At its recent Investor Day, Qualcomm talked about the third generation of its "Oryon" CPU cores, completely disregarding the second-generation Oryon cores for its AI PC project. The company projects these processors will debut in 2025, targeting devices priced as low as $600 to broaden its market presence. Qualcomm hopes to capture 30-50% of the serviceable addressable market (SAM) for non-x86 AI notebooks by 2029, a significant extension from its earlier, more ambitious 2027 target. Qualcomm's Oryon 3 CPUs will succeed the Snapdragon X Plus chips and are expected to deliver substantial performance and efficiency improvements. While no performance hints were dropped for the third-gen, the second-gen Oryon cores receive about a 30% boost in processing power and 57% greater efficiency compared to the first-generation Oryon chips. This indirectly indicates that Oryon 3 will record an even higher performance jump.

However, the Oryon 2 generation will skip the PC segment, appearing instead in Snapdragon 8 Elite smartphones. Despite these advancements, the road to higher market share is fraught with challenges. Qualcomm faces competition from potential entrants like MediaTek and NVIDIA, both expected to join the non-x86 notebook market by 2025. Furthermore, the company's revenue projections for the PC segment—$4 billion annually by 2029—pale compared to Intel's $29 billion in PC chip sales in 2023, highlighting the scale of competition in this space. Qualcomm's strategy also includes diversifying its revenue streams beyond PCs. By 2029, it targets $8 billion in automotive chip sales, $4 billion in industrial applications, and $2 billion from VR products. With competition in the Arm-based AI PCs heating up, companies must increase performance dramatically to get a head start.

Microsoft's Windows-on-Arm (WoA) project has been going through an expansion phase, with the recent range of Snapdragon X SoCs powering many laptops. However, as we are about to get bombed with WoA devices in 2025, Microsoft has prepared an official ISO image of the Windows 11 operating system, available for users to download on the official website. The download size is about 5 GB and requires an Arm-based system to work, as expected. The need for Windows 11 ISO image for WoA comes from the increased number of desktop builds shipped to developers worldwide based on Arm. There are many workstations like the ones offered by ODMs, with an Ampere Altra or Altra Max processor inside.

This is also good news for enthusiasts waiting for the NVIDIA-MediaTek collaboration to drop its first goodies next year, and we expect to see some interesting solutions arise. With Microsoft investing its developer resources into producing Windows 11 Arm builds, it signals that the adoption of Arm-based devices is about to get much higher interest from the consumer standpoint.

Samsung's latest semiconductor manufacturing technology is falling short of expectations, as the company struggles to achieve acceptable production rates for its cutting-edge 3 nm chips. The latest rumors indicate that both versions of Samsung's 3 nm Gate-All-Around (GAA) process produce fewer viable chips than anticipated. The initial targets set by the South Korean tech giant were aimed at a 70% yield rate in volume production. However, the first "SF3E-3GAE" iteration of the technology has only managed to achieve between 50-60% viable yield output. More troubling is the performance of the second-generation process, which is reportedly yielding only 20% of usable chips—a figure that falls dramatically short of production goals. The timing is particularly challenging for Samsung as major clients begin to reevaluate their manufacturing partnerships.

Qualcomm has opted to produce its latest Snapdragon 8 Elite processors exclusively through rival TSMC's 3 nm facilities. Even more telling is the exodus of South Korean companies, traditionally loyal to Samsung, who are now turning to TSMC's more reliable manufacturing processes. While Samsung can claim the achievement of bringing 3 nm GAA technology to market before TSMC's competing N3B process, this technical victory rings hollow without the ability to mass-produce chips efficiently. The gap between Samsung's aspirations and manufacturing reality continues to widen. However, Samsung is shifting its focus toward its next technological milestone. Development efforts are reportedly intensifying around a 2 nm manufacturing process, with plans to debut this technology in a new Exynos processor (codenamed 'Ulysses') for the 2027 Galaxy S27 smartphone series.

