The Qualcomm Snapdragon SC8280 is Qualcomm's response to the Apple M1 chipset

Apple has managed to overturn the received wisdom that x86 chips were always faster and more performant than ARM-based chipsets, but for now, this still remains only true for Apple’s chips, with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors still uncompetitive with both x86 and the Apple M1 chipset.

Today WinFuture reports that Qualcomm is preparing a response with a new generation of Snapdragon processors aimed at laptops.

The Qualcomm SC8280, spotted in import/export databases,  is reportedly a successor to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx and 8cx Gen 2. Unlike those chips, the Qualcomm SC8280 will be able to address more than 16 GB of RAM.

The die for the chip is reportedly significantly larger at 20×17 millimetres (vs 20×15 millimetres for the 8cx) and may have more than 8 cores.

The chip is reportedly being tested with eight gigabytes of LPPDR5 RAM, variants with a full 32 gigabytes of LPDDR4X RAM. The SOC may be available in a cheaper and Pro version and will, in addition, be paired with the Snapdragon X55 5G modem.

With the chip still in the development stage, it is unclear what will hit the market, but hopefully, Qualcomm is aiming for something hired than the Apple M1 chip, as Apple’s next generation will probably be on the market by then.