Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme: A New Era of AI-Powered Computing

Qualcomm's New Chip Promises AI Agents in Your PC

First introduced last year as part of Microsoft's high-profile Copilot AI PC push, the processor line-up was notable because its CPU cores use the Arm instruction set instead of x86. That initial Snapdragon X rollout was targeted at smaller and more portable Windows PCs. But for its next move, Qualcomm is looking to expand its reach with a third-generation CPU and upgraded neural processing unit (NPU), a one-two punch meant to accelerate AI workloads in mini-PCs, all-in-one desktops, and high-performance laptops. "We're going to bring AI everywhere," says Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon. "Everything we've been talking about is starting to happen, and this dream of what's going to happen with AI, it's getting to the point where we see what's going to happen at scale." Oryon, Qualcomm's CPU core in Snapdragon X, repeated a trick Apple pulled off with its introduction of Arm-based silicon in 2020. (The team that designed Oryon included a number of CPU architects who worked on Apple's chips.) The first generation of the architecture placed an emphasis on efficiency and multi-core performance. It also integrated an NPU, which is why it led Microsoft's AI-focused Copilot Plus PCs. The 3rd-gen Oryon architecture inside the Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 will upped the core count from 12 to 18 for the top-end version, the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme. (The 2nd generation was only released for smartphones.) But in a move that mirrors Intel and Apple's architectures, it now combines two different kinds of CPU cores. (Qualcomm's mobile CPUs also have two types of cores.) Unlike Apple and Intel, none of the cores in Snapdragon X2 are designed for low-performance workloads, Qualcomm stressed. Snapdragon X2 will pair what it calls Performance cores having multi-core clock speeds up to 3.6GHz (similar to the prior Snapdragon X) with new "Prime" cores that can reach multi-core clock speeds up to 4.4 GHz, or up to 5GHz in dual-core workloads. Why? Once again, it comes down to Apple. The world's other major player in Arm chips for personal computing outpaced Qualcomm with the Apple M4, which achieves clock speeds up to 4.5GHz and, in its 16-core top-tier M4 Max configuration. That left Snapdragon X a step behind in both single-core and multi-core performance. Qualcomm believes that Snapdragon X2's high clock speeds will give it the lead, though whether that's the case remains to be seen. The first PCs with Snapdragon X2 aren't expected until the first half of 2026, setting the stage for showdown with Apple's M5, which is expected to arrive in late 2025 or early 2026. While Qualcomm and Apple butt heads on CPU performance, there's another aspect of chip architecture where Qualcomm is ahead -- the NPU. Competitors also have NPUs, which accelerate AI workloads, in their chips. But Qualcomm has staked the most on NPU performance. The first-gen Snapdragon X quoted NPU performance at 45 trillion operations per second (TOPS), and it claimed that for all chips in the product stack, not just the most expensive silicon. Snapdragon X2 will boost that metric to 80 TOPS. Snapdragon X2 also provides memory upgrades to improve AI workloads. The line of processors can support up to 128 gigabytes of advanced, low-power DRAM memory, LPDDR5x RAM. This is an upgrade from Snapdragon X, which topped out at 64 GB, and similar to AI-focused chips like AMD's Ryzen AI Max. Memory bandwidth is also boosted from 135 GB/s to a maximum of 228 GB/s in the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme. Both metrics are important to generative AI workloads. More memory makes it possible to load larger and more intelligent models, while added memory bandwidth improves the speed at which models can generate a response to a user's prompt. Qualcomm's CEO speculates that personal computers will see a grand shift towards AI workloads. "As the AI can understand what we say, what we see, what we write... that becomes the new [user interface] of computers. The UI is human centric and it gets processed where you are," says Amon. Qualcomm's NPU theoretically makes Snapdragon X2 a great choice for AI software. But it still has a lot to prove. While Amon's keynote address in Maui imagined a future with numerous AI agents working on-device, the current reality is more modest. Qualcomm has Microsoft's support and has a few software wins in specific features, like the AI-powered "magic mask" that removes unwanted objects from video in DaVinci Resolve Pro, a popular professional video editor. But such features remain exceptions to the rule, and Amon's examples of how agentic AI might work were mostly hypothetical. An agentic AI assistant running on Qualcomm's Snapdragon might one day be able to handle your calendar or pay your bills -- but such an on-device agent doesn't exist yet. The idea, then, appears to be "if you build it, they will come." Qualcomm's Oryon 3rd-gen architecture and Snapdragon X2 chip imagines a future of personal computing with a focus on CPU and AI performance. But it's still waiting to see if developers want to play ball.

5 Features Coming to Your New Laptop in 2026 Thanks to Snapdragon X2 Elite

Katie is a UK-based news reporter and features writer. Officially, she is CNET's European correspondent, covering tech policy and Big Tech in the EU and UK. Unofficially, she serves as CNET's Taylor Swift correspondent. You can also find her writing about tech for good, ethics and human rights, the climate crisis, robots, travel and digital culture. She was once described a "living synth" by London's Evening Standard for having a microchip injected into her hand. We never seem to stop asking more and more of computers -- and the advent of AI is doing nothing to slow the trend. Keeping up with our demands requires ever-more powerful chips and Qualcomm has just unveiled its latest computing platform, which will do just that. On Wednesday, the company announced the X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme chips, which will be finding their way into some of the top laptops and other PCs over the next year. At the Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii where it unveiled the chips, Qualcomm gave us a glimpse of how PC makers could potentially use them in a series of concept devices. They ranged from ultra-thin laptops that offer the level of performance and battery life of a much bulkier machine, to a circular mini computer, which was a disc about the size of my palm that can be plugged into any screen. An all-in-one prototype included a slide-out computer module not much bigger than two CD boxes stacked together. These devices show what can be achieved with hardware using the X2 Elite chip. But you might also be wondering what the features this powerful new slice of silicon might bring to your next laptop. Here are five that stand out. Technology evolves constantly, but battery life doesn't quite keep up. According to Qualcomm, the X2 Elite will bless your laptop with multi-day battery life, while sustaining a high level of performance. Performance-wise, the X2 Elite will offer expanded memory cache and improved graphics performance per watt, allowing you to multitask across up to three 5K 60Hz monitors. With workloads spread across the CPU, GPU and NPU, power consumption will be optimized to avoid any drops in performance. If there's one thing that the X2 Elite has been designed to do above all else, it's to enable AI experiences, including media editing, multimodal content generation and agentic AI. Microsoft requires Copilot Plus PCs to have an NPU capable of more than 40 trillion operations per second (TOPS). The X2 Elite far exceeds this with up to 80 TOPS of AI processing, meaning it will easily be able to power the most intelligent Copilot Plus PCs. This will enable some of our favorite features such as the Copilot Chatbox and live captions with live translation. Qualcomm's partnership with Adobe means that Photoshop, Lightroom and Premiere Pro have all been optimized for Snapdragon, delivering up to 47% faster performance. This means you can edit and render your photos, images and videos at blazing fast speeds. For creators working in 3D modeling, image editing and drawing, Snapdragon X2 Elite also promises a 64% faster performance. Other than battery life, you want your laptop to guarantee a reliable and speedy connection when you're working on the go. The X2 Elite offers lightning-fast 5G for up to 10Gbps speeds, along with Wi-Fi 7 for peak speeds of 5.8Gbps. FastConnect 7800 allows you to quickly connect to the internet and browse, call and stream at lightning speeds. Qualcomm promises that the X2 Elite Extreme is Snapdragon's biggest ever advance in PC gaming. Extreme delivers up to 2.2x faster performance across some of the most popular and demanding games. The company is working with Razer to bring the Razer Synapse -- a platform used by millions of gamers every day -- to Windows on Snapdragon. It's one of a number of partnerships Qualcomm has with gaming companies that will see major titles and new experiences run smoothly and immersively on your laptop.

