The Snapdragon X2 Plus, announced at CES 2026, joins the X2 family of SoCs, which already has two more powerful members: the Snapdragon X2 Elite and Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme, which were announced at last year’s Snapdragon Summit. The newer X2 Plus chip will power more affordable Windows notebooks and take on Apple Silicon. But it turns out, Qualcomm’s met with another defeat here, as the X2 Plus lags far behind Apple M4 in key CPU and GPU benchmarks.

On paper, the Snapdragon X2 Plus looks rather impressive. It’s got higher cache memory, bandwidth, and a much higher on-chip TOPS than Apple M4, but it’s the overall package that matters, where Apple Silicon maintains a strong lead.

A series of synthetic benchmark tests run by PCMAG reveals that Apple’s previous-generation silicon can comfortably outperform the latest rivals from Qualcomm. The chips were tested across key benchmarks, including Geekbench 6, 3DMark Steel Nomad Light, 3DMark Solar Bay, and Cinebench 2024, with most of them showing a higher score for the Apple M4, by up to 30%.

Benchmark scores

Geekbench 6

Cinebench 2024

3DMark

While the Snapdragon X2 Plus is a strong upgrade over the original Snapdragon X Plus, it still can’t beat 2024’s Apple M4 Silicon, which only means a far worse result when compared to Apple M5. However, on the plus side, the Qualcomm X2 series SoCs show rather impressive numbers against the powerful chips from Intel and AMD.

Note that synthetic benchmarks, although useful, don’t show the complete picture. I would rather wait for more benchmarks or real-world comparisons to reach a conclusion. Unfortunately, the wait appears to be a little longer, as Snapdragon X2 Plus-powered Windows notebooks are expected to hit the market in the second quarter.

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Apple officially released the M4 powered MacBook Air in the Indian market earlier this month. But just a few days ahead of its release, the latest MacBook Air has gone on sale with a noteworthy discount, making it a steal deal. So here’s what you need to know.

Apple M4 MacBook Air Selling for just Rs 89,900

The Cupertino based giant’s new M4 MacBook Air is currently selling for as low as Rs 89,900 on the official apple.com and was initially announced for Rs 99,900. To avail this deal, users simply need an Amex, ICICI, or Axis Bank credit card to get an instant cashback of Rs 10,000. Buyers can also get the deal on no-cost EMI payment plans for up to 24 months. So one just needs to complete the transaction to get the instant Rs 10,000 cashback.

Notably, Flipkart is selling this same model for an even sweeter deal. The M4 MacBook Air costs Rs 86,068 for those who use an ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Flipkart Axis Bank, and State Bank of India. So in a rare turn of events, the Apple MacBook Air is cheaper compared to its US pricing. Talking about its specs, the latest MacBook Air is equipped with the Apple M4, which is paired with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.

This processor is an upgrade over the M3 chip by upgrading the Neural Engine. Apple has also updated the front facing webcam to a 12MP shooter. Despite all these great specs, the MacBook Air has a more affordable launch price tag compared to its predecessor.

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	Apple 2025 MacBook Air 13″ Laptop with M4 chip: Built for Apple Intelligence, 34.46 cm (13.6″)…	Check Price on Amazon

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Back in April, we reported on the rumored launch timeline of the M4 powered MacBooks, iMacs, and Mac Studio. It was expected to debut near the end of 2024, which seems accurate since Apple has quietly released the new iMac, which features Apple Intelligence and an M4 processor. So here’s everything you need to know.

New Apple iMac: What does it offer?

The Cupertino based giant has just announced the new iMac with its M4 chipset. This processor was built with support for AI and also brings 1.7x faster performance in everyday task and up to 2.1x performance for more intense workloads like gaming or photo editing. So it is much faster than the last iMac generation, which launched with the Apple M1. The chip is paired with up to 32GB of RAM.

Apple Intelligence is a big part of the new iMac, bringing in the new AI powered features of iPhones and iPads to the iMac. Meaning, you can expect features like Systemwife Writing Tools, Siri, and ChatGPT Integration. This feature is currently available in the macOS Sequoia 15.1.

On the front, it sports a 24-inch Retina Display with a 4.5K resolution. The screen offers an optional nano-textured glass and an ultra-slim design. There is also a 12-megapixel center-stage camera with a desk view, which is perfect for FaceTime calls. Apple’s new M4 iMacs come equipped with a six speaker audio setup along with three high fidelity microphones. Connectivity options include up to four Thunderbolt ports, USB-C, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and Touch ID for security.

