Snapdragon X Elite vs. Apple M3 – A Deep Dive Comparison

The Snapdragon X Elite and Apple M3 chipsets have been recently introduced. The Snapdragon X Elite, developed by the Nuvia team and acquired by Qualcomm, features Oryon cores designed to compete with Apple in the laptop market. This article will compare the Snapdragon X Elite and Apple M3 in terms of CPU, GPU, NPU, and more.

Snapdragon X Elite vs. Apple M3

CPU Comparison

Snapdragon X Elite uses a 4nm process and offers 12 high-performance Oryon cores without efficiency cores. It operates in two thermal profiles, with the 80W version having higher clock speeds. Apple M3 Pro, built on a 3nm process, includes 12 CPU cores (6 high-performance and 6 efficiency cores). Although we lack power consumption data for M3, X Elite outperforms M3 Max in single-core tests, but it’s essential to consider power consumption.

Geekbench Scores

Snapdragon X Elite (23W) scores 2,741 in single-core and 13,021 in multi-core tests. The X Elite (80W) scores 3,238 in single-core and 17,181 in multi-core tests. Apple M3 base (4.05GHz) scores 3,095 in single-core and 11,724 in multi-core tests.

GPU Comparison

Snapdragon X Elite comes equipped with an Adreno GPU that boasts performance compared to the Apple M2 GPU. On the other hand, Apple M3 introduces a GPU architecture that incorporates ray tracing and Mesh Shaders aiming to enhance graphics performance.

ML and AI Engine

When it comes to ML and AI capabilities Snapdragon X Elites Hexagon AI Engine surpasses Apple M3s 16-core Neural Engine in terms of AI performance. However, the M3 offers a memory capacity specifically designed for language models.

Memory Speed

In terms of memory speed, Snapdragon X Elite relies on 16-bit 8-channel LPDDR5X memory with a bandwidth of 136GBps. On the other hand, Apple M3 Pro offers a reduced LPDDR5 memory bandwidth of 150GBps through its 192-bit memory bus. It’s worth noting that you can configure, up to 128GB of memory on the M3 Max variant providing improved memory speed.

Connectivity

When it comes to connectivity options Snapdragon X Elite offers Wi-Fi 7. Bluetooth 5.4 support along with compatibility with a 5G modem. Additionally, it supports AV1 encoding and decoding for video processing. In contrast, Apple M3 provides Wi-Fi 6E. Bluetooth 5.3 support along with AV1 decoding capabilities. Lacks support for mobile connectivity on the go.

In summary, both Snapdragon X Elite and Apple M3 offer features, across aspects. The Snapdragon shines in terms of AI performance while Apple focuses on enhancing GPU capabilities and expanding memory capacity. The decision, between the two options relies, on situations and personal preferences.