I'm curious if they even considered the A78C, the variant with a similar cache (except L2) that replaces all LITTLE cores with big and possibly costs less to license as it's probably a roadmap core like the A78. It's chronologically a step behind but could unlock better performance (than A78+55) with a negligible/nonexistent hit to battery life.

Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 is 4xX1 + 4xA78, with no A55s.

I eat my statement. That looks like a better configuration than an octa-A78C, but only if the licensing cost is the same or you REALLY have a need for the latest extensions.

So, it actually is X1C and A78C.

https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2022/02/28/mwc-2... references PAC support, which is only in the C variant of those cores.

Good catch. I wasn't even aware there was an X1C! Then again, my daily driver is a 1 or 2 core Cortex-M. On special occasions (once a month or so) something more exotic lands on my desk.

Lenovo always seems to be about a half year behind the generation of chip you actually want.