A publicly listed Geekbench post has tech pundits wondering if the next-gen Microsoft Surface Pro X could potentially sport a new ARM-based chip that Qualcomm is reportedly working on: the Snapdragon 8cx Plus, WinLatest reported.
The new listing features an unknown Surface Pro device running a Snapdragon 8cx Plus processor. Speculators believe it's a second-gen Surface Pro X because the current-gen model is equipped with a Snapdragon 8cx CPU — a 2018 chip that's due for an upgrade.
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The Geekbench results that's got us buzzing about the Microsoft Surface Pro X
Although Apple is getting all the attention with its transition to custom ARM-based CPUs, Microsoft has been working with ARM-powered chips for quite some time. However, it hasn't been the booming success the Redmond-based tech giant was hoping for.
We reviewed the Microsoft Surface Pro X and weren't impressed by its middling performance results when we tested the device in our lab. With an expensive price tag of $1,268 (with the keyboard and stylus), its Geekbench multi-core performance score was disappointing in comparison to other rivals, such as the Apple iPad Pro.
The Geekbench results of this mysterious Surface Pro model still don't blow us out of the water, but thankfully, the processor could still be in its early stages of development. This means that its current score could improve when the device is ready to hit the market.
As aforementioned, we can't be too sure that this Microsoft device is the next-gen Surface Pro X. As WinBuzzer reported, there's a chance Qualcomm is simply using an internal Surface Pro X to test its new Snapdragon 8cx Plus processor.
But it's worth noting that the Snapdragon 8cx Plus has some fascinating specs, including four Kyro 495 CPU cores clocking in at 3.15 GHz. The Surface Pro device tested on Geekbench, packed with 16GB of RAM, was running 64-bit Windows 10 Enterprise. The Geekbench listing also revealed that the device is expected to support 64-bit application emulation.
With Apple's move toward ARM-based MacBooks, perhaps Microsoft will feel compelled to rev up performance when it comes to ARM-powered Windows 10 devices.