According to Bloomberg, Arm Holding PLC, the holding company behind the Arm instruction set and Arm chip designs, just issued a 60-day notice period of license retirement to Qualcomm, its long-time partner. The UK-based ISA provider has notified Qualcomm that it will cancel the Arm ISA architectural license agreement after the contract-mandated 60-day notice. The issues between the two arose in 2022, just a year after Qualcomm acquired Nuvia and its IP. Arm filed a lawsuit claiming that the reason was "Qualcomm attempted to transfer Nuvia licenses without Arm's consent, which is a standard restriction under Arm's license agreements." To transfer Nuvia core licensing, Qualcomm would need to ask Arm first and create a new licensing deal.

The licensing reworking came just in time when Qualcomm experienced its biggest expansion. The new Snapdragon 8 Elite is being used in the mobile sector, the Snapdragon X Elite/Plus is being used in Copilot+ PCs, and the automotive sector is also getting the new Snapdragon Cockpit/Ride Elite chipsets. Most of that is centered around Nuvia Oryon core IP, a high-performance, low-power design. Arm's representatives declined to comment on this move for Bloomberg, while a Qualcomm spokesman noted that the British company was trying to "strong-arm a longtime partner."

At Snapdragon Summit, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. unveiled the Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform, the most powerful and world's fastest mobile system-on-a-chip ever. Our flagship mobile platforms are now taking on the Elite name, showcasing the remarkable progress it represents for the industry. This platform debuts industry leading technologies such as the second generation custom-built Qualcomm Oryon CPU, Qualcomm Adreno GPU and enhanced Qualcomm Hexagon NPU, all of which deliver game changing performance improvements.

These innovations empower the Snapdragon 8 Elite to transform user experiences with their devices - making on-device multi-modal generative AI applications a reality on smartphones powered by Snapdragon. These technologies also fuel many other experiences across camera capabilities, with our most powerful AI-ISP, as well as next level gaming, super-fast web browsing and more.

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and Epic Games today announced the deployment of Unreal Engine pre-integrated and optimized for the Snapdragon Cockpit Platform, a key platform of Qualcomm Technologies' Snapdragon Digital Chassis solutions, to create an out-of-box solution that empowers global automakers to deliver immersive user experiences. With the cohesive human machine interface (HMI) solution, automakers will be equipped to develop high-quality digital cockpit systems that are customizable and scalable across all vehicle types, and tiers.

The collaboration marks the first time Unreal Engine is being directly integrated into Snapdragon automotive platforms. Through the technology collaboration, global automakers who utilize Snapdragon Digital Chassis solutions will have exclusive access to Unreal Engine tools with optimized features, providing powerful, never-before-seen, in-cabin visualization capabilities, which includes fully customizable 2D and 3D visuals to set new industry standards for in-cabin environments.

Qualcomm debuted its Snapdragon X Elite/Plus series of laptop processors a few months ago, and the company is already testing the next-generation Snapdragon X2 series. Interestingly, the new "SC8480XP" SoC is carrying a codename "project Glymur." Up until now, Qualcomm has exclusively used codenames of places in Hawaii. However, with the Snapdragon X2 series, it shifts to Iceland, with the highest waterfall name being used for this next-generation processor. While we have almost zero clue about core counts and clocks, we know that the CPU cores will be an iteration of Nuvia's Oryon design, likely being pre-designed before the acquisition of the Nuvia design team.

According to Winfuture, Qualcomm started testing the next-generation SC8480XP SoC in July and August, testing various RAM and storage configurations. The company will likely evaluate the best configurations for the upcoming platform, tune the RAM speed with the SoC, and decide on guidelines for storage configurations. We are still waiting to see meaningful hints about the next-generation platform, and we are especially curious about the clocks and core counts that Qualcomm is preparing.

Based on information shared by a Baidu user called Piglin, we now have access to an annotated die image of Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite processor. This analysis provides insights into the architecture of this new system-on-chip, highlighting several key features, including large CPU cores, a GPU, and a complex cache system. The report indicates that the Snapdragon X Elite die measures 169.6 mm² and is fabricated using TSMC's N4P 4 nm-class process. A notable aspect of the die shot is the considerable size of the "Phoenix" Oryon CPU cores, each reportedly measuring around 2.55 mm². These cores are significantly larger than typical Arm CPU cores, which is logical given their original purpose for the data center. The SoC features a total of 12 CPU cores in an 8+4 configuration.

