Microsoft isn’t giving up on “Windows 11 on ARM”, and it’s already working with Qualcomm on the next-generation Snapdragon processor dubbed “Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4”. A new Geekbench benchmark suggests Qualcomm’s new Windows 11 on ARM CPU is finally catching up with Apple M2, and it’s on par with Apple Silicon in some multi-core tests.

According to documents seen by Windows Latest, Qualcomm refers to “Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4” as “Hamoa” internally, which uses adapted ARM cores instead, a move that gives it an edge over the predecessor. These new cores are likely developed by Nuvia engineers, the company acquired by Qualcomm.

Windows Latest has spotted a new QRD listing that shows Qualcomm’s most powerful Oryon prototype with 12 cores and up to 16GB of RAM. The new benchmark suggests “Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4” is becoming a formidable competitor to Apple’s M2 chip, as a recently leaked Geekbench benchmark shows.

However, it’s noteworthy that this benchmark was achieved under x86 emulation, not x64. Despite the potential inaccuracies from old Geekbench versions, the results are remarkable. The internal components, as referenced in the leaked data, include:

• Size: 16.0
• BIOS: Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. 6. O. BOOT. MXF.2.4-00188. I-HAMOA-I

Directly comparing the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4 with Apple’s M2 chip yields the following results:

Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4:

• Single-Core Score: 1197
• Multi-Core Score: 9337

Apple M2 (MacBook Pro, 16-inch, 2023):

• Single-Core Score: 2595
• Multi-Core Score: 14197

However, some additional Apple M2 benchmarks show Snapdragon 8cx is catching up in multi-core performance:

MacBook Air (2022, Apple M2 3478 MHz, 8 cores):

• Single-Core Score: 2641
• Multi-Core Score: 9795

MacBook Air (2022, Apple M2 3480 MHz, 8 cores):

• Single-Core Score: 2645
• Multi-Core Score: 10082

MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2023, Apple M2 Pro 3481 MHz, 10 cores):

• Single-Core Score: 2641
• Multi-Core Score: 12109

While the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4’s performance isn’t exactly on par with Apple’s M2 chip, it’s inching closer, particularly in multi-core operations. The Snapdragon’s single-core performance lags significantly behind Apple’s M2, but the gap in multi-core performance is narrower.

These benchmark revelations paint a promising picture for Windows 11 on ARM and Qualcomm’s strides in the CPU domain, hinting at an exciting competitive landscape in the near future.

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