Qualcomm's 18-core Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme dominates in first benchmarks - 18 cores and 48GB of on-package memory on a 192-bit bus look tough to beat

Can competing chip makers strike back before the X2's arrival in 2026? Last week, Qualcomm announced its upcoming Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme chips for laptops and compact desktops at its yearly summit in Maui. Some specs were revealed (the top-end Extreme model will pack 18 cores and a top clock speed of 5 GHz on two cores), and the company made lofty promises of up to 31% better performance while sipping 43% less power than its first-gen Snapdragon X silicon. But it didn't showcase any benchmark numbers or back up those claims - until now. We were at the event and able to run some tests ourselves on the company's slim reference design laptop. The conditions were controlled in the sense that the systems were set up by Qualcomm, with the benchmarks pre-installed, and we couldn't install any software ourselves. Basically, we could click a benchmark and watch it run ourselves to retrieve numbers, and a couple of stations were set up showcasing typical results that were retrieved earlier. The results we saw were in the range of the results Qualcomm's slide deck results, below. This is obviously far from an ideal way to judge performance. But numbers taken from reference systems should generally be taken with a few grains of salt anyway, because the performance of final retail devices will vary based on a system's cooling, as well as how the chip is configured to run for a given chassis or form factor. So keep in mind that these are very early numbers that came from only the top-end chip tested in a reference design, and may be competing against chips that will no longer be the latest and greatest when Snapdragon X2 systems ship, which Qualcomm says will be in the first half of next year. As for the reference system used for testing, it's a slim 16-inch laptop that Qualcomm says is equipped with 1TB of storage, and the chip packs 48GB of LPDDR5X-9523 RAM on a wide 192-bit bus. Doubtlessly, that helps boost the scores in several of the benchmarks below - especially graphics performance. But we'll likely have to wait quite a while to see how that impacts battery life over the more typical 1298-bit bus of the non-extreme X2 Elite SoCs. All that said, though, it's hard to argue that these numbers are anything but impressive. For CPU testing, Qualcomm used Geekbench 6.5. In single-core, the X2 Elite Extreme achieved a single-core score of 4,080, beating the previous-gen Snapdragon X Elite (X1E-84-100, the top-end consumer chip) by 39%. Qualcomm also shows it beating the AMD Ryzen 9 HX 370 (2,881), Intel Core Ultra 9 288V (2,919), Intel Core Ultra 9 285H (3,026), and Apple M4 (3,872, tested in an actively cooled MacBook Pro). In multi-core testing, the Extreme earned a score of 23,491, beating the old X Elite at 15,637 -- a 50% increase. Qualcomm says this is up to twice as fast as the Core Ultra 9 288V (11,406). Here, the Core Ultra 9 285H took second place at 17,680. Note that the new X2 Elite Extreme now supports Arm Scalable Matrix Extensions (SME) instructions, which accelerate matrix operations commonly found in AI and HPC-class workloads. However, this extension isn't commonly used in standard desktop applications. The new Geekbench 6.5 features newly added support for SME, which contributes to some of these large performance gains in this benchmark. Qualcomm measured the GPU with 3DMark Solar Bay ray tracing benchmark, which uses the Vulkan 1.1 graphics API (except on macOS, where it uses Apple's Metal). This is generally not a test we see run on integrated graphics. So, Qualcomm is likely either attempting to make a statement about its chip's gaming abilities or cherry-picking a test where it looks particularly impressive (my money is on a bit of both). Regardless, the X2 Elite Extreme earned a score of 90.06, 80% faster than last generation, and, per Qualcomm's testing, up to 61% faster than competitors (the AMD Ryzen 9 AI HX 370 scored 55.92). Intel's Core Ultra 9 288V was the closest competitor. For NPU testing, Qualcomm used Procyon AI Computer Vision, where the Hexagon silicon earned a score of 4,151, 78% faster than the X1E-84-100. Qualcomm also says this score is as much as 5.7 times faster than the NPU in the Core Ultra 9 285H, and also beat the rest of the field. Qualcomm ran a second AI test using Geekbench AI 1.5, with the Extreme earning a score of 88,615. While that's far faster than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285H, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 did not run the test. In short, the X2 Elite Extreme looks technically capable of beating pretty much every mobile chip currently on the market, often by a significant margin. But again, keep in mind that these benchmarks were chosen by Qualcomm, running in their own custom-designed chassis. So it's fair to assume that we are seeing best-case results. Timing will also be important. Qualcomm has only stated that we should see X2 Extreme devices in the first half of 2025, which is a fairly wide window and as far as eight months in the future. Depending on when they arrive on shelves, they may be competing with improved next-gen designs from Apple, Intel, and AMD, which, at the very least, are likely to make these current comparisons look a little less impressive. Price will also be a serious consideration, as Qualcomm representatives told us that we should expect X2 Elite Extreme should arrive at a price tier higher than the range we saw last year with the launch of its first-gen Snapdragon X chips. In short, X2 Extreme systems will probably sell for significantly more than $1,000. The lesser X2 Elite chips will almost certainly be more popular. But then again, if the company can maintain an impressive performance lead over its next-gen competition, there will always be those willing to pay extra for the best performance possible.

