Qualcomm is Testing a Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4 Chip Powered by Oryon

An "Oryon"-based Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4 chipset with the model number SC8380 is purportedly under testing by Qualcomm. According to reports, the chipset is powering a 10-inch development device, indicating that it would likely power 2-in-1 Windows tablets.

The Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4 chipset is reportedly being developed by ex-Apple engineers, according to another report.

What could be the new addition?

The Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4 chipset, codenamed Hamoa, is rumored to include a 12-core "Oryon" CPU with 8 performance cores capable of speeds up to 3.4 GHz and 4 efficiency cores capable of speeds up to 2.5 GHz. There is a possibility that the chipset will include support for external GPUs in addition to having an internal Adreno 740 GPU.

According to WinFuture.de, these larger devices powered by the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4 will also support NVMe storage (4x PCIe 4.0). The smaller devices, on the other hand, are said to come with Thunderbolt 4 and DisplayPort 1.4a connectivity options and UFS 4.0 storage.

Since November of last year, Qualcomm has been testing devices that are powered by Hamoa. However, it is not a prototype or reference design; rather, it is a software development platform.

Qualcomm’s Oryon targeted for bigger devices

The Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4, Hamoa, could be utilized in smaller devices. However, it is anticipated that it will be made for tablets, PCs, and laptops with screens larger than 13 inches. The chipset is said to perform as well as Apple silicon, which could pit iPads against Hamoa-powered devices.

Nuvia, a company founded by former Apple employees who worked on Apple's M-series chipset, created the Oryon CPU. Last year, Qualcomm announced the Oryon CPU and acquired Nuvia, with the intention of introducing CPU-powered devices in 2024.

The release date for the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4 is currently unknown. However, we can anticipate Qualcomm's release of the chipset in 2024 or later.