Qualcomm Inc. today introduced a new laptop processor, the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 5G,  that it claims is faster and more power-efficient than comparable Intel Corp. silicon.

The announcement comes just a day after Intel debuted its latest line of central processing units for laptops. The chip giant, which has long held the leadership position in the portable computing segment, is being increasingly challenged by rivals such as Qualcomm and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. 

Qualcomm’s newly introduced Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 5G processor is designed for so-called “always connected” Windows laptops that are lightweight and have a long battery life. Such machines are often marketed to knowledge workers.

Qulacomm is touting battery life as one of the main selling points of the processor, which it says will enable laptops to support up to 25 hours of continuous use on a single charge. According to the company, the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 5G  provides 58% higher performance per watt than a comparable 10th generation Intel Core i5 chip.

It’s worth noting that Intel’s 10th generation chips don’t represent its newest product iteration, since that distinction goes to the “11th Gen” laptop CPUs that were debuted yesterday. But the impressive 25 hours of battery life Qualcomm promises should also make its processor competitive with its rival’s latest chips. It’s ultimately up to computer makers to try to realize the power efficiency levels promised by chipmakers. 

Part of the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 5G’s power efficiency can likely be attributed to the fact that the processor is based on an Arm Ltd. design. Arm’s chip designs mainly target smaller devices such as phones that have limited battery capacity and, as a result, there’s a big architectural emphasis on optimizing energy usage.

Beyond using less electricity, Qualcomm also says its processor is faster than the competition. The company claims the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 5G can outperform a 10th-gen Core i5 chip from Intel by 18% in some cases.

Other features include a module called AI Engine for speeding up applications that use machine learning and built-in Wi-Fi 6 support. There’s also optional support for 5G through compatibility with Qualcomm’s X55 standalone modem chip, which computer makers can implement in laptops alongside the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 5G. 

The company announced the processor at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin today alongside other updates. Most notably, Qualcomm disclosed plans to add 5G support to its Snapdragon 4 mobile chips for low-end handsets. Qualcomm chips are widely used in Android phones and, as a result, its decision to expand support for 5G will help handset makers make next-generation networking technology accessible for more customers.

Photo of Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf: Qualcomm