Qualcomm has been getting a lot of attention with its Windows laptops that were released this summer, but they started at $999. The company’s new eight-core Snapdragon X Plus processor, announced today, could bring those prices down by at least $100. The Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus will be featured in models like the Asus Zenbook S 15 and the Dell Inspiron 14, which will start at $899.
The new Snapdragon X Plus has the same specs as Qualcomm’s 10-core and 12-core models, but it’s weaker in terms of graphics performance. The GPU power is half that of the GPU, especially for games and graphics-intensive applications. And despite the 45 TOPS of AI performance found on all models, these new processors have 12MB less CPU cache.
Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus performs head-to-head with 10-core models
According to Qualcomm’s own internal tests, these new eight-core processors reach about 80 percent of the CPU performance of 12-core models and are neck and neck with the 10-core models in terms of productivity. However, there is a significant drop in graphics performance, with the graphics power of the eight-core model being nearly halved.
This price advantage can be especially attractive to entry-level laptop buyers. For example, the Asus Vivobook S 15 model, which is sold for $1,300 with a 12-core processor, drops to $900 with an eight-core processor. Moreover, other features such as a large 70-watt-hour battery and a 3K 120Hz OLED display remain the same in this model. The only loss is 512GB of storage instead of 1TB.
But discounts could narrow that price gap. The 12-core Asus Vivobook S 15 is already down to $1,100. Similarly, Dell is offering the 12-core Inspiron 14 Plus for $899.
Asus also today introduced a new Qualcomm-based “creator” laptop, the ProArt PZ13, which will retail for $1,099. It features a 3K OLED touchscreen and a 70-watt-hour battery, as well as a detachable keyboard and stylus support. Both Asus’ new models and Dell’s new Latitude 5455 will also be available with Qualcomm’s new octa-core processor, but Dell has not yet announced pricing for that model.
Qualcomm had previously predicted that laptop prices would drop to $700 by 2025.