The GPU, called Adreno X1, takes up 24.3 mm² of die area, roughly half the size of the CPU and CPU cache section. Despite its compact size, Qualcomm claims the GPU delivers approximately 4.6 FP32 TFLOPS of raw performance. Interestingly, the 45 TOPS NPU, which Qualcomm has emphasized as a key feature, is not clearly visible in the image. Another significant aspect is the extensive cache system. The three quad-core CPU clusters each occupy 16.1 mm², and feature 12 MB of high-speed L2 cache. Additionally, 6 MB is dedicated to system-level cache on 5.09 mm² area, along with a separate GPU cache. In total, the CPU boasts 54 MB of caches distributed across the die. The report also compares the Snapdragon X Elite to Apple's M4 SoC. However, it's worth noting that this isn't an exact comparison, as Apple utilizes an N3E 3 nm-class node for its chip. Below is the annotated die of Snapdragon X Elite and Apple's M4 from the original report.

Gaming giant Valve appears to be venturing into uncharted territory. Recent findings on SteamDB have revealed that the company may be working on integrating ARM architecture and Android app support into its ecosystem. A mysterious application, codenamed "ValveTestApp3043620," has been spotted with an update that includes interesting changes. The update features new tags for several popular games, including Left 4 Dead 2, Garry's Mod, and Kerbal Space Program. These tags, such as "proton-arm64" and "proton-arm64e," indicate that Valve is testing a version of Proton specifically designed for ARM64-based systems. Proton, Valve's brainchild developed in partnership with CodeWeavers, is the magic behind running Windows games on Linux systems. By extending this technology to ARM64, Valve could be paving the way for PC gaming on portable Arm-based devices, potentially signaling a new hardware strategy.

The plot thickens with mentions of "proton_experimental" and "proton-arm64ec-vanguard" in the changelog, hinting at ongoing tests and experimental builds. Additionally, references to Waydroid, a tool enabling Android apps on Linux, suggest that Valve's ambitions may extend beyond gaming, possibly aiming to broaden software accessibility of its platform. This development has sparked speculation about the possibility of Steam games running on Android smartphones and tablets or even a possible Arm-powered version of the Steam Deck. However, a more likely scenario could be testing for Windows support on Arm-based chips. The timing of these experiments aligns with recent announcements of laptops featuring Qualcomm's ARM64-based Snapdragon X CPUs. These devices can run Windows-based games through Microsoft and Qualcomm's emulation layer, Prism. If Valve's Proton can provide superior performance or more stable emulation for Windows-based games on Arm devices, it could position itself as a strong competitor to Prism.

ASUS today announced its participation in the upcoming IBC 2024, showcasing the theme A Glimpse into Tomorrow's Tech.Visitors to the ASUS booth (Hall 2 Booth #A29 RAI Amsterdam) will be able to enjoy the ProArt Masters' Talks featuring industry experts from renowned companies Adobe, NVIDIA and Scan Computers, as well as professional filmmaker Bas Goossens, professional senior trainer Leon Barnard, and co-founder and CEO of Redshark Media, Matt Gregory.

As well, through the full run of IBC from September 13-16, 2024, ASUS will highlight a range of cutting-edge technology ideal for professionals, including ProArt Display PA32KCX, the world's first 8K Mini LED professional monitor; ProArt Display OLED PA32UCDM, which brings 4K QD-OLED to creators; ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV, featuring a stunning 5120 x 2880 resolution for unparalleled clarity; and ProArt Display PA32UCE and PA27UCGE, the latest 4K monitors with built-in calibration. The latest ASUS AI-powered laptops and workstations will also be on show.

Ahead of IFA 2024, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. announced the expansion of its Snapdragon X Series portfolio with the introduction of Snapdragon X Plus 8-core, a breakthrough platform that unleashes multiday battery life, unprecedented performance and AI-powered Copilot+ experiences to even more people.

