Apple M3 Max (16-core) vs Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite X2E-90-100
71.2Single-core73.3
71Multi-core66.6
93.3Efficiencyspec-based93.3
60Platformspec-based54.4
1 spec wins — Apple M3 Max (16-core)6 spec wins — Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite X2E-90-100
InnoReviews verdict
Apple M3 Max (16-core) wins this laptop processor face-off, 72.9 to 70.9, pulling ahead mainly in multi-core (+4). Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite X2E-90-100 still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the Apple M3 Max (16-core)
- Stronger multi-core score: 71 vs 67
- 10% higher PassMark: 41,192 vs 37,384
Reasons to pick the Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite X2E-90-100
- 50% higher Efficiency cores: 6 vs 4
- 23% higher Boost clock: 5 GHz vs 4.1 GHz
- 13% higher cores: 18 vs 16
- 13% higher threads: 18 vs 16
General
| Spec | Apple M3 Max (16-core) | Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite X2E-90-100 |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2023 | 2025 |
| Process | 3 nm | 3 nm |
Cores & Clocks
| Spec | Apple M3 Max (16-core) | Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite X2E-90-100 |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 16 | 18+13% |
| Performance cores | 12 | 12 |
| Efficiency cores | 4 | 6+50% |
| Threads | 16 | 18+13% |
| Boost clock | 4.1 GHz | 5 GHz+23% |
| L3 cache | — | 9 MB |
Integrated GPU
| Spec | Apple M3 Max (16-core) | Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite X2E-90-100 |
|---|---|---|
| iGPU | Apple 40-core GPU | Qualcomm Adreno X2-90 |
| iGPU clock | — | 1,700 MHz |
Memory
| Spec | Apple M3 Max (16-core) | Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite X2E-90-100 |
|---|---|---|
| Memory support | LPDDR5-6400 | LPDDR5x-9523 |
| Max memory | 128 GB | 128 GB |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple M3 Max (16-core) | Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite X2E-90-100 |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 3,130Top 10% | — |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 21,200Top 6% | — |
| Cinebench R23 (single) | 1,950Top 26% | — |
| Cinebench R23 (multi) | 24,200Top 13% | — |
| PassMark | 41,192+10%Top 12% | 37,384Top 14% |
| PassMark (single thread) | 4,780Top 4% | 4,797Top 4% |
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