Second generation Snapdragon 8cx

Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2. © Qualcomm.

Qualcomm has announced the arrival of a new version of the Snapdragon 8cx, its ARM processor for Windows laptops. Of course, it provides significant performance gains over its predecessor and, according to the manufacturer, it is 18% more powerful than Intel’s 10th generation Core i5. The 8cx Gen 2 also provides efficiency gains, with Qualcomm promising not only a whole day’s worth of work off a single charge, but also over 25 continuous hours of use, enough for “multiple days of battery life” — an impressive achievement. The new 8cx Gen 2 also features built-in support for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1, and support for dual 4K external monitors at 60fps. Qualcomm says to expect the first 8cx Gen 2 5G devices to be out later this year, starting with the Acer Spin 7, which was announced alongside the new chipset (and will also be Acer’s first 5G computer).

⇨ The Verge, Chaim Gartenberg, “Qualcomm’s 8cx Gen 2 5G processor promises a new wave of better ARM-based laptops.”