Pricing, Availability, and Colors

Apple’s new M4 iMac arrives in multiple bright colors options, namely Orange, Pink, Purple, Silver, Blue, Yellow, and Green. Buyers can even get a matching Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse with an optional Magic Trackpad. The iMac has a starting price tag of 134,900 INR, with pre-orders going live today (29th October 2024) from the brand’s official website. Although, it will finally be available for purchase on November 8.

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Apple is apparently planning on a major redesign for its compact PC, the Mac mini. This would mark the first ever change in the product line in over a decade. Despite a more compact form factor, Apple could also equip this mini PC with its new M4 chipset.

Apple 2024 Mac mini: What’s coming?

The news about the Cupertino based giant’s next gen Mac mini arrives from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. He claimed that the company is making the Mac mini even more compact. The Apple’s new PC could become the smallest Mac mini. Gurman added that this model will have a form factor comparable to the Apple TV. While the device may get a smaller form factor, the hardware on the inside is getting an upgrade. The Mac mini will reportedly launch in two configurations, namely M4 and M4 Pro chipsets.

Connectivity options include three USB-C ports, an HDMI port, and a power cable. The higher end M4 Pro variant may launch with support for additional RAM and enhanced graphics. Although the overall physical footprint is smaller, it could be slightly taller than the existing Mac mini. To recall, the Apple mini PC measures 1.4 inches in height. The newer model will retain its iconic aluminum body like its predecessors. Mark Gurman referred to the M4 Mac mini as an “iPad Pro in a small box.”

Apple is rumored to refresh its Mac lineup of PCs with M4 chips in 2025. On the other hand, the Mac mini, MacBook Pro, and iMac could transition to these newer chips within this year. Apple is expected to launch the Mac mini in a couple of months, with the high end model possibly releasing in October. Unfortunately, there is no word regarding the pricing. There is a chance that the 2024 Mac mini will get a price hike, but that is still unclear.

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Apple recently surprised the world at an event by introducing the new iPad Pro, powered by the M4 processor. While the iPad Pro itself is a powerful device, the true star of the show was the Apple Silicon M4 chip, making its debut.

As the fourth generation of Apple Silicon chip, the M4 is the company’s most powerful processor yet. But what exactly is the M4, and what features does it bring to the table? Here’s everything you need to know.

What Does Apple M4 Chip Offer to Users?

The Apple M4 chip marks a significant advancement in both performance and efficiency. Built on TSMC’s second-generation 3 nanometer process, this chip boasts a remarkable 28 billion transistors, surpassing its predecessor, the M3, with 25 billion. More transistors in a computer chip means it can do more calculations, while using less space and power.

The Apple M4 chip is a big upgrade over the M3, offering improved performance in both CPU and GPU tasks. It features a 10-core CPU, providing a 50% increase in performance compared to the Apple M2 chip. The new chip also introduces several advancements, including a new display engine that enhances the precision, color, and brightness, (for the iPad Pro’s Ultra Retina XDR display).

Hardware-accelerated technologies like dynamic caching, ray tracing, and mesh shading optimize performance across a variety of applications. Additionally, the chip’s 120GB/s memory bandwidth ensures smooth multitasking and efficient handling of data-intensive tasks.

Unfortunately, the M4 chip is currently exclusive to the iPad Pro. However, it is expected to extend its reach beyond the iPad. Rumors suggest it may soon find its way into MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models. Additionally, variants like the M4 Pro and M4 Max are also speculated.

Apple M4 vs. M3 Comparison

CPU:

• Up to 10-core CPU (4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores)
• Improved branch prediction
• Wider decode and execution engines for performance cores
• Deeper execution engine for efficiency cores
• Enhanced, next-generation ML accelerators
• Up to 1.5x faster CPU performance than the M2 chip

GPU:

• Up to 10-core GPU
• Up to 4x faster graphics performance than the M2 chip

Neural Engine:

• 16-core Neural Engine
• Capable of 38 trillion operations per second
• 60x faster than the first Neural Engine in A11 Bionic

Other features:

• Fabricated on a 3nm process
• LPDDR5X-7500 RAM support
• Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 support
• Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 and DisplayPort support

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TSMC has reportedly secured four major clients for its latest SoIC packaging – AMD, Nvidia, Broadcom, and Apple. The chip manufacturer is actively working on increasing its next-generation chip packaging (CoWoS) production capacity.