The 8-core Qualcomm Oryon CPU powering this Snapdragon X Plus platform enables lightning-fast responsiveness and efficiency, delivering 61% faster CPU performance while competitor peak performance requires 179% more power. An integrated GPU and support for up to three external monitors ensures exceptional graphics and immersive visual experiences. At the heart of the Snapdragon X Plus 8-core is a powerful 45 TOPS NPU of AI processing power and leading performance per watt which, paired with the platform's significant advancements in connectivity, will push productivity to new heights in ultra-portable designs with incredible battery life. Whether creating presentations on-the-go or videoconferencing, the versatile functionality of this platform will enable transformative experiences.

According to a recent report from Globes, Arm, the chip design giant and maker of the Arm ISA, is reportedly developing a new discrete GPU at its Ra'anana development center in Israel. This development signals Arm's intention to compete directly with industry leaders like Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA in the massive discrete GPU market. Sources close to the matter reveal that Arm has assembled a team of approximately 100 skilled chip and software development engineers at its Israeli facility. The team is focused on creating GPUs primarily aimed at the video game market. However, industry insiders speculate that this technology could potentially be adapted for AI processing in the future, mirroring the trajectory of NVIDIA, which slowly integrated AI hardware accelerators into its lineup.

The Israeli development center is playing a crucial role in this initiative. The hardware teams are overseeing the development of key components for these GPUs, including the flagship Immortalis and Mali GPU. Meanwhile, the software teams are creating interfaces for external graphics engine developers, working with both established game developers and startups. Arm is already entering the PC market through its partners like Qualcomm with Snapdragon X chips. However, these chips run an integrated GPU, and Arm wants to provide discrete GPUs and compete there. While details are still scarce, Arm could make GPUs to accompany Arm-based Copilot+ PCs and some desktop builds. The final execution plan still needs to be discovered, and we are still waiting to see which stage Arm's discrete GPU project is in.

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. today announces the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 Mobile Platform - designed to make 5G more accessible and reliable. This new platform is another example of how Qualcomm is committed to engineering human progress, pioneering the global transition from 4G to 5G to empower communities and industries alike. Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 is also packed with feature-rich enhancements, including robust CPU performance for seamless multitasking and productivity, dual band navIC for better position accuracy, AI-enhanced audio, and entertainment experiences like smooth gameplay and powerful video streaming.


"The Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 Mobile Platform is a significant leap forward in making 5G technology more accessible, so more people can navigate the world at 5G speeds," said Chris Patrick, senior vice president and general manager of mobile handsets, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. "Thanks to cutting-edge engineering, we balanced affordability with strong performance and all-day battery life, as well as widespread access to 5G for more enhanced mobile experiences."

Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon has announced plans to introduce Snapdragon X-powered PCs at a groundbreaking price point of $700 by next year. This revelation, made during the company's recent third-quarter earnings call, signals a significant shift in the accessibility of high-performance Arm-based computers. Currently, the most affordable Snapdragon X laptops on the market, such as the Microsoft Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, retail for $999. The $700 price tag prospect represents a substantial reduction, potentially opening up the technology to a broader consumer base. The only "affordable" Snapdragon X-based PC is the Snapdragon Dev Kit, with a price point of $899. However, the entire laptop solution is still more expensive. Mr. Amon emphasized that despite the lower cost of the potential $700 units, these upcoming devices will maintain neural processing unit (NPU) performance. This commitment suggests that Qualcomm is confident in its ability to optimize costs without sacrificing the advanced capabilities that have made Snapdragon X chips appealing to power users and developers alike.

While specific details about the hardware configurations remain undisclosed, it is interesting to see what steps Qualcomm will take to deliver on this promise. If the company can provide 8-core chips with 16 GB of RAM to the masses for $700, the industry would likely react very well, especially students who require decent computing capabilities on the go, if the $700 PC ends up being a laptop. The announcement also hinted at an expansion of Qualcomm-powered computers, with new models expected to debut at the upcoming IFA tech conference. These additions will likely bolster the selection of Microsoft Copilot+ PCs, further integrating AI capabilities into everyday computing experiences. The CEO also noted, "We expect PC to be the next biggest driver of diversification for the company," with some Snapdragon X PC already being sold out. The demand appears to be strong, and undercutting competition on pricing is an ideal way to get as many customers on board as possible.

