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Snapdragon X Elite leak suggests the Apple M3 may be getting a robust competitor soon

Last Updated on February 27, 2024
The image features the Snapdragon X Elite on a circuit board.
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The high-powered and uber-efficient Apple M3 chip fittingly took the tech world by storm upon its unveiling last October 2023. However, a recent leak centering on Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon X Elite chip suggests that Apple’s offering may no longer be sitting alone at the top soon.

According to a recent Geekbench listing on the Qualcomm ZH-WXX, a device toting the Snapdragon X Elite, its multi-core benchmark results reached a whopping 12,562 points. Conversely, its single-core score only reached a mark of 2,574 points, slightly lower than the M2’s single-core benchmark result. Of course, these results still pale in comparison to the M3’s single- and multi-core benchmark scores of 3,136 and 14,091 points, respectively.

However, these numbers indicate that Qualcomm is bridging the gap, and it may only be a matter of time until Apple’s chip faces off against an equally powerful competitor. But much like any leak or rumor, you will need to take these details with a gentle helping of salt until it’s officially confirmed.

Snapdragon X Elite release date soon?

Unfortunately, another crucial detail of the Snapdragon X Elite that’s yet to be announced is its release date. Previous leaks have indicated that the upcoming Qualcomm CPU may debut this year with Windows’ planned Germanium platform release. According to an XDA article, “Manufacturers want to ship [PCs equipped with the Snapdragon X Elite] in June 2024.” However, these PCs apparently “can’t be shipped with the current version of Windows 11,” so they “won’t have all the Hudson Valley features out of the box.”

Now, like the previously mentioned Geekbench listing, we wouldn’t recommend taking this information as gospel. But with the alleged release date inching closer, it may only be a matter of time until more light is shed on the highly anticipated Qualcomm chip. Until then, check out when the AMD Radeon RX 8000 release date is, so you know when this high-powered GPU is slated to launch.

Nico is a Tech News Writer for PC Guide. He is also adept at finding a good deal every now and then, stemming from his days penny-pinching as a broke college kid.