Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite Review

Overview

• Launched Snapdragon X Elite praised for:
  • Performance
  • Battery life
  • Ability to run software designed for x86 laptops
• Live stream of PC games showed nearly half failed to run, indicating not primarily designed for gaming.
• Challenge: Three team members to fully switch to Qualcomm laptops for a month to test Windows on ARM usability in 2024.

Laptop Options Considered

1. Microsoft Surface Laptop 7

• A significant update after 5 years.
• Features:
  • Sensil trackpad for gesture controls
  • 120Hz HDR display with peak brightness of 600 nits
  • 3x2 aspect ratio ideal for productivity
  • Excellent webcam with Windows Hello recognition
• Keyboard:
  • Soft typing experience, shorter travel distance.

2. Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge

• Heavier but thin profile with full-size HDMI and USB ports.
• Features:
  • Impressive display quality, avoiding previous OLED issues.
  • Fingerprint sensor included.

3. Dell XPS 13

• Two options: OLED panel with higher performance vs IPS with longer battery life.
• Features:
  • Nearly frameless design
  • Best battery life in comparison.
• Considerations:
  • No headphone jack or physical Escape key.

4. Dell Inspiron

• Lower end model with 10-core CPU but still competitive.
• Battery life slightly lower but surpasses MacBook Air M2.

5. HP Omni Book X

• Unremarkable on paper but a solid overall performer.
• Features:
  • Good keyboard and decent IO.
  • Second-best battery life in tests.

6. Asus VivoBook S15

• Mixed reviews; best IO and strong performance in multicore workloads.
• Notable features:
  • 120Hz OLED display, 600 nits brightness.

Performance Analysis

• Surprising results regarding chip performance discrepancies.
• Importance of not taking laptop specifications at face value.
• Notable findings:
  • Some devices performed better on battery than plugged in.

Conclusion

• Team members favored their choices:
  • One member chose the Surface Laptop for its overall balance.
  • Another favored the Omni Book due to its usability despite lower brightness.
• Discussion of sponsor products (e.g., G Skill RAM and Grammarly).

Additional Notes

• Links to specifications and pricing included in the video description.
• Suggestion for viewers to check out the Snapdragon X review and game testing stream.