It is not Intel, AMD, or Apple, but the Snapdragon X Elite is the next big thing in the computing space. PC makers like Lenovo plan to launch their new flagship “Windows on ARM” lineup later this year. Lenovo is working on a Yoga Slim 7 “QNV9” with a 14.5-inch display and Snapdragon X Elite. ThinkPad T14s is also getting an ARM edition.
Let’s first discuss the Snapdragon X Elite-powered Yoga Slim 7 14, which is set to debut later this year. Windows Latest expects Lenovo to announce the Yoga Slim 7 alongside some other Snapdragon X Elite PCs in mid-2024 when Windows 11 version 24H2 is ready for “Windows on ARM.”
Yoga Slim 7 is already in the market with an Intel Ultra Core processor, but it’s getting an “upgrade” with a new Snapdragon Edition. The new Yoga Slim 7 is powered by Snapdragon X Elite, and it will be offered in two variants: 16GB RAM and 32GB RAM.
According to a Geekbench listing spotted by Windows Latest, Yoga Slim 7 with Snapdragon X Elite, which has a model number “QNV9”, scores 2,427 in a single-core test and 14,254 in a multi-core score test. A higher number is better; a single-core score of 2,427 is good for most daily tasks.
As mentioned, the multi-core score is 14,254, which tells us how well the laptop can run apps that use multi-cores of the process. Again, higher is better, and 14,254 is a strong score, meaning it can handle heavy tasks smoothly. It’s also on par with the Apple M3 Pro lineup.
Here’s a detailed score analysis of Snapdragon X Elite-powered Yoga Slim 7 benchmarks:
- File Compression: 2075 — Compressing a file to make it smaller is rated at 2075, which means the laptop can quickly shrink files, saving space and making them easier to send. For multi-core, the score is at 7935, which is again a good number compared to the low 6000s in Intel PCs.
- HTML5 Browser: 2745 — When using web browsers for sites with interactive content (like videos and games), it scores 2745, so it’s good for smooth browsing. For multi-core, the score is 17488, which is very fast. Our tests show that Snapdragon X Elite PCs are faster than Intel when browsing the web with Chrome or Edge.
- Photo: 2411 — Editing photos scores 2411, which is quite efficient for photo-related tasks. When working with many photos, it scores 19827 on the multi-core.
Microsoft watcher Walking Cat has also posted images of the Snapdragon X Elite edition of Yoga Slim 7.
As you can see in the images above, the Windows on ARM lineup could come with a new desktop wallpaper that gives the existing Windows 11 Bloom wallpaper a touch of Microsoft Copilot.
Compared to the Intel version, the Yoga Slim 7 features a slimmer design and an improved camera. It also has a new aluminium finish and a Copilot button.
Here’s an exclusive comparison between the Snapdragon X Elite and Intel Core Ultra 7 155h:
| Benchmark | Snapdragon X Elite 23w | Intel Core Ultra 7-155h |
| 7-Zip File Compression (lower is better) | 18.98s | 21.09s |
| Visual Studio Code Compilation (lower is better) | 30.56s | 68.14s |
| 3D Mark GPU Benchmark | 39.11 FPS | 33.98 FPS |
| Spedometer2.0 (Edge – Native ARM, higher is better) | 438 | 376 |
| Spedometer2.0 (Chrome – Native ARM, higher is better) | 457 | 413 |
| JetStream 2 (Chrome – Native ARM, higher is better) | 316.765 | 295.098 |
| Geekbench 6 CPU | 2774 single / 14027 multi | 2401 single / 13001 multi |
| Procyon – AI Inference Benchmark | 1716 (Qualcomm SNPE) | 514 (Intel OpenVINO) |
ThinkPad T14s with Snapdragon
Lenovo is also working on a ThinkPad T14s with a Snapdragon chip, likely to be Snapdragon X Elite.
It’s unclear whether the device will debut in mid-2024 or later, but a ThinkPad T14s with a Snapdragon chip is definitely on the cards. The other details of the hardware remain unclear.