Snapdragon X Elite vs Apple M3: A Battle for ARM Laptop Supremacy in 2025

With the rapid advancement in ARM-based processors, 2025 has already become a pivotal year for the laptop industry. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and Apple’s M3 are both vying for the crown in the high-performance, energy-efficient computing market. But how do these chipsets stack up against each other when it comes to real-world performance, power consumption, and software support? This article dives deep into a data-driven comparison to find out who leads the ARM laptop space right now.

Performance Benchmarks: Who Sets the Pace?

When it comes to raw CPU performance, the Snapdragon X Elite features 12 high-performance Oryon cores based on a custom ARM design, with boost clocks reaching up to 4.3GHz. According to early Geekbench 6 and Cinebench R23 benchmarks (as of February 2025), the Snapdragon chip consistently matches or slightly outpaces the Apple M3 in multi-core performance. The M3, built on TSMC’s second-generation 3nm process, offers 8 CPU cores and impressive single-core scores, but it lags slightly behind in multi-threaded workloads.

On the GPU front, Apple’s M3 benefits from a tightly integrated 10-core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading, giving it an edge in creative tasks and gaming. However, Snapdragon X Elite’s Adreno GPU has seen major improvements and now delivers competitive performance, particularly in AI-based tasks and graphical rendering within Windows on ARM systems.

In real-world usage, such as compiling code, video editing, and 3D rendering, both chips perform exceptionally well. Yet Snapdragon X Elite-powered laptops like the upcoming Microsoft Surface Pro 10 show slightly better multi-tasking efficiency under heavy loads, thanks to their larger core count and sustained thermal performance.

AI and NPU Capabilities

AI performance has become a critical metric for modern laptops, and both chips bring their own Neural Processing Units (NPUs) to the table. Apple’s M3 NPU can deliver up to 18 TOPS (trillions of operations per second), which enables impressive on-device machine learning functions like live transcription and image recognition.

Snapdragon X Elite, however, goes even further with its Qualcomm Hexagon NPU pushing up to 45 TOPS. This allows for advanced generative AI applications, such as real-time video enhancements, AI-driven productivity tools, and local large language model (LLM) processing. This power is especially beneficial for developers and professionals working with AI toolkits natively on Windows 11.

In actual use, Snapdragon’s AI acceleration appears more flexible, supporting a wider range of AI frameworks including TensorFlow, ONNX, and PyTorch. Apple’s ecosystem is more refined, but slightly limited in developer openness, which may impact those needing cross-platform AI support.

Power Efficiency and Battery Life

One of the major advantages of ARM-based chips is power efficiency, and both Snapdragon X Elite and Apple M3 shine in this area. Apple’s M3 MacBook Air models have been praised for offering up to 18 hours of battery life under normal usage, with efficient power scaling thanks to macOS optimisations and unified memory architecture.

Meanwhile, Snapdragon X Elite laptops are delivering similarly competitive figures. Early testing of devices like the HP Dragonfly Future and Lenovo ThinkPad X Elite reveals battery life ranging from 17 to 21 hours depending on workload, aided by the low thermal design power (TDP) and dynamic core utilisation.

Thermal efficiency also plays a role: Snapdragon laptops often operate fanless or with minimal noise under load, while Apple’s passive-cooled M3 designs also keep things whisper-quiet. However, Qualcomm’s chip tends to remain cooler under sustained workloads, thanks to its more modular SoC layout and enhanced scheduling within Windows.

Software Optimisation and OS Integration

Apple has the clear advantage in software-hardware optimisation. macOS Sonoma and the upcoming macOS 15 are designed specifically to leverage every bit of the M3 chip’s architecture, ensuring fluid performance and efficient battery usage in daily tasks, professional software, and gaming.

That said, Windows on ARM has matured significantly in 2025. Microsoft’s new native ARM64 build of Windows 11 supports nearly all essential applications, with full compatibility for Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft 365, and even many legacy x64 apps through improved emulation layers.

Snapdragon X Elite’s software ecosystem is not only stable but also offers deeper AI customisation options via Qualcomm’s SDKs and developer tools. For enterprise users and tech enthusiasts, this provides unmatched flexibility, even if Apple still holds a lead in seamless integration and user experience.

Hardware Ecosystem and Device Availability

Apple controls its hardware ecosystem tightly, and this results in a predictable and consistent user experience. M3 chips are currently found in MacBook Air, MacBook Pro 14″, and iMac 24″ models, all of which offer stunning displays, robust build quality, and reliable performance across use cases.

Snapdragon X Elite, on the other hand, is making waves across a broader range of OEM devices. Microsoft, Dell, Lenovo, HP, and ASUS have all announced or released laptops using the new platform. This gives users more freedom to choose devices with varied form factors, display types, and price points.

Furthermore, Snapdragon-powered laptops often come with cellular connectivity, including 5G, a feature still missing from Apple’s MacBook lineup. This makes the Snapdragon X Elite ecosystem more attractive for mobile professionals and users needing always-connected productivity on the go.

Upgrade Path and Future Outlook

Apple’s chip upgrades are tied closely to annual hardware refreshes. The M3 is expected to be followed by M3 Pro and M3 Max, delivering more power for creative professionals, but only within the Apple ecosystem. Upgrades are seamless but limited to Apple hardware cycles.

Snapdragon X Elite, however, is part of Qualcomm’s new multiyear roadmap for PC processors, with an emphasis on modularity and long-term support. Device makers can implement updates more flexibly, and Qualcomm promises regular firmware and driver improvements that aren’t tied to a new hardware launch.

This means that Snapdragon devices could see better longevity and user control over upgrade cycles. Combined with its broader ecosystem partnerships and developer-centric focus, Qualcomm’s ARM strategy appears more scalable in the long run.