New benchmarks for the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme processor – set for release in early 2026 – have surfaced online. The mobile chip is set to power a handful of laptops (generally for productivity), and Geekbench has provided our first glimpse of its performance in single-core and multi-core tests. The ARM64 chip in question is fitted inside an ASUS Zenbook A16.

It was at CES 2026 in early January that Intel finally launched its new Panther Lake platform, with the new chips expected to power “more than 200 designs”. The mobile chip architecture had an impressive outing at the annual event, showcasing solid benchmark results, promises of PL-powered handhelds on the horizon, and more. The idea of gaming on the x86 architecture was backed up by support for Multi Frame Generation on day one. However, Snapdragon on ARM looks to outperform it.

Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme vs Core Ultra X9 388H

Benchmarks for Qualcomm’s top Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme chip and the Panther Lake flagship reveal that the ARM64 chip comes out on top in both disciplines. Based on these pre-launch results, the Snapdragon is 31.5% faster for single-core and 29.4% faster multi-core performance than Intel’s Core Ultra X9 388H. As an early benchmark, these Snapdragon results should be taken with a pinch of salt, though we wouldn’t expect them to be far off considering launch is due to arrive soon.

In terms of the hardware, the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme offers an 18-core design, while the X9 388H from Intel clocks in at 16 cores. The Snapdragon chip also offers a higher 4.45GHz clock speed in this specific benchmark, compared to the 388H’s 4.00GHz (though Intel advertises up to 5.1GHz on its official specs page).

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Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.