Snapdragon X2 Plus benchmarks are starting to paint a clearer picture for anyone thinking about a Windows laptop upgrade this year. In a batch of synthetic CPU and GPU runs shared by PCMag, Apple’s M4 beat Snapdragon X2 Plus in four of five tests.
If you’ve been waiting for Snapdragon to deliver Mac-like punch in a thin Windows notebook, this is a useful check on expectations. It’s not the whole story, but it does suggest Macs still have a comfortable lead when you’re measuring straight performance.
One big caveat is that these Snapdragon X2 Plus results came from a reference platform, not a finished retail laptop. Real systems can shift up or down based on cooling, power limits, and how aggressively the maker tunes it.
The scorecard favors Apple
Single core CPU results leaned Apple by a lot. Cinebench 2024 single core showed 173 for M4 versus 133 for Snapdragon X2 Plus, and Geekbench 6 single core had M4 at 3,859 versus 3,311. If you care about app snappiness and short bursts of work, that’s the kind of margin you’ll notice.
Multi core was closer. Snapdragon X2 Plus narrowly led Cinebench 2024 multi core at 1,011 versus 993, but Geekbench 6 multi core still went to M4 at 15,093 versus 14,940. Taken together, Qualcomm looks competitive in some sustained tasks, but it doesn’t consistently pull ahead.
GPU numbers widened the gap again. M4 scored 3,949 versus 3,067 in 3DMark Steel Nomad Light, and 15,580 versus 12,525 in 3DMark Solar Bay. For graphics-heavy work, those spreads can translate into smoother timelines, faster effects, or higher settings.
Why these results can shift
Benchmarks are clean, but laptops are messy. A shipping design can throttle sooner, run hotter, or prioritize battery life, and any of that can change what you actually feel.
Software matters too. Even strong silicon can look average if the apps you rely on aren’t optimized for it, especially in mixed environments where some tools run native and others lean on translation.
What to do before you buy
If you need a laptop now and raw speed is your main priority, M4 still looks like the safer choice based on these results, especially for single core work and GPU loads.
If you need Windows, hold off until reviews land for specific Snapdragon X2 Plus laptops you can actually buy. Look for repeat testing on the exact model, plus notes on sustained performance, fan noise, and battery under load. Those details will tell you far more than a reference platform ever can.