Qualcomm has started accepting preorders for its Snapdragon Dev Kit for Windows, based on the Snapdragon X Elite processor. Initially announced in May, the device is now available for preorder through Arrow at a competitive price point of $899. Despite its relatively high cost compared to typical mini PCs, it undercuts most recent laptops equipped with Snapdragon X processors, making it an attractive option for both developers and power users alike. Measuring a mere 199 x 175 x 35 mm, it comes equipped with 32 GB of LPDDR5x RAM, a 512 GB NVMe SSD, and support for the latest Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5 technologies. The connectivity options are equally robust, featuring three USB4 Type-C ports, two USB 3.2 Type-A ports, an HDMI output, and an Ethernet port.

This mini PC's heart lies the Snapdragon X Elite (X1E-00-1DE) processor. This chip houses 12 Oryon CPU cores capable of reaching speeds up to 3.8 GHz, with a dual-core boost potential of 4.3 GHz. The processor also integrates Adreno graphics, delivering up to 4.6 TFLOPS of performance, and a Hexagon NPU capable of up to 45 TOPS for AI tasks. While similar to its laptop counterpart, the X1E-84-100, this version is optimized for desktop use. It can consume up to 80 watts of power, enabling superior sustained performance without the constraints of battery life or heat dissipation typically associated with mobile devices. This dev kit is made primarily to optimize x86-64 software to run on the Arm platform; hence, removing the power limit is beneficial for translating the code to Windows on Arm. The Snapdragon Dev Kit for Windows ships with a 180 W power adapter and comes pre-installed with Windows 11, making it ready for immediate use upon arrival.

Particle, a leading IoT edge-to-cloud platform provider, has launched Tachyon, its first Qualcomm Snapdragon powered single-board computer (SBC) designed to make cutting-edge chipsets and AI tooling widely accessible to consumers and businesses.

Tachyon brings the power of a modern smartphone to the far corners of the world with speedy hardware, a powerful AI accelerator, built-in high-bandwidth 5G and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, and a Linux-powered Ubuntu operating system. By providing a complete edge-to-cloud infrastructure, Particle enables customers to focus on what matters most: their application.

The much-anticipated revolution in AI-powered personal computing seems to be off to a slower start than expected. Qualcomm's Snapdragon X CPUs, touted as game-changers in the AI PC market, have struggled to gain significant traction since their launch. Recent data from PassMark, a popular benchmarking software, reveals that Snapdragon X CPUs account for a mere 0.3% of submissions in the past 30 days. This is a massive contrast to the 99.7% share held by traditional x86 processors from Intel and AMD, which raises questions about the immediate future of ARM-based PCs. The underwhelming adoption comes despite bold predictions from industry leaders. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon had projected that ARM-based CPUs could capture up to 50% of the Windows PC market by 2029. Similarly, ARM's CEO anticipated a shift away from x86's long-standing dominance.

However, it turns out that these PCs are primarily bought for the battery life, not their AI capabilities. Of course, it's premature to declare Arm's Windows venture a failure. The AI PC market is still in its infancy, and upcoming mid-tier laptops featuring Snapdragon X Elite CPUs could boost adoption rates. A lot of time still needs to pass before the volume of these PCs reaches millions of units shipped by x86 makers. The true test will come with the launch of AMD's Ryzen AI 300 and Intel's Lunar Lake CPUs, providing a clearer picture of how ARM-based options compare in AI performance. As the AI PC landscape evolves, Qualcomm faces mounting pressure. NVIDIA's anticipated entry into the market and significant performance improvements in next-generation x86 processors from Intel and AMD pose a massive challenge. The coming months will be crucial in determining whether Snapdragon X CPUs can live up to their initial hype and carve out a significant place in the AI PC ecosystem.