TOPS of the Heap: Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme CPU With 18 Cores, Massive NPU

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology. MAUI -- At Snapdragon Summit 2025, Qualcomm's annual technology and silicon showcase, the chip maker unveiled a new family of Arm-based processors for laptops, in three initial flavors. Qualcomm is garnishing these chips liberally with claims of laptop-CPU firsts, bests, and tops -- literally TOPS, in the last case. The new chips, the Snapdragon X2 Elite line, are built on a third generation of the "Oryon" CPU architecture first seen in the company's Snapdragon X Elite chips that debuted at the company's parallel Summit event in 2023. The Snapdragon X2 Elite family follows on from those chips with a new designation for the top-end chip in its stack, the X2 Elite Extreme. (In the first generation of Snapdragon X chips for laptops, the max-configured flagship X Elite chip was differentiated from other X Elites only by a series of sub-numbers.) The X2 Elite Extreme will be an 18-core flagship chip with an 80 TOPS neural processing unit (NP­U). The company is also making some strong efficiency and performance-per-watt claims around a new, complementary version of the Adreno GPU that's been part of the Snapdragon X from its inception. The 80 TOPS NPU and the new graphics will feature in all three of the new chips announced at the Summit. The company exhibited the X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme in a host of reference-design PCs, including large-screen laptops, ultraportables, tablets, and even a couple of innovative mini-desktop designs. More to come on early performance numbers for these processors (that's for a later date), but the company shared a host of intriguing specs on the new X2 and unveiled the initial line of chip SKUs. Snapdragon X2 Chip Basics: Meet the New Elites The three Snapdragon X2 chips detailed at Snapdragon Summit will be split into Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme (one chip) and "plain" Snapdragon X2 Elite chips (two chips). Qualcomm describes the Elite Extreme as suited for "complex, expert-level workloads" and the straight-up Elites for "powerful and efficient multitasking across resource-intensive workloads." If those descriptions sound largely overlapping, you're right; both are slated for upper-shelf portables, and Qualcomm in its initial press release notes that they are its latest "premium-tier platforms," which implies that lower-end X2 chips may come later. (None below the Elite level was announced at the Summit, though.) The new X2 Elite Extreme (which is designated X2E-96-100 in its sole version) will be an 18-core chip that's built on 12 higher-speed, or "Prime," cores and six "Performance" cores (the latter confusingly so; in essence, these are what, to this point, chip makers have been loosely calling "efficiency" cores). The high-speed cores are rated to run at 4.4GHz peak, with the ability for two of the 12 at a given time to accelerate to 5GHz in bursts. (Qualcomm points out that the X2 Elite Extreme will be the first Arm-based CPU to hit 5GHz.) The efficiency-minded CPU cores, meanwhile, are rated to 3.6GHz. As for the two lesser X2 Elite (non-Extreme) chips, one will be dubbed X2E-88-100, and the other X2E-80-100. These are actually significantly different, as will be obvious from the spec chart below. The X2E-88-100 chip is an 18-core SoC clocked a bit slower than the X2 Elite Extreme X2E-96-100, while the X2E-80-100 chip is a 12-core model with six Prime and six Performance cores, but with the same peak clocks on each core type as on the X2E-88-100 CPU. Qualcomm notes that all of the X2 Elite chips are manufactured on 3nm process technology and that the CPU architecture is deemed the third generation of the Oryon architecture. About That Adreno GPU and Hexagon NPU... As for the graphics accelerator on the X2 SoC, the latest version of Adreno comes with a bunch of impressive-sounding claims. Qualcomm is claiming leadership in performance per watt (PPW) on the Adreno integrated graphics, and a "significant" increase on frame rates versus the first gen in Snapdragon X. It's quantifying that as a 2.3-times increase in PPW. In addition, Qualcomm claims support for Vulkan 14, OpenCL 3.0, and DirectX 12.2 Ultimate. It also says the initial X2 Elite and Elite Extreme CPUs' on-chip graphics should be able to power three 4K displays at 144Hz or the same number of 5K panels at 60Hz. The NPU, meanwhile, is rated for 80 TOPS (INT8) on the chip, which far outstrips the 50-to-55-TOPS-rated NPUs to date from AMD and Intel for mobile computers. The NPU, like earlier Qualcomm iterations, is still dubbed "Hexagon," and Qualcomm claims compatibility, when paired with the generous on-SoC memory, with the latest large language models (LLMs) and locally run AI agent tech. The large TOPS count can also help with multilayered AI tasks or multitasking. We'll be interested in learning more about the logic behind the drastic TOPS expansion, i.e., how much of it is down to a TOPS arms race, so to speak, and how much developers are, in practical terms, clamoring for more NPU horsepower. Snapdragon X2 Elite Memory, Storage, and Manageability Aspects By the nature of the Snapdragon X chip design, the main system memory is integrated into the SoC. With X2 Elite Extreme, that RAM will be fixed at 48GB of LPDDR5x, which Qualcomm rates for up to 9,523 megatransfers per second. In the X2 Elite chips, the memory amount will be device-dependent. On the storage front, the number of directly addressable CPU PCIe lanes (PCIe 4.0 and 5.0) varies between the 96/88-class of CPUs versus the 80. Note that NVMe is supported across all chips. On the connectivity front, the system maker can implement up to three USB4 ports (rated for 40Gbps) to run in concert with these new CPUs, like on the original X Elite. In a sop to IT departments as well as consumers used to such features on their smartphones, the Snapdragon X2 Elite platform will feature a new security umbrella called Snapdragon Guardian Technology, which the company says makes it easier to keep track of and protect your Snapdragon X2 Elite-based PC. Partly hardware, partly software, and partly cloud-based, Guardian works in concert with Wi-Fi and/or 5G, enabling businesses -- or even regular users -- to remotely locate, lock, or even wipe a supporting computer if it's lost or stolen, no matter where it is. Snapdragon X2 Elite Availability: Still a Ways Away, in 2026 Qualcomm notes that the first products with Snapdragon X2 Elite and Elite Extreme onboard will appear sometime in the first half of 2026. We'll learn more about these new chips as we get briefed on initial benchmarking projections for them and can work up a host of relevant in-market comparisons. Given the potentially deep-into-2026 availability windows for these SoCs, however, we could see other mobile CPUs come to market to challenge Qualcomm's on-paper X2 offerings. Will someone else pitch an 80-TOPS-or-greater NPU before these Snapdragons actually hit the street? Only time will tell. (Note: PCMag is attending Qualcomm's Snapdragon Summit by invitation, but in keeping with our ethics policy, we have assumed the costs for travel and lodging for the conference.)