Apple is testing the next-generation packaging solution

Apple will reportedly use SoIC with Hybrid molding (thermoplastic carbon fiber board composite molding technology). The company is currently conducting a small-scale trial production and will reportedly start mass production in 2025. The company is expected to use this next-generation packaging method in its next generation of AI-powered Apple Silicon or the M4 chip.

TSMC’s SoIC is the industry’s first high-density 3D chip stacking technology which enables heterogenous integration of chips with different sizes using Chip-on-Wafer packaging. This innovative packaging method was first introduced in 2018. Reportedly, the planned advanced packaging facility in Chiayi, Taiwan will not only include two CoWoS (Chip on Wafer on Substrate) plants but also an SoIC facility.

Notably, AMD is TSMC’s first customer to adopt SoIC technology. The company used this SoIC tech along with CoWoS on the Instinct MI300 AI accelerator chips, designed for data centers.

As per Mark Gurman, Apple has officially commenced the development of the M4 chip, which will likely debut with the next-generation MacBook Pro. As TrendForce noted, there’s a possibility that Apple will switch to a 2nm process node for the M4 chip.

Regarding the release of the next Apple Silicon, we can see nearly a one and a half year gap between each of the previous iterations. The Apple M1 was released back in November 2020, the M2 was released in June 2022, and the M3 chip was released towards the end of October (a bit earlier) last year. So we can expect Apple to release the M4 chip in the first half of next year.

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(via)

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Apple is reportedly accelerating development of its next-generation M4 chips, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. These chips are expected to power new Macs by the end of 2024, with a focus on boosting AI processing performance.

Mark Gurman from Bloomberg suggested a similar timeline to the M3 rollout

Following the M3 launch in October 2023, Gurman suggests a similar October release timeframe for the M4 series. The rollout will be staggered, starting with upgrades to the iMac, entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro, higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, and Mac mini models. This will be followed by updates to the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air in spring 2025, then the Mac Studio in mid-2025, and finally the Mac Pro in late 2025.

Gurman also reports on codenames for at least three M4 variants: Donan (low-end), Brava (mid-range), and Hidra (high-end). Donan will be found in entry-level MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini models, while Brava equips high-end MacBook Pro and Mac mini configurations. The Hidra chip, likely destined for the Mac Pro, hints at a potential “Ultra” or “Extreme” branding upon release.

The M4 Mac desktops are expected to support a significant memory upgrade, reaching up to 512GB of unified memory compared to the current 192GB limit. While maintaining the 3nm manufacturing process of the M3 chip, Apple’s supplier TSMC might utilize an enhanced version for improved performance and energy efficiency. Additionally, Apple plans to significantly improve the Neural Engine, likely increasing the cores dedicated to AI tasks.

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(Source)

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Tech giants like Google and Microsoft are investing in AI and introducing brand new features, while Apple, which has remained silent for a long time, appears ready to break its silence. In an article published by Mark Gurman on Bloomberg, it’s reported that Apple M4 chips are equipped with AI features.

Mark Gurman reveals codenames of M4 family

Apple is set to introduce three different variants of the Apple M4 CPU series according to Mark Gurman, very likely named the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max. Additionally, rumors suggest that the Apple M4 could support up to 512GB of unified memory, far surpassing the current 192GB unified memory limit. Apple’s upcoming most powerful processor could be named as M4 Ultra or M4 Extreme.

While Apple may initially unveil M4-powered devices by the end of 2024, we can expect more powerful and new M4 machines in 2025. Bloomberg reports that the base model of the M4 chip goes by the codename “Donan,” the mid-tier is known as “Brava,” and the best-performing variant is named “Hidra.”

The first Macs powered by the M4 chip could be unveiled in October or November of 2024. Gurman suggests that, similar to the M3 series, two types of MacBook Pro will be introduced: an entry-level MacBook Pro and a higher-performance MacBook Pro. Just as the current 14-inch MacBook Pro comes with the M3 chip, while the 16-inch MacBook Pro models are coming only with either the M3 Pro or M3 Max variants.

(source)

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• M3 MacBook Air benchmarks show significant performance gains

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