Edifier International, the award-winning audio electronics designer, announces the STAX SPIRIT S5 Wireless Planar magnetic headphones. In the 2012, Edifier acquired STAX Ltd., a company with over 80 years history, and a specialist in electrostatic headphones. The brand name "STAX" is almost considered the benchmark of electrostatic headphones. Inspired by STAX's pursuance of high-fidelity music and craftsmanship in the field, the STAX SPIRIT brand was created as a high-end sub brand for Edifier headphone products with the aim of developing more high-quality products for audiophile users.

The STAX SPIRIT S5 are Planar magnetic headphones. Planar magnetic drivers are commonly found in Hi-fi headphones and other high-end audio equipment. With their unique way of operation, planar magnetic drivers can represent a superior audio experience with rich details and impressive transient response. With solid innovation and advanced features, the STAX SPIRIT S5 packs upgraded planar magnetic drivers and the latest Bluetooth V5.4 technology into a compact and portable form-factor. The 2μm thin film and 2nd gen EqualMass wiring technology generate a performance comparable to legendary electrostatic headphones.

Samsung Electronics today announced its all-new Galaxy Z Fold6 and Galaxy Z Flip6, along with Galaxy Buds3 and Galaxy Buds3 Pro at Galaxy Unpacked in Paris.

Earlier this year, Samsung ushered in the era of mobile AI through the power of Galaxy AI. With the introduction of the new Galaxy Z series, Samsung is opening the next chapter of Galaxy AI by leveraging its most versatile and flexible form factor perfectly designed to enable a range of unique mobile experiences. Whether using Galaxy Z Fold's large screen, Galaxy Z Flip's FlexWindow or making the most of the iconic FlexMode, Galaxy Z Fold6 and Flip6 will provide more opportunities to maximize AI capabilities. Built on the foundation of Samsung's history of form factor innovation, Galaxy AI uses powerful, intelligent, and durable foldable experience to accelerate a new era of communication, productivity, and creativity.

The PC market gathered momentum in Q2 2024, with worldwide shipments of desktops and notebooks up 3.4% year-on-year, reaching 62.8 million units. Shipments of notebooks (including mobile workstations) hit 50 million units, growing 4%. Desktops (including desktop workstations), which constitute 20% of the total PC market, experienced a slight 1% growth, totaling 12.8 million units. The stage is now set for accelerated growth as the refresh cycle driven by the Windows 11 transition and AI PC adoption ramps up over the next four quarters.

"The PC industry is going from strength to strength with a third consecutive quarter of growth," said Ishan Dutt, Principal Analyst at Canalys. "The market turnaround is coinciding with exciting announcements from vendors and chipset manufacturers as their AI PC roadmaps transition from promise to reality. The quarter culminated with the launch of the first Copilot+ PCs powered by Snapdragon processors and more clarity around Apple's AI strategy with the announcement of the Apple Intelligence suite of features for Mac, iPad and iPhone. Beyond these innovations, the market will start to benefit even more from its biggest tailwind - a ramp-up in PC demand driven by the Windows 11 refresh cycle. The vast majority of channel partners surveyed by Canalys in June indicated that Windows 10 end-of-life is likely to impact customer refresh plans most in either the second half of 2024 or the first half of 2025, suggesting that shipment growth will only gather steam in upcoming quarters."

The recent launch of Copilot+ PCs, a collaboration between Microsoft and Qualcomm, has taken an unexpected turn in the market. While these devices were promoted for their artificial intelligence capabilities, a Bloomberg report reveals that consumers are primarily drawn to them for their impressive battery life. The Snapdragon X-powered Copilot+ PCs have made a significant impact, securing 20% of global PC sales during their launch week. However, industry analyst Avi Greengart points out that the extended battery life, not the AI features, is driving these sales. Microsoft introduced three AI-powered features exclusive to these PCs: Cocreator, Windows Studio Effects, and Live Captions with Translation. Despite these innovations, many users find these features non-essential for daily use. The delay of the anticipated Recall feature due to privacy concerns has further dampened enthusiasm for the AI aspects of these devices.

