Apple’s M4 Max Outperforms Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme in Single-Core & Multi-Core Laptop SoC Performance

Qualcomm’s latest advancement, the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme chip, has emerged as a notable achievement in technology, yet it still falls short when stacked against Apple’s formidable M4 Max laptop System on Chip (SoC).

Qualcomm Faces Strong Competition in the ARM Market While Dominating x86

The San Diego-based chipmaker made its foray into the laptop market last year with the introduction of Snapdragon X1 CPUs. This launch was significant, as the chips positioned themselves as competitive solutions within the ARM architecture landscape. Up until then, apart from Apple’s M-series chips, there were limited options available for Windows platforms. Qualcomm effectively closed this gap. With the introduction of the Snapdragon X2 series, the company has enhanced performance standards compared to traditional x86 processors, although it still lags behind Apple’s M-series SoCs.

Wait, X2 Elite Extreme is not the fastest laptop CPU in the world. The M4 Max already beats the X2 Elite Extreme in Cinebench 2024 in a retail laptop. This is why one shouldn’t look at clock speeds alone. X2 Extreme: ST: 162 MT: 1968 M4 Max: ST: 179 MT: 2025 pic.twitter.com/sRNTknM4no

— ExoticSpice (@ExoticSpice101) September 24, 2025

According to a reference laptop demonstrated by Qualcomm featuring the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme, the SoC achieves a Cinebench 2024 score of 162 in single-thread performance and 1, 968 in multi-thread performance. Though commendable, this performance shows Qualcomm falling behind Apple’s M4 Max, which outperforms it by 9.5% in single-thread scenarios and trails by a marginal 2.8% in multi-thread benchmarks. This indicates that Qualcomm’s chip cannot yet claim the title of ‘leader’ in the ARM market.

Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme die package — Image credits – @IanCutress

Nevertheless, the performance gap is relatively small. For Qualcomm, this achievement is impressive, especially considering that the X2 Elite Extreme is only the second iteration of their laptop chip technology. When comparing against x86 processors, it is evident that the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme has significantly outperformed its counterparts.

Performance Comparison: Snapdragon X2 vs. Competitors

Vs. AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (via Jarrod’s Tech)

Single-Thread: ~34% average advantage
Multi-Thread: ~55% average advantage

Vs. Intel Core Ultra 9 288V (via CPU Monkey)

Single-Thread: ~31% average advantage
Multi-Thread: ~234% average advantage

So, can we conclude that ARM holds a definitive advantage over x86 in the laptop sphere? The answer is nuanced. While Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme demonstrates considerable progress, both Intel and AMD are gearing up to release their next-generation mobile SoCs, Panther Lake and Medusa Point, which are expected to create a more competitive landscape. Given Qualcomm’s architectural strides from just one generation to the next, it’s clear that Intel and AMD must ramp up their efforts to maintain their dominance in the market.

For more in-depth insights into the Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme chip, you can explore our previous coverage detailing the transformative impact of ARM technology in the laptop arena.

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