What you need to know
- A Geekbench listing has been spotted for the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3.
- The CPU got a single-core score of 1,010 and a multi-core score of 5,535.
- As with all leaked benchmarks, these figures could prove to be inaccurate or for a different piece of hardware.
Windows on ARM PCs could see a big performance boost if leaked benchmarks for the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 prove to be accurate. A Geekbench listing for the CPU recently appeared, showing a single-core score of 1,010 and a multi-core score of 5,335. Those figures mark a significant improvement over the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 and could result in more powerful computing on Windows on ARM devices like the Surface Pro X.
The Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 had a single-core score of 797 and a multi-core score of 3,006 when we ran Geekbench 5 as part of our HP Elite Folio review. Testing on the Surface Pro X with an 8cx Gen 2 showed similar scores.
While benchmarks aren't the only factor that affects PC performance, computers powered by the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 should see significant improvement over the previous generation.
The single-core score of 1,010 puts the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 in the range of the Lenovo Yoga C740 with an Intel Core i5-10210U CPU. The multi-core scores of the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 look much more promising. A Geekbench 5 multi-core score of 5,355 places the processor above the HP Spectre x360 14 with an Intel Core i7-1165G7.
These scores show promise for the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3, but they fall short of Apple's M1 lineup. That's to be expected, as Apple's processor lineup outperforms some of the best CPUs from Intel and AMD, but it is worth noting.
The improvements in the Snapdragon 8cx Gen may help Qualcomm stave off competitors. Qualcomm may see more serious competition in the Windows on ARM space after its exclusive agreement with Microsoft expires.
Benchmark figures like this need to be taken with a grain of salt and within context. Entries can be faked or may be from a different piece of hardware than what eventually ships to the public. If they are close to what we see in upcoming Windows on ARM PCs, the third generation of the Snapdragon 8cx line would be quite an improvement over what's currently available.
We covered similar leaks for the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 back in March 2021 that showed similar scores.