The slow reception of on-device AI capabilities extends beyond consumer preferences to the software industry. Major companies like Adobe, Salesforce, and SentinelOne declined Microsoft's request to optimize their apps for the new hardware, citing resource constraints and the limited market share of AI-capable PCs. Gregor Steward, SentinelOne's VP for AI, suggests it could take years before AI PCs are widespread enough to justify app optimization. Analysts project that by 2028, only 40% of new computers will be AI-capable. Despite these challenges, Qualcomm remains optimistic about the future of AI PCs. While the concept may currently be more on the marketing side, the introduction of Arm-based Windows laptops offers a welcome alternative to the Intel-AMD duopoly. As the technology evolves and adoption increases, on-device AI features may become more prevalent and useful. The imminent arrival of AMD Ryzen AI 300 series and Intel Lunar Lake chips promises to expand the Copilot+ PC space further. For now, however, it appears that superior battery life remains the primary selling point for consumers.

Cambridge is excited to launch the first over-ear model in the award-winning Melomania wireless headphones series - Melomania P100. Melomania P100 builds on over 50 years of audio expertise and an unashamed passion for music to deliver truly emotive sound from meticulously tuned premium drivers and Hi-fi-grade Class AB amplification.

World-class 60-hour battery life (extending to 100 hours with noise-cancelling turned off) ensures that the effortlessly engaging listening experience could easily last a working week or a lengthy holiday. P100 joins the recently launched M100 true wireless earphones to form the new Melomania range for 2024.

The first reviews of a notebook with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite SoC have appeared today, and it looks like the promised performance isn't quite there. And yes, all the reviews that went live today are all based on Asus' Vivobook S 15 OLED, so it might be a bit too early to state that Qualcomm isn't delivering on its claimed performance, as other manufacturers might deliver better performance. Let's start with the battery life. The Vivobook S 15 OLED comes with a 70 Wh battery pack which enables it to deliver better battery life than many AMD or Intel notebooks, but Apple's MacBook Air 15 M3 delivers on average a 40 percent better battery life, with a smaller 66.5 Wh battery pack. Browsing the web or watching movies aren't really too taxing for the Snapdragon X Elite, but under heavier loads the battery life drops off a cliff.

When it comes to application performance, the Snapdragon X Elite offers good multicore performance in benchmarks like Cinebench 2024 and PCMark 10, but it falls way behind in most other tests, ranging from video encoding to file extraction and document conversion, with Intel Core Ultra 7 155H based notebooks often pulling ahead by 50 percent or more. Despite being equipped with LPDDR5X-8448 memory, the Snapdragon X Elite falls behind in both the memory copy and write tests in AIDA64 compared to the Intel powered laptops. However, it's not all doom and gloom, as the Qualcomm chip delivers an impressive memory latency of a mere 8.1 ns, compared to 100+ for the Intel based laptops. It also outclasses the Intel laptops when it comes to memory read performance.

Samsung Electronics today announced the immediate availability of the new Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge in select markets. With next-level AI processing performance and intelligent hybrid AI integrations, the Galaxy Book4 Edge advances the era of AI and introduces users to new levels of seamless work, play and creation on their PC.

"The Galaxy Book4 Edge marks the beginning of a whole new category of PCs, and for Samsung, a continued commitment to expand the power of Galaxy AI and offer the most hyperconnected mobile AI ecosystem yet," said TM Roh, President and Head of the Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics. "Developed in close collaboration with our industry partners, we believe this next-generation AI PC will redefine the market and more importantly, give people cutting-edge ways to be more productive and creative in their everyday lives."

Qualcomm has provided new details about the Adreno X1 GPU integrated into their latest series of processors, Snapdragon X Elite/Plus. The Adreno X1 is the first custom-designed GPU from Qualcomm for Windows on ARM systems. The highest configuration of this GPU, known as the "X1-85," features "8" indicating the GPU level and "5" denoting the SKU.

The Adreno X1 boasts up to 6 shaders, 1536 FP32 ALUs, and can handle 96 texels per cycle. It delivers up to 4.6 TFLOPS of peak performance and processes 72 million pixels per second. It supports major graphics APIs, including DirectX 12.1 (Shader Model 6.7), DirectX 11, Vulkan 1.3, and OpenCL 3.0.