Qualcomm continues to introduce new products. This time it announces its new Snapdragon 8cx processor, which becomes Intel’s direct competitor.
Qualcomm said the Snapdragon 8cx will be its first 7nm chip for PC platforms, representing the largest performance leap in Snapdragon chip history and defeating Intel products. Qualcomm is committed to the Snapdragon 8cx with “incredible battery life” and up to 2 Gbps network connectivity.
This is the first dedicated chip developed by the manufacturer of the mobile chip for Windows, instead of a tuned smartphone chip previously built into a notebook: “The Snapdragon 8cx processor is suitable for PCs and can support their true multitasking and productivity.
This processor was designed to help PCs take their performance to another level by mimicking the experience of mobile devices, as Qualcomm mentions in its press release:
“Our goal is to solve the problems that have plagued PC users for years; short battery life, slow boot cycles, lack of a super-fast secure connection. The simple truth is that we want our PCs to be more like our smartphones.”
It can also support two external 4K HDR displays at the same time, while previously it supported only one display.
On the CPU side, Qualcomm says its Snapdragon 8cx performance is comparable to that of the 15-watt Intel U-Series processor used in most thin, lightweight Windows notebooks today. Qualcomm’s chips consume only half the power of Intel.
5G connectivity
However, Snapdragon 8cx has neither 5G built-in nor is it compatible with the Qualcomm X50 5G modem. But right now it’s not a big deal. Qualcomm said it will launch a 5G solution at a later date. At the same time, it is equipped with Qualcomm’s new X24 LTE modem, theoretically at a maximum speed of 2 Gbps. Qualcomm’s new phone with the Snapdragon 855 processor is also equipped with the same modem, and this laptop chip also supports LTE’s 4×4 MIMO antenna.
Amazing Battery Life
Qualcomm said that the battery life of the Snapdragon 8cx will be comparable to that of the Snapdragon 850. The Galaxy Book 2 evaluation shows that the Snapdragon 850 compatible notebook can easily be used for an entire day. With Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+, it also supports fast USB C loading and support for USB 3.1 Gen 2. Theoretically, you can double the data transfer rate on the USB data line to 10 Gbps while supporting Amazon, Alexa, and Cortana from Microsoft.
For example, it promises up to 25 hours of battery life without compromising PC performance, impressive graphics, and seamless connectivity. This dynamic is made possible by the combination of Snapdragon 8cx hardware, which was redesigned from the ground up, based on a 7nm process, integrating Kyro 495 CPU (Qualcomm’s fastest) and Qualcomm Adreno 680 GPU (60% more efficient than Snapdragon 850 and 2 times faster than its predecessor).
We can review all the features of Snapdragon 8cx in the following video:
Always-on PCs, impressive multimedia experiences, maximum range, and enterprise-class security are just some of the promises made by the Qualcomm team when they unveiled their Snapdragon 8cx processor.
According to Qualcomm’s plans, the Star processor is already being tested by manufacturers, so we will see the first Snapdragon 8cx products in the third quarter of 2019.