In brief: Qualcomm has two new chipsets for Windows laptops, which are faster than their predecessors and integrate support for 5G and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity. The real star of the show should have been the Nuvia-designed chipset that volition compete with Apple's G-serial chipsets, but that won't show up in an actual production until 2023.

Qualcomm'south latest SoC for Windows laptops is now official, and it's called the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 Compute Platform. The name is certainly a mouthful, only the company promises this new chip will enable "extreme mobile computing experiences that will deliver more than only a laptop."

The Snapdragon 8cx Gen iii's defining feature is connectivity, with Qualcomm offering OEMs a choice between the Snapdragon X55, X62, or X65 5G modems, as well as support for Wi-Fi half-dozen and Wi-Fi 6E. The visitor claims the new chipset offers upward 80 pct faster CPU functioning and upwardly to 60 percent faster GPU functioning when compared to its predecessor, which should brand for a snappier feel when running both native and emulated apps.

Qualcomm's Senior Director Of Product Direction Miguel Nunes explained the 8cx is built on a 5 nm procedure node. The CPU is based on four Arm Cortex-X1 "Prime" cores running at three GHz and 4 Cortex-A78 "Efficiency" cores running at 2.4 GHz, with a full of 14 megabytes of enshroud. Nunes says this allows for a 40 percent boost in single-threaded workloads and an 85 percent heave in multi-threaded workloads compared to the 8cx Gen 2 SoC.

These improvements are accompanied by a more capable Spectra ISP, which Qualcomm says will enable better autofocus performance, auto-white residue, car-exposure, and upwards to 4K HDR video capture. Along with audio noise and echo suppression, this should make for better quality video conferencing on laptops equipped with the new chipset, assuming that manufacturers won't cheap out when it comes to the webcam they integrate into their designs.

It'due south worth noting the 8cx Gen 3 is merely a stopgap solution until Qualcomm can launch its Nuvia-designed laptop chip, which is said to offering comparable value to that of Apple's Chiliad-series chipsets. That said, information technology will support Microsoft's Pluton security chip, which will bring TPM-like functionality and make laptops based on the 8cx Gen three more attractive to authorities and teaching clients.

In addition to the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3, Qualcomm also introduced the Snapdragon 7c+ Gen 3 Compute Platform, manufactured on a 6 nm process node. It will deliver up to 60 per centum better CPU functioning and up to 70 percent better GPU operation when compared to its predecessor, besides as 5G and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity. The visitor says nosotros tin look to see the first laptops based on the new chipsets sometime in the outset one-half of 2022.