At the Snapdragon Summit 2024, Qualcomm responded to Intel’s recent Lunar Lake CPU launch claims, asserting that its Snapdragon X Elite processors still hold an edge in performance. Qualcomm backed this statement by sharing new benchmark tests, including direct comparisons between the Snapdragon X Elite and Intel’s latest Core Ultra 200V and a head-to-head with the Snapdragon 8 Elite, designed for mobile devices.
Intel’s initial claims positioned its Lunar Lake CPUs as top performers, focusing on speed and efficiency compared to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X processors. They even declared that they offered “the fastest core, period.” However, Qualcomm used its Summit platform to address and challenge these benchmarks, presenting data that underscores the Snapdragon X Elite’s performance strengths.
It’s worth noting that each company’s benchmarks likely emphasize optimal results under specific conditions. For a comprehensive understanding, independent testing will provide a clearer comparison and confirm if Qualcomm’s X Elite does, indeed, surpass Intel’s latest processors in real-world use.
CPU Performance
Qualcomm’s response to Intel’s claims about the Lunar Lake processors took a detailed approach, offering specific benchmark results to counter Intel’s performance statements for the Core Ultra line.
In the Cinebench 2024 single-core test, Intel initially compared the Core Ultra 9 288V to two Snapdragon X Elite chips, claiming a 6% and 20% advantage, respectively. Qualcomm responded by showcasing its flagship, the Snapdragon X1E-84-100, which achieved 128 points, close to the Core Ultra 9’s 125 points—a nearly equal performance, contrary to Intel’s suggestion of an advantage.
Qualcomm pointed out that Intel omitted these results and provided its tests on the multi-core performance for Cinebench. Qualcomm’s X1E-80-100 scored 976 points, a 92% performance advantage over Intel’s Core Ultra 7 256V, which scored 509 points.
In Geekbench 6.2 single-core tests, Intel again allegedly overlooked the Snapdragon X1E-84-100, which Qualcomm says achieved a score of 2,934 points—higher than Intel’s Ultra 7 256V (2,779 points) and Ultra 9 288V (2,783 points). Multi-core scores further favored Qualcomm, with the X Elite hitting 15,710 points, a 44% lead over the Core Ultra 9’s 10,907 points.
For the SPECrate2017_int_base (1-copy) test, Qualcomm highlighted Intel’s lack of compiler configuration disclosure, which prevented exact comparisons. However, using standard optimizations and common compilers, Qualcomm reported that all three X Elite configurations performed similarly to the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V, maintaining competitiveness without optimizations potentially favoring either side.
These comparisons indicate that Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chips perform on par or better in several scenarios. However, independent testing will be essential to confirm these outcomes across various workloads and configurations.
Battery performance
Qualcomm also challenged Intel’s claims about battery efficiency and sustained performance under battery use, highlighting the Snapdragon X Elite’s ability to maintain higher performance while consuming less power in real-world scenarios.
Using Dell XPS 13 laptops equipped with the Snapdragon X Elite, Qualcomm measured performance drops in benchmark tests like Procyon, finding only a 13% decrease in speed on battery. In contrast, Intel’s Core Ultra chips reportedly experienced more severe performance reductions, especially in Cinebench 2024’s single-core test, where performance dropped by 54% when running on battery.
In terms of sustained performance, Qualcomm claimed the Snapdragon X1E-80-100 model outperformed Intel’s Core Ultra 7 256V on battery power, with scores ranging from 21% to 163% higher than Intel’s offering across multiple benchmarks.
Qualcomm also emphasized the Snapdragon X Elite’s energy efficiency in everyday tasks. In activities like video calls on Microsoft Teams, YouTube streaming, and web browsing, the Snapdragon-equipped XPS 13 reportedly consumed up to 37% less battery than similar Intel-powered setups. This suggests a significant edge in efficiency for Snapdragon, positioning it as a more power-conscious choice for portable devices that need to balance performance with battery longevity.
NPU and heating differences
A major focus of both Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and Intel’s Core Ultra processors is the Neural Processing Unit (NPU), which handles AI-related tasks. In tests comparing Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X1E-80-100 to Intel’s Core Ultra 7 256V, notable differences emerged, especially regarding power consumption and heat management.
Qualcomm reported that in Procyon AI benchmark tests, the Core Ultra 7 256V’s NPU consumed 311% more energy than the Snapdragon’s NPU to deliver similar performance, both tested on identical Dell XPS 13 laptops. This efficiency in Qualcomm’s processor translates into less battery drain, making it advantageous for intensive AI-driven applications.
Regarding thermal efficiency, when plugged in, the Snapdragon variant’s keyboard surface remained up to 9°C cooler than the Intel-based model. This thermal advantage slightly decreased to 7°C cooler on battery but was still significant. Furthermore, while on battery, Qualcomm’s NPU also maintained a 20% higher performance than Intel’s, underscoring Snapdragon’s focus on energy and thermal efficiency in AI applications.
Comparison with Snapdragon 8 Elite
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, designed primarily for smartphones, has shown remarkable performance in direct comparisons with high-end laptop processors like Intel’s Core Ultra 7 256V and AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 370. Although these processors target different markets, Qualcomm’s 8 Elite is still competitive even compared to powerful laptop chips.
In Geekbench 6.2 single-core tests, the Snapdragon 8 Elite scored 3,209 points, leaving the Core Ultra 7 (1,370 points) and Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (2,072 points) trailing by margins of up to 134%. In multi-core performance, the Snapdragon 8 Elite also excelled, achieving 10,205 points, outperformed only by its laptop-grade sibling, the Snapdragon X Elite, and surpassing the Intel Core Ultra 7 (7,361 points) and the Ryzen HX 370 (9,723 points) by 39% at its best.
When tested for web browsing performance on Speedometer 3 via Google Chrome, the Snapdragon 8 Elite once again led with 33.5 points, while the Ryzen HX 370 and Core Ultra 7 scored 18 and 13.2 points, respectively. These results indicate Snapdragon’s strength in browser-based tasks and highlight its potential in handling lighter, efficiency-driven applications.
Are Snapdragons better than the Intel Core Ultra 200?
It’s important to remember that both Qualcomm and Intel are presenting their products in the best possible light, emphasizing favorable metrics while leaving out areas where they may not lead, such as GPU performance, where Intel currently holds a clear advantage. This selective reporting is standard in the industry, so we’ll need more independent benchmarks to fully understand how Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X processors stack against Intel’s Lunar Lake lineup.
What’s clear, however, is that we’re in an exciting period of innovation and competition in the processor market, with Qualcomm, Intel, and AMD each pushing boundaries to win over consumers. This level of competition benefits users, promising faster, more efficient, and versatile options for various devices.
