Snapdragon X2 Elite: 18 cores, up to 64GB RAM tested

The Snapdragon X series of chipsets are off to a great start: debuting Copilot+ PC features and also bringing unprecedented battery life to Windows PCs. Qualcomm isn’t keen on resting on their laurels just yet though, as the next-gen Snapdragon X2 Elite (Snapdragon X Elite 2?) codenamed SC8480P is currently in testing with 64GB RAM and is reportedly set to tout 18 cores in total.

18 cores, 64GB RAM: Snapdragon X2 Elite to bring the fight to Apple M4 series?

If the rumors are true, the Snapdragon X2 Elite will tout one of the highest core counts of any mobile processor in the market right now. Current AMD chips top out at 16 cores, while Intel is shoving up to 24 cores into the Intel Core Ultra 200HX series. Even Apple’s range-topping M4 Max chip caps out at 16 cores, which means that the Snapdragon X2 Elite should boast an advantage in multi-core performance, just like the Snapdragon X series did versus the Apple M3 series.

However, performance in benchmarks and real-world applications can vastly differ, especially for Windows on Arm systems. Recent AMD and Intel architectures like Strix Point and Lunar Lake aren’t that far behind either, both in terms of performance and efficiency, which means that Qualcomm has their work cut out for them. Not to mention Apple M-series chips, while similarly based on Arm, is currently enjoying near flawless app compatibility in MacOS, on top of chart-topping performance and battery life.

SC8480XP aka SD X2 Elite in testing with 64GB RAM… looking like 18 core thing more and more.— Roland Quandt (@rquandt.bsky.social) May 30, 2025 at 9:56 PM

There are also rumors that this 18-core SC8480P isn’t going to be Snapdragon X2 Elite, and will instead be Qualcomm’s push into the server or desktop market. This would be quite an interesting direction, as then Qualcomm would be facing off against existing Arm-based chipmakers like Ampere, which has already gained a decent foothold in the server industry.

In any case, the Snapdragon X2 Elite, or whatever the SC8480P will be marketed as, is likely going to be announced at the Snapdragon Summit 2025 in September, so we probably wait until then to see it in full.