Qualcomm details X2 Elite Extreme, its most potent SoC yet

Qualcomm revealed the second act in its bid to overtake Intel and AMD as the leading laptop CPU maker this week with the paper launch of its Snapdragon X2 Elite and Elite Extreme processors. The company seeks to bring the kind of battery life and performance Apple has gotten out of its Arm-based M-series silicon to the Windows market. Due out sometime in the first half of next year, these chips promise everything we've come to expect from Windows on Arm devices: better battery life, faster multitasking, and faster local AI than x86 or Qualcomm's prior-gen silicon. The NPU is now capable of 80 TOPS (INT8), up from 45 on the Snapdragon X Elite, to power Copilot+ features like Microsoft's integrated spyware, or as they prefer to call it, Recall. NPUs and AI PCs aside, Qually's second-gen Snapdragon X-series processors do deliver some welcome improvements to the CPU and GPU performance over last gen. At the top of the stack is a new variant called the X2 Elite Extreme, which boosts the CPU and GPU blocks by a few megahertz and offers roughly 50 percent higher memory bandwidth over its less extreme siblings. Rather than the 152 GB/s of LPDDR5x on the standard X2 Elite, Qualcomm's Extreme spin boosts that to 228 GB/s, which, along with a 150 MHz higher GPU clock, should benefit graphics heavy workloads like gaming, rendering, and local LLM inference. If you're keen to run models like OpenAI's gpt-oss-20b on your notebook, you want all the memory bandwidth you can get. This memory, 128 GB of which is now supported by the platform, feeds Qualcomm's next-gen Oryon cores. And, unlike its first-gen X Elite processors, which used all performance cores, this time around Qually is sticking with a big.LITTLE architecture or, in this case, a big-less-big architecture. Depending on which SKU you opt for, Qualcomm's X2 Elite processors will be available with between 12 and 18 CPU cores. Six of those cores are "performance" cores capable of clocking between 3.4 GHz and 3.6 GHz depending on the SKU. Intuitively, you might think that'd mean the six to 12 remaining cores would be of the "efficiency" sort, but that's not the case. Confusingly, Qualcomm's performance cores are the less-big of the cores. Its "Prime" cores are really where most of the chip's performance comes from. These prime cores are rated for an all-core clock of between 4-4.4 GHz and between 4.4 and 5 GHz on lightly threaded (1-2 cores) workloads. That's a sizable leap over last gen's X Elite, which topped out at a 3.8 GHz all-core and a 4.3 GHz boost frequency. These cores are backed by a rather large quantity of cache, with between 34 and 53 MB of total cache depending on whether you opt for a 12 or 18 core chip. The higher clocks and core count translate into a decent improvement over the original X Elite, with Qualcomm claiming 39 percent higher CPU performance and 43 percent lower power consumption. By far the biggest gains, however, are for the chip's Adreno GPU, which Qualcomm claims offers 2.3x performance per watt of last gen. And then there's the 80 TOPS (INT8) Hexagon NPU, which delivers a little over 75 percent higher performance over last-gen, which should benefit workloads that can take advantage of machine learning accelerators. Finally, the chip's connectivity includes support for Qualcomm's X75 5G modem, capable of up to 10Gbps downloads when the stars align, and Wi-Fi 7 via FastConnect 7800 for when they don't. Compared to the competition, Qualcomm boasts up to 75 percent higher performance per watt. But it's worth remembering that these parts won't hit the market until next year and will have to contend with Apple, AMD, Intel, and potentially Nvidia's next-generation processors, many of which are due to launch later this year. By announcing the chip months ahead of the first hardware, Qualcomm gets to avoid any potentially unflattering comparisons that might crop up between now and when it actually ships. Announced alongside its latest X chips were Qually's fifth-gen Snapdragon 8 Elite smartphone and tablet SoCs. At least on paper, the chips bear a striking resemblance to their laptop-bound siblings, just cut down to fit within the thermal and power envelope of a modern smartphone. The eight-core processor features a pair of prime cores capable of boosting to 4.6 GHz as well as six performance cores clocked at a more sedate 3.6 GHz. Compared to last gen, Qualcomm says the chip's CPU cores and Adreno GPU are 20 percent and 27 percent faster respectively. And just like the X2, Qualcomm has also upgraded the chip's Hexagon NPU, boosting performance by 37 percent. In addition to higher performance, the chip features Qualcomm's X85 5G modem, which it claims can achieve download speeds in ideal circumstances of up to 12.5 Gbps and upload speeds of 3.7 Gbps. If anyone manages to find a cell site capable of achieving either metric, do let us know in the comments section. Unlike with its bigger siblings, customers may not have to wait quite as long for the first phones using the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 to make their debut. According to Qualcomm, the chip will power smartphones from the likes of Samsung, Sony, Vivo, and OnePlus with additional devices to be launched in the "coming days." ®

Qualcomm's Big Compute Play: An 18-Core Chip Capable of 80 TOPS for AI Power

Expertise Smartphones | Gaming | Telecom industry | Mobile semiconductors | Mobile gaming At Qualcomm's Snapdragon Summit 2025 in Maui, the chipmaker unveiled its next big play for the Windows PC market. The Snapdragon X2 Elite and more powerful Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme are a pair of chips built for efficiency and high performance to rival Intel and AMD's leading laptop silicon. Qualcomm announced its first Snapdragon X Elite system-on-a-chip two years ago, which featured the debut of the in-house Oryon CPU that enabled high enough performance in PC laptops to compete in power efficiency with industry-leading silicon like Apple's M-series. The new Snapdragon X2 Elite and Elite Extreme, both on 3-nanometer processes, follow up as the next generation of Qualcomm's PC-powering chips that raise the performance ceiling and promise multiday battery life for laptops they end up in. It's probable that most of the processor's year-over-year performance gains can be attributed to the move to 3nm and the incremental increases in processing speeds. Don't miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source. The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme is the higher-end model. Qualcomm says its 18-core third-generation Oryon CPU has up to 75% faster performance than rival chips at iso-power (shorthand for performance while drawing the same amount of power). Its graphics processing power may deliver up to 2.3x the performance per watt and power efficiency over the Snapdragon X Elite, which means longer gaming sessions on laptops before needing to recharge. The chip's neural processing unit is capable of up to 80 trillion operations per second (TOPS, a metric used to denote generative AI performance). At the Snapdragon Summit, Qualcomm displayed concept devices showing potential form factors for laptops and slim desktop PCs using its new chips. In addition to the more conventional laptop designs, these included two more novel approaches: a thin puck-shaped PC the size of a small dinner plate and a modular square PC slightly larger than a drink coaster that can slot into a larger display. Although manufacturers may not use these designs, the first PCs using Qualcomm's new chips are expected to be released in the first half of 2026. The Snapdragon X2 Elite, the chip for the step-down class of laptops, comes in 18-core and 12-core configurations, has potentially 31% faster performance at iso-power and drains up to 43% less power than the Snapdragon X Elite. The 80 TOPS NPU bandwidth sounds great compared to Intel and AMD's (AMD maxes out at 50 TOPS, and Intel's is lower). But Intel and AMD usually announce their mobile processors at the beginning of the year, starting at CES. So they may catch up (or surpass) Qualcomm on paper. And keep in mind that TOPS is only one measure of AI performance. While both chips achieve 80 TOPS in AI performance, their tech capabilities differ, especially in core counts. The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme's multicore frequency maxes out at 4.4GHz, while the standard X2 Elite (in either core configuration) tops out at 4GHz. The more premium chip has a total cache of 53MB, and the same for the standard chip's 18-core version, but the X2 Elite's 12-core version has a 34MB cache. Meanwhile, the GPU of the X2 Elite Extreme has a max frequency of 1.85GHz, while both versions of the X2 Elite reach 1.7GHz max. Both chips support LPDDR5x RAM and 128GB of max capacity (or even more for the X2 Elite Extreme, though the maximum isn't specified). The X2 Elite Extreme supports up to 228 GB/s bandwidth, while the standard X2 Elite supports 152 GB/s. The chips can support up to three displays at a maximum resolution of 4K at 144Hz, or in 5K resolution at 60Hz.

Benchmarks are in: The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme smokes everything else

* Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme posts 4,000+ Geekbench single-core and massive multi-core wins. * GPU and NPU leaps: nearly 2x GPU and an 80 TOPS NPU for stronger graphics and AI. * Exciting leap, but benchmarks ran on Qualcomm reference hardware with unknown TDP; real-world results will vary. Qualcomm flew me and a bunch of other journalists out to Maui for its Snapdragon Summit last week, where it unveiled its Snapdragon X2 Elite family of chips. The SoCs are set to arrive early next year in next-gen laptops, and we got a chance to benchmark the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme. Let's just say that I'm pretty excited about it. The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme has 18 Oryon v3 cores, with the top couple of prime cores maxing out at 5GHz. On top of that, it's got integrated memory, a GPU that's almost twice as powerful as its predecessor, and an 80 TOPS NPU. Some caveats and specs Nothing will replace the real thing Before we go any further, I want to be clear that any benchmark scores you're about to see mean very little when it comes to the real world. These are benchmarks on Qualcomm Reference Designs, which we actually know little about, such as what the TDP was. Normally, Snapdragon benchmarking sessions come with a printout that includes the entire spec sheet for the units, but that wasn't the case this time. There was a sign that said the machines have 48GB RAM, 1TB "storage", and a 16-inch display. That's The point is, real-world results can and will vary. Of course, this is still super exciting. It's our first taste of the next generation of laptop chips, and since we have more competition in the space than ever before, it's going to be fun to put these side-by-side. Also, I didn't actually run the benchmarks. I just sort of watched them being run, and took pictures of them. There's one other big caveat. Like I said earlier, Qualcomm flew us to Hawaii for this, and I took a few days on the end of it for vacation, which means I'm writing this at my hotel; it also means I don't have access to my own hardware to run tests that I haven't run before or haven't recorded. If that's the case, I'll use Qualcomm quotes, but they'll be marked as the name of the CPU instead of a specific laptop. The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme beats the competition Even Apple, at least for now A fan-favorite for keeping score on CPUs is Geekbench 6, so we can start off with that. But you should know, Geekbench is just that, a CPU test. There's a lot more on the package than just a CPU, so this isn't looking at graphics or NPU performance. Geekbench 6 Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme Surface Laptop 7 Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80 MacBook Air M4 HP OmniBook Ultra Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i Core Ultra 7 258V Single-core 4,078 2,803 3,706 2,842 2,724 Multi-core 23,362 14,497 14,886 15,030 11,003 This is huge. It's the first time I've seen a 4,000+ single-core score, although that should be obvious given the comparisons. Most of what we saw on the Windows market was ~2,800, with the lower-tier Snapdragon X Elite, the X1E-78-100 (side note, those last three digits are all 100 again, and I couldn't get an answer for what that even means) was closer to 2,400. Of course, some people say single-core doesn't even matter anymore, which isn't entirely true but there's a bit of merit to it. 23,362 beats the current class of laptop chips, although it has more competition on the desktop end. Cinebench 2024 Like Geekbench, Cinebench is a CPU test. It runs differently, but the results are usually similar. Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme Surface Laptop 7 Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80 HP OmniBook Ultra Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i Core Ultra 7 258V Single-core 160 124 114 118 Multi-core 1,972 972 965 567 Once again, the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme shows impressive gains over both single-core and multi-core scores from competitors. It's pretty huge. Again, to be clear, this is a next-gen chip and we're comparing it to last-gen chips. Intel and AMD will have their own announcements, and we'll see how this stacks up when that happens. Still, this is a sizable jump. 3DMark 3DMark is where things get even more interesting, because while Snapdragon X Elite was a strong contender for CPU power and battery life, it didn't win any awards for GPU power. Like the company has been saying since 2017, there's nothing stopping an OEM from strapping a dedicated GPU into one of these things, but you wouldn't want to. Integrated graphics have long been important, and in the age of Apple Silicon, it's even more so. No one is asking for dedicated graphics on a MacBook, so it's on Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm to compete with that. Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme Surface Laptop 7 Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80 Solar Bay 23,586 11,116 Steel Nomad Light 5,628 2,109 There's a huge increase in scores in both Solar Bay and Steel Nomad Light tests from 3DMark. These scores factor both the CPU and the GPU, but an increase is what you want to see, obviously. Those were the only two 3DMark tests running on the benchmarking demos, and they're not tests I typically run in my own benchmarking, so all I can compare is to is the Surface Laptop 7 I have with me. Usually, I run the regular Steel Nomad test, along with Time Spy, Wild Life, and Night Raid. Still, the score is definitely competitive. I'll update this article with Intel and AMD numbers when I have them. Geekbench AI Qualcomm went really hard with this generation, so on top of meaningful improvements on the CPU and GPU, there's also an 80 TOPS NPU. Again, it's a huge leap. Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme Surface Laptop 7 Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80 M4* Core Ultra 9 288V* 88,017 30,250 52,193 48,566 As I mentioned, I don't have any Apple, Intel, or AMD laptops with me to test, so for Geekbench AI, the M4 and Core Ultra 9 scores are what's provided by Qualcomm. What's really interesting about the new NPU is that I don't think Intel is going to be competitive here when it announces its next generation of chips, and I'm not sure how it impacts the market. Intel still powers the majority of laptops sold, even if it's losing ground, so it does hold some power in the industry. Microsoft seems to be committed to Qualcomm though, with Snapdragon chips powering all Surface products that aren't aimed squarely at businesses. 2026 is going to be pretty exciting I think that Qualcomm has a real winner with the Snapdragon X2 Elite family, even if these benchmarks are run on hardware with mysterious specs or whatever. There's no doubting the significant gains we're seeing across the CPU, GPU, and NPU, and they're all ahead of the typical curve that we see gen-over-gen. Snapdragon X2 Elite laptops are going to be announced at CES, as will next-gen laptops that are powered by competitors like Intel, AMD, and anyone else. As is always the case around new CPU time, it's going to be fun.

Qualcomm says its new Snapdragon chips are 'the fastest and most efficient' for Windows PCs

Qualcomm has unveiled its new Snapdragon X Series chips for laptops, in addition to its new system-on-a-chip for flagship phones. The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme chip meant for "ultra-premium" Windows 11 laptops are designed to handle "complex, expert-level workloads" and to enable fast AI processing, as well as a multi-day battery life. Meanwhile, the Snapdragon X2 Elite chips come in two variants, one with 18 total cores and one with 12. Qualcomm claims that these processors are the "fastest, most powerful and efficient processors for Windows PCs." The company launched the first Snapdragon X Elite chip in 2023 as its successor to the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 line of laptop processors. Qualcomm changed its name back then to reflect the huge leap in performance. Microsoft released a lineup of Copilot+ PCs with the new Snapdragon chip in 2024. And then earlier this year, at CES, Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon X for Copilot+ PCs priced $600 and under. Qualcomm says that the new Elite Extreme chip can power laptops for scientists and professional creators who handle "computationally intense data analytics, professional media editing and scientific research." It features the company's third-gen Oryon CPU that can apparently run at up to 75 percent faster than competitors. The chip also comes equipped with Qualcomm's Hexagon NPU, which it says is the "fastest NPU for laptops," to enable simultaneous AI tools and experiences on Copilot+ PCs. The lower tier Elite chips can still run at up to 31 percent faster and use 43 percent less energy than the previous generation. While they're obviously meant for users who don't handle more resource-intensive workloads, Qualcomm says they also enable simultaneous AI experiences. The first laptops powered by the Snapdragon X2 Elite processors will be available in the first half of 2026.

Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme could be the fastest chips for Windows

Set us as a favorite source in Google Discover to support us and make sure you never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more. You can also set us as a preferred source in Google Search -- find out more here. Qualcomm says the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme is built for ultra-premium PCs and designed for agentic AI experiences, computationally intense data analytics, professional media editing, and scientific research. The 3nm SoC features the third generation of Qualcomm's Oryon CPU, promising up to 75% faster CPU performance than Windows competitors. The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme features up to 18 cores and is the first ARM-compatible CPU to reach 5.0GHz on its Prime core.

Benchmarked: Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme crushes Intel's laptop CPUs

Qualcomm is setting a high bar with its Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme. Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Elite is once again threatening to upend the PC CPU market. About two years ago, Qualcomm debuted the Snapdragon X1 Elite, an Arm chip that replaced the company's mediocre 8-series Snapdragon chips and performed impressively. Now it's the Snapdragon Elite X2's turn, and the 18-core X2 Elite Extreme is ready for the spotlight. The performance is genuinely impressive. Intel's Panther Lake and AMD's successor to its Strix Point chips certainly will have to deliver to keep up with Qualcomm. Qualcomm didn't allow journalists to "review" the chip in the traditional sense. Like the "tests" that were run on the first Snapdragon X Elite, Qualcomm provided test laptops, loaded them up with benchmark software, and allowed reporters to monitor the results afterwards. Naturally, this setup assumed Qualcomm supplied valid silicon, benchmarks, power, and cooling. But comparing the Snapdragon X Elite's Qualcomm-administered benchmarks and the final Snapdragon X Elite results in our review, we can safely assume that Qualcomm isn't playing tricks. Qualcomm provided access to one chip, the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme (X2E-96-100), with 18 total cores, including 12 prime cores (4.4GHz all cores sustained/5.0GHz boost), and six performance cores (3.6GHz sustained, no boost). The chip also includes 48GB of integrated DDR5x memory, which remains a bit of a wild card. Of the three Snapdragon X2 chips Qualcomm announced, the X2 Elite Extreme offers the option of placing memory on-package or off-chip like a normal notebook. Qualcomm isn't necessarily specifying that 48GB will be the amount shipped; it's simply what was used in the X2E-96-100 demonstration units. The other two chips, according to Qualcomm senior vice president of compute and gaming Kedar Kondap, rely on an external DDR5 DRAM interface and can be configured with whatever amount of memory a PC maker chooses, up to a maximum of 128GB. Journalists were invited to supervise the testing, even if Qualcomm expected results to fall within a certain range. All tests were performed on wall power, and journalists weren't allowed to unplug the laptops. However, given Qualcomm's statements that the Snapdragon X2 Elite should operate the same on wall power as it does on battery, it probably doesn't make a difference. Qualcomm selected a range of tests that covered the CPU, GPU, and NPU, using many of our standard benchmarks. The results are very, very impressive. When compared against the last-generation mobile microprocessors from all three chipmakers, the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme blows them all away. We didn't compile charts for all of the benchmark tests available to reviewers, but we took representative tests from the CPU, GPU, and NPU. The X2 Elite excels in all of them. The Snapdragon fared well in CPU testing, really giving AMD's Ryzen AI 300 chips a run for their money. In Cinebench 2024, it isn't even close. Geekbench also highlights the X2 Elite Extreme's dominance. The only caveat I'd make here is that our tests were performed using Geekbench 6.1, while the comparison here used Geekbench 6.4. The scores should be comparable, though Geekbench advises against comparing results across major versions (for example, Geekbench 5 versus Geekbench 6). In both of these benchmarks, the longer bars designate multi-core scores, while the shorter bars measure single-core performance. Qualcomm didn't provide actual benchmarks for gameplay, though executives did say that game performance would about double (2.2X) versus the first-generation Snapdragon X1 Elite. This will be a key point of interest, since most games like Control were playable at 1080p resolutions and Low settings, with frame rates of about 30 fps or so. Doubling that could get that up to 60 fps. That's still not great, but we won't know for sure until we have a chance to test these products ourselves. The 3DMark scores, however, certainly continue the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme's strong showing. Finally, there's the massive NPU inside the Snapdragon X2 Elite, and its 80 TOPS of AI performance. In this case, we'd expect the X2 Elite Extreme to blow everything else away and it does. For testing, Qualcomm used UL's Procyon Vision benchmark to test AI. I would have used an actual AI art generation or LLM test, both of which UL supplies, but we'll have to wait for those scores. Even so, that still represents well over a 2x advantage there. Again, we didn't test or compare everything. Qualcomm, however, supplied a list of expected scores. Yes, it felt orchestrated to us, too -- but at least we could oversee the tests themselves and verify them. Qualcomm didn't say whether these chips were pre-production samples or not, or whether customers had already received shipments. We suspect the former, since the company expects Snapdragon X2 notebooks to debut in the first half of 2025. Qualcomm is first out of the gate for this generation, so we'll have to wait and see what AMD and Intel bring to the table. Nevertheless, the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme performance is extremely impressive no matter how you slice it.

Snapdragon X2 Elite: 5 key features I can't wait to try

Now that Qualcomm has finally announced its Snapdragon X2 Elite CPUs, including an all-new X2 Elite Extreme chipset, we have a better idea of what these next-gen Arm-based processors can bring to upcoming Windows PCs. And it's already looking mighty. Throughout the Snapdragon Summit 2025, I've been hearing how the X2 Elite series will offer up the "world's fastest NPU for laptops." From the brief comparisons shown at the keynote, it's made abundantly clear that Qualcomm will deliver on this promise. Being up to 5.7x faster than its competition is a bold statement, considering the company specifically calls out some of the strongest CPUs in the best laptops right now, such as the Intel Core Ultra 9 285H, AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 and Apple's M4 chip. That Hexagon NPU with 80 TOPS (Trillions of Operations Per Second) of AI performance is already one major feature to look forward to, but the Snapdragon X2 Elite has other tricks up its sleeve. While we wait for the first set of laptops (and other platforms) with Snapdragon X2 Elite chips to arrive sometime in spring 2026, here's a look at what else Qualcomm's next-gen processors are bringing to the table. When we benchmarked the first Snapdragon X Elite CPUs, we were majorly impressed with how they measured up to their competition at the time. Now, Qualcomm appears to be at it again, with a significant uplift in CPU performance. Now, as always, we still need to do our own testing, but it's already looking like there will be a clear difference in the speeds we get in Windows PC sporting X2 Elite -- and especially X2 Elite Extreme -- processors. First, we know there will be a claimed 39% increase in single-core performance, and up to a more impressive 50% boost in multi-core speeds, compared to its first-gen chipsets. Comparing this to the Dell XPS 13 with a Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100, which scored 2,797 single-core and 14,635 multi-core in Geekbench, it means we could see scores reach 3,887 single-core and 21,952 multi-core. That's just pure speculation, but those are some crazy numbers compared to, say, an M4 MacBook Air. That should be all thanks to the 18 CPU cores (12 prime cores, 6 performance cores) fitted in its third-gen Oryon CPU. And take note, this will be on two of the three chips announced -- not just the X2 Elite Extreme processor. While the AI power is seeing major gains, so too is CPU performance, and it will be great to see how the next suite of Windows PCs will leverage this power. I'm happy to see that Qualcomm is taking PC gaming seriously with its X2 Elite offerings, as it was one of the main talking points during the big reveal. As in, up to a claimed 2.3x faster graphics performance in its advanced Adreno GPU. This may not mean much, considering gaming on a Snapdragon X Elite laptop wasn't the main selling point, but what we do know is how much better it will handle even the latest, highly demanding PC games. For instance, we tested Cyberpunk 2077 and GTA V on a Snapdragon X Elite laptop, with frame rates at 30 FPS and 57 FPS at around low-to-medium settings, respectively. From what Qualcomm states, we will see these games shoot up to 60 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 at possibly higher settings, and close to 100 FPS in GTA V. More upcoming PC titles will need to be optimized for the Snapdragon X2 Elite platform, but the company has stated it's working on just that. And it's bringing in a few more gamer-ready features, such as anti-cheat software support from Epic, Razer's Synapse app to bring more to a gamer-ready setup and an on-device AI experience in Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition using the X2 Elite's NPU. Improved gaming on ultra-thin laptops? That's what we've been wanting to see from the Nvidia and Intel partnership in its upcoming x86 RTX chips. But Snapdragon CPUs are now also in the mix, and we'll have to see what this improved gaming performance delivers. According to Qualcomm, battery life is the biggest factor for consumers choosing their next laptop. Well, it certainly helps, and if there's one feature I'd want to see these Snapdragon X2 Elite chips offer, it's the "multi-day" battery life that the company is touting. Already, Qualcomm has done well in this department. The Dell XPS 13 with a Snapdragon X Elite is still one of the best laptops for battery life at nearly 20 hours, going head-to-head with beasts like the M4 Pro MacBook Pro at just under 21 hours. As the company has stated time and time again, Snapdragon X-equipped laptops still deliver maximum performance when unplugged, with the X2 Elite series claimed to bring even better power efficiency, while its competitors comparatively require "222% more power" to reach their peak performance. The real question, though, is whether we will see this "multi-day" battery life. We've heard of laptops expected to offer up to a whopping 27 hours in the Dell Premium 16, but since the claimed 20-hour battery in the Dell Premium 14 didn't pan out (tested at just over eight hours, actually), I'll believe it when I see it. In any case, all signs are pointing towards a huge boost in battery life in Windows laptops rocking a Snapdragon X2 Elite, and that's a huge boon for workers on the move. Nobody likes having their personal items stolen, especially when it comes to a pricey laptop. It was made apparent in the keynote that 12,000 laptops are lost weekly in airports (although it appears this figure can be traced back to research done in 2008), but Qualcomm is bringing a new way to manage security on X2 Elite laptops. With its Snapdragon Guardian, users have the ability to locate, lock and wipe data from their device via a Snapdragon Guardian app. With just a cellular connection, you can find your misplaced laptop, lock it from a remote location or wipe it clean before threat actors get to it if it's stolen. That's a major win for security, and I saw this in action during a demo. What's more, even when these devices are "offline, powered down or unbootable," the built-in cellular modems, and 4G, 5G and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity, allow them to be managed at any point. Hopefully, it's something that won't be used as much, but for security purposes, this is a feature that will be hugely beneficial. While Snapdragon X processors have become synonymous with laptops, the Snapdragon X2 Elite chips will be made for more than just mobile computing. While only showcased during the event (and in lovely red styling), we should see these CPUs come in mini PCs and AICs (all-in-one), too. Mini PCs have become a popular option for many, bringing the performance of a desktop in a much smaller form factor that's even easy enough to travel around with. Plus, these have become more affordable options, with the Mac mini M4 being a standout. Bringing Qualcomm's next chips to more computer platforms is a step in the right direction, as it expands what these processors can accomplish beyond just laptops. We'll have to see how these perform, especially considering they won't need the advantage of battery life. But I'm more excited to see what other form factors we'll find Snapdragon X2 chips in, even if that means a push towards gaming handhelds.

Next-gen Snapdragon X2 Elite brings more cores and juggernaut AI to PCs

More TOPS, more cores, more challenges to lead Windows on Arm into a meaningful presence on the PC with the Snapdragon X2 Elite and Extreme. On Wednesday, Qualcomm announced three new Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme processors for PCs, pushing into what it calls 'ultra-premium PCs' with a 5GHz CPU and an NPU delivering an industry-leading 80 TOPS. Qualcomm made a name for itself with all-day battery life, but its new "multi-day" battery life received little mention in the context of the X2 Elite chips for Windows on Arm PCs. Now, it's all about speed: the X2 Elite platform delivers 31 percent more performance than the X1 Elite at the same power, or the same performance at 43 percent less power. That's helped by a move to 3nm versus the 4nm platform of the first Snapdragon X Elite. There are also some notable differences in Qualcomm's updated CPU architecture. The Snapdragon X2 Elite incorporates third-generation Oryon CPU cores, and more of them: up to 18 in total, subdivided between a new "prime core" and a new "performance core," which the first-gen X Elite ignored. Qualcomm even took a page from Intel and integrated memory on package, up to a whopping 48GB inside the X2 Elite Extreme. Finally, Qualcomm integrated its X75 5G modem, an unexpectedly significant addition. Qualcomm launched the two chip families at its Qualcomm Snapdragon Summit in Maui, where company executives said that the first PCs designed around the Snapdragon X2 Elite will ship in the first half of 2026. This aligns with the typical launch schedules of rivals AMD and Intel, who work with their own notebook customers to release products based on their chips. Qualcomm is shipping three new members of its Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite platforms: the X2E-96-100, the X2E-88-100, and the X2E-80-100. Instead of using these impenetrable product names, think of them this way: The Qualcomm Oryon cores inside the first-generation Snapdragon X Elite were all based on the Arm architecture, though the company's license allows it to design a "clean sheet" microprocessor as long as it remains compatible with Arm instructions. Unlike Arm, which now uses four different CPU cores in its Lumex processor, the first-generation X Elite chose one type: all 12 cores were performance cores running at full speed, even on battery. The base clock speed of the was 3.8GHz, with a turbo speed of 4.3 GHz. Now, things have changed. The Snapdragon X2 Elite and the Elite Extreme include both what Qualcomm calls Oryon Prime cores as well as Oryon Performance cores. The company isn't emphasizing this, but the X2 Elite chips also include integrated memory -- a whopping 48GB inside the X2 Elite Extreme. The Prime cores are key to the 5GHz clock speed, while the Performance cores are "tuned to provide premium responsiveness and user experiences in everyday workloads with extreme power efficiency." Presumably, these function similarly to the "performance" and "efficiency" cores in Intel's Core Ultra Meteor Lake and Lunar Lake chips. What makes the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme different than the X2 Elite? According to a Qualcomm representative, it's a combination of factors, including CPU and GPU clock speeds, memory, and core count. It appears the difference is memory speeds: 228GB/s for the X2 Elite Extreme via a 192-bit memory bus, and 152GB/s via a 128-bit bus for the Elite. All three chips connect to LPDDR5x memory. Integrating memory on the package is an interesting choice. Intel pursued that strategy with its Core Ultra Series 1 chip, Meteor Lake, then gave it up because embedding a fixed amount of memory didn't allow its customers to differentiate their products. Intel's chief executive at the time, Pat Gelsinger, called "Meteor Lake" a "one off" and a niche product, one that was forced into the spotlight because of AI. Right now, we don't know why Qualcomm chose this course as well. But there's a twist: only the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme has a fixed 48GB of integrated memory. The other two chips will embed 'device-specific' amounts of RAM, Qualcomm says, almost implying that the company will be designing custom processors. Qualcomm hasn't clarified if the RAM will be usable as GPU VRAM, which matters because more VRAM generally supports more complex AI models. Cristiano Amon delivered a "vision" speech Tuesday night discussing the ubiquity of AI across various devices. Eventually, Qualcomm will probably follow with derivatives for cheaper, less powerful PCs. In April and September 2024, Qualcomm added the eight core and 10-core Snapdragon X Plus variants, with only the smaller chip graced with turbo capability. Those chips topped out at 3.4GHz, with turbo speeds up to 4GHz. In January 2025, Qualcomm tacked on the Snapdragon X, its lowest-cost offering for laptops under $600, with eight cores and speeds up to 3.0 GHz. So far, however, Qualcomm hasn't said anything about those, nor how they would be architected. Kedar Kondap, the senior vice president of compute and gaming, has said that he doesn't particularly like the term "NPU," since it focuses attention on a number rather than the AI experiences that accompany it. Within Qualcomm's smartphone business, AI applications have been around for a decade, Kondap said; they include bokeh, various types of filters, and portrait mode. Within the PC space, selling the need for local AI has been a tougher battle. Qualcomm hasn't made it easy on itself, either. Since the new Snapdragon X Elite chips have a whopping 80 TOPS -- about twice the TOPS requirement of Copilot+ PCs -- Qualcomm will have to, well, redouble its efforts to convince PC makers that such a powerful NPU is needed. First-generation Snapdragon X Elites would combine AI experiences, including Windows Studio Effects and others