Qualcomm Snapdragon XElite Core Exposed: Strikingly Similar in Size to Apple M4, but CPU Cluster is 78% Larger

Qualcomm Snapdragon XElite Core Exposed: Strikingly Similar in Size to Apple M4, but CPU Cluster is 78% LargerRecently, a netizen exposed photos of the Qualcomm Snapdragon XElite core and its module distribution diagram, comparing it to the Apple M4 and revealing striking similarities. The Snapdragon XElite is manufactured using TSMC's 4nm process and has a core area of 169

Qualcomm Snapdragon XElite Core Exposed: Strikingly Similar in Size to Apple M4, but CPU Cluster is 78% Larger

Recently, a netizen exposed photos of the Qualcomm Snapdragon XElite core and its module distribution diagram, comparing it to the Apple M4 and revealing striking similarities. The Snapdragon XElite is manufactured using TSMC's 4nm process and has a core area of 169.6 square millimeters, almost identical to the Apple M4 (165.9 square millimeters) which uses TSMC's 3nm process.

The Snapdragon XElite is equipped with 12 Oryon architecture CPU cores, codenamed Phoenix. Each core has an area of 2.55 square millimeters, slightly smaller than the Apple M4 performance core's 3.0 square millimeters, but identical to the A16 large core also using TSMC's 4nm process. Compared to the A15, it's 5% larger and 20% larger than the A17 Pro. Each CPU core has 192KB of L1 instruction cache and 96KB of L1 data cache, while every four cores share a 12MB, 12-way L2 cache (totaling 36MB), with a single group area being 6.1 square millimeters. The entire CPU cluster occupies an area of 48.2 square millimeters, a remarkable 78% larger than the Apple M4.

In contrast, the Snapdragon XElite's AdrenoX1 GPU cluster has an area of 24.3 square millimeters, 25% smaller than the Apple M4. The GPU can be divided into six SP groups, each with a size of 2.38 square millimeters. Each group boasts 1MB of L2 cache, three groups with 3MB of GMEM, and three groups with 384KB of cluster cache.

Additionally, the Snapdragon XElite features a 14MB system cache. 8MB of this is located next to the GPU cluster, taking up 3.32 square millimeters. The remaining 6MB is situated near the CPU cluster, with an area of 5.09 square millimeters, but it's divided into eight irregular small blocks. Furthermore, the chip incorporates eight sets of 16-bit LPDDR5X memory controllers, each with a size of 0.72 square millimeters.

Overall, the Snapdragon XElite's core design is full of highlights. While its overall area is very close to the Apple M4, its CPU cluster's area is significantly larger, suggesting that Qualcomm has invested considerable effort in CPU performance. At the same time, the GPU cluster's smaller area might indicate that Qualcomm is prioritizing GPU energy efficiency.

It's important to note that the exposed information is limited to core photos and module distribution diagrams, providing no direct insights into the chip's performance. The actual performance of the Snapdragon XElite remains unknown until its official release.