The Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4, which had so much promise, may not ship before Apple’s M3, giving the latter an advantage in the ARM notebook and desktop space. The chipset maker is still ‘on track,’ according to a statement, but no proposed date has been provided.
Qualcomm’s plans to release the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4 for commercial devices are mentioned in a tweet from @Ravi_711. The chipset, codenamed Hamoa, is ‘on track for commercial readiness,’ although no specific quarter for release was given. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is expected to be introduced at the future event, which is scheduled for late October, but there hasn’t been much progress on the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4 at the event.
The conversation on @Ravi_711’s post claims that Nuvia will be sampled in late 2023, with actual chipsets expected in late 2024 or early 2025, while also adding that Hamoa, the codename for the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4, is experiencing unspecified issues. Given that the next silicon was said to be mass produced using TSMC’s 4nm technology, it should have been announced soon after the M2.
Based on the aforementioned timeframe, if Apple announces the M3 later this year, along with many Macs that will include the cutting-edge SoC, Qualcomm will be at a significant disadvantage in the ARM laptop and desktop market.
The Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4’s specifications are excellent on paper; it has a 12-core CPU arrangement with eight performance cores, Wi-Fi 7 compatibility, an inbuilt 5G modem, and can accept desktop graphic cards through a Thunderbolt connection and eGPU enclosure.
If the first Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4-powered Windows notebooks hit the market in late 2024, a price advantage will be critical to establishing some healthy rivalry. Unfortunately, San Diego does not have a track record of charging its partners a competitive pricing for its products, with a prior rumour suggesting that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 was selling for $160 per unit, making it more expensive than the A16 Bionic.
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