News continues to fall at a steady pace about Qualcomm’s ‘M2 Killer’, the processor codenamed Orion. This CPU from the work of Nuvia was recently presented as “better than expected” by Qualcomm, with an excellent performance / consumption ratio according to its designers. And it could end up in tablets, in addition to laptops.
Oryon, Qualcomm’s “M2 Killer”, better than expected
Windows tablets
Let’s resume: Orion is the code name of the CPU, which is going to be integrated into the system on chip Fruit (SC8380). The latter would contain 12 cores with a fairly high frequency (3.4 GHz) and the commercial name could be Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4. The models of the 8cx range are aimed at laptops running Windows 11 ARM, but the efficiency of this newcomer would be sufficient to integrate it into compact tablets, according to WinFuture.
Currently, the few Windows 11 ARM devices equipped with the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 are in a fairly standard format, 13-inch laptops with possibly a convertible system like the Surface Pro tablets. The reason remains quite simple: the chip consumes a little too much for really compact formats, and this is linked to its structure. To obtain more or less correct performance (even if clearly below the Apple M1), Qualcomm has ignored low-power cores and offers a 4+4 architecture with four “high-performance” cores (the Cortex X1) and four “performing but less” cores (the Cortex A78).
The new chip, it would consume enough to be integrated into a compact 10-inch tablet, and Qualcomm would have a test device of this type in its boxes. The company is used to this: when releasing new Snapdragons, the press can usually experience homemade smartphones as a technological demonstration. According to our colleagues, Microsoft could therefore even bring out the concept of the Surface Neo for the occasion, or simply adapt the Surface Go 3.
Et Android ?
The question of an Android tablet obviously arises, but the answer remains a little unclear at present. All the rumors about Orion tend towards PCs running Windows 11 ARM and there are probably exclusive contracts between Qualcomm and Microsoft behind this smokescreen. This is also the reason why “ARM” PCs have only used Qualcomm chips since their debut in 2017: the San Diego company would have negotiated this market with Microsoft for several years, excluding competitors such as Mediatek.
It remains to be seen whether Qualcomm will decline its hearts Orion in other Snapdragons over time, but it’s first the case.