performance: Intel’s Xe2 vs Qualcomm’s Adreno
When it comes to GPU performance, Intel’s Lunar Lake boasts an 8-core Xe2 GPU, which Intel claims outperforms Qualcomm’s Adreno X1-85 GPU by 68%. With support for real-time Ray Tracing, Intel takes a leap in graphics performance, especially for gaming and creative workloads. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, Intel’s GPU edges out Qualcomm, indicating Intel’s advantage in GPU-heavy tasks.
NPU Performance: AI Capabilities Compared
Both Intel and Qualcomm have made strides in AI processing with their respective Neural Processing Units (NPUs). Intel’s new NPU on Lunar Lake delivers up to 48 TOPS depending on the SKU, compared to Snapdragon X Elite’s 45 TOPS across the board.
Benchmark results indicate Intel’s NPU holds a slight edge, performing better in both INT8 and FP16 data types, particularly in the Geekbench AI benchmark.
Verdict: Intel’s Comeback or Qualcomm’s Dominance?
While Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite still holds a lead in multi-core CPU performance and battery life, Intel’s Lunar Lake processors have successfully bridged the gap, particularly in GPU and AI performance. With improved power efficiency and significant gains in graphics, Intel has proven that x86 architecture still has a place in modern, efficient computing.
In conclusion, Intel’s Lunar Lake may not fully defeat Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite, but it signals a strong resurgence for x86-based processors. The competition between the two will ultimately drive further innovation and improvements for users across both platforms.
