According to leaked internal documents, buyers of upcomingDellXPS 13 Plus laptops with theQualcomm Snapdragon Xprocessor could enjoy twice as much battery life during video playback. Dell has been testing the new Arm-based laptops and comparing them witholder XPS 13systems using the Intel Alder Lake-P chip.
In addition to the improved battery life, Dell’s estimates show the Snapdragon X will cost the company significantly less. TheIntel Core i7-1360Pfound in the predecessor was valued at $293 in March 2023. The Snapdragon X, on the other hand, will cost Dell $145.
According to VideoCardz, citing aDell executive summary, Dell’s internal testing reveals an estimated 68% to 98% battery life improvement with the Snapdragon X. The exact improvement varies depending on the display type. Qualcomm officially claims an additional 25 hours or more of continuous video playback compared toIntel Core UltraCPUs. This 43% improvement, it’s important to note, is based on local video playback.
This improvement is due to the Snapdragon processor being much more efficient than Intel Core Ultra CPUs. It’s worth noting that Dell doesn’t plan to increase the battery capacity for the new models. All variants of the XPS 13 will include a 55 Wh battery, the same as that found in its predecessors.
On laptops equipped with an FHD+ display, the Snapdragon X model provided 29.6 hours of video playback, compared to the Intel models’ 15.45 hours. With a QHD+ display, batteries lasted through 21.9 hours of video playback with the Snapdragon, while Intel could only run through 11.02 hours of video. While the Intel-equipped XPS 13 could play video for 9.95 hours on a single battery charge, newer Snapdragon X-based models kept going for 16.8 hours.
The reduced CPU cost means that there is more money for Dell to spend on other components inside its latest laptops. Dell intends to price the new Snapdragon-equipped XPS 13 starting at $1,199. That price will get you a Dell XPS 13 laptop with 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and a full HD display.
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Jeff Butts has been covering tech news for more than a decade, and his IT experience predates the internet. Yes, he remembers when 9600 baud was “fast.” He especially enjoys covering DIY and Maker topics, along with anything on the bleeding edge of technology.
