Performance
Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 marks the World’s First 5nm Windows PC platform, delivering best-in-class performance and efficiency. The advanced 5nm process node, combined with other optimizations, dramatically improves the performance of the Qualcomm Kryo CPU, while maintaining similar power consumption to the previous generation — resulting in new levels of efficiency.

With the integration of new prime cores, Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 delivers an up to 85 percent generational performance uplift and up to 60% greater performance per watt over the competitive x86 platform. This means users will experience premium computing power to work faster in productivity applications with support for up to multiple days of battery life.

During GPU-intensive activities, like web-browsing, video and photo editing, and video conferencing, users will benefit from the graphics and software experiences of the Qualcomm Adreno GPU at a staggering performance improvement of up to 60 percent versus the previous generation. This premium platform also supports gaming at full HD (up to 120 FPS) and is optimized to allow users to game up to 50% longer than certain competing platforms.

Video conferencing and streaming
Video conferencing has become more prevalent, and 8cx Gen 3 continues the innovation of video and audio capabilities, delivering crisp visuals and clear audio that enable incredible experiences available in a laptop. By using the Qualcomm Spectra ISP with improved camera start-up time, users can begin video conferences up to 15 percent faster than with the previous generation.

The 8cx Gen 3 delivers the latest generation 3A — Auto focus, Auto White Balance, and Auto Exposure — so Microsoft Teams or Zoom calls adapt to the user’s movement and lighting changes with high quality video.

Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 enables crystal clear audio in almost any environment, with Qualcomm Noise and Echo Cancellation technology, which is part of the Qualcomm Voice Suite. This feature is enhanced through AI acceleration to improve the clarity and quality of users’ audio. That means that user’s laptop can remove unwanted background sounds such as barking dogs or a neighbor moving their lawn. Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 also supports up to 4K HDR camera quality, and up to four cameras for new use cases.

Advanced AI
In addition to enabling the everyday features users rely on, such as face detection or background blur and audio noise suppression, the built-in AI capabilities of Snapdragon compute platforms at every tier support key power optimization for AI workloads.

The 8cx Gen 3 delivers an incredible 29+ TOPS of AI acceleration, almost 3X the leading competitive platform, helping users experience more performant AI experiences. With rapid adoption of AI capabilities to accelerate application experiences, users will experience even more advanced security, modern new use cases, and enriching experiences.

Security
Users deserve peace of mind around the security of their data, especially as digital lifestyles put laptops at the center of working, learning, and connecting. The 8cx Gen 3 is architected to deliver security from chip to cloud, introducing a new standard for protecting users’ device and data from malicious activity.

In addition to a layered chipset-level Secure Boot processes and the security of cellular connectivity, 8cx Gen 3 continues to enable Microsoft Secured-core PCs for high-level protection out of the box. For managed systems in the Enterprise or Education segments, the Qualcomm Secure Processing Unit (SPU) implements Microsoft Pluton Security Solution for Windows 11 and can help to securely store sensitive data such as credentials, personal data, and encryption keys directly on the SoC.

The 8cx Gen 3 also introduces a camera security framework supporting Windows Hello login and a dedicated Computer Vision processor for continuous authentication that helps ensure the user’s device automatically locks when they leave their machine. It also introduces runtime memory encryption, while Zero Trust frameworks can use more sensors and connection health monitoring to enable real-time authentication of access to corporate resources.

“Microsoft and Qualcomm Technologies have delivered on innovative computing experiences to empower customers in our collaboration over the years, from our recently announced Windows 11 to the new Surface Pro X,” says Panos Panay, executive vice president, chief product officer, Microsoft. “As we look forward, we will continue to see the PC play a central role in people’s lives. Together, we have a shared vision of redefining computing to deliver a more mobile, connected experience combining the best features of the smartphone with the power and performance people expect in a Windows PC.”