In a bid to rival Apple’s formidable M-Series chipset, Qualcomm embarked on a journey to create their own Arm-based chipset featuring custom Core Oryon cores. However, this ambitious endeavor has encountered roadblocks, potentially leading to a postponement in the release of Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4.
Originally slated for a 2023 launch, the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4, set to be the first to employ the Core Oryon cores, is now facing a delay, with reports suggesting a release not before 2024. The primary reason behind this delay lies in the hiccups encountered during the development of the Oryon cores.
Reports indicate that the initial samples of the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4, boasting a 12-core configuration, struggled with performance issues in both single-core and multi-core benchmarks, particularly in Geekbench 5. These challenges have proven to be a tough nut to crack for Qualcomm’s engineering team.
The setback couldn’t have come at a worse time for Qualcomm, as it puts them further behind Apple in the chipset race. When Qualcomm unveiled the Oryon cores at the close of 2022, it was expected that they would outpace Apple’s M3 chipset to market. However, Apple’s M3 appears poised for imminent release, possibly before the close of 2023. Speculation even suggests that Apple might unveil the M3 during its “Wonderlust” event on September 12, coinciding with the launch of the iPhone 15 Series.
Qualcomm’s struggle with developing its proprietary cores mirrors the challenges faced by other industry players. Samsung grappled with its Mongoose cores in a bid to challenge Apple’s M-Series before eventually abandoning the endeavor. Likewise, Xiaomi and Oppo have shelved their chipset development projects, while Google recently announced a one-year postponement in its custom chipset development efforts. The creation of custom cores is indeed a formidable undertaking, fraught with technical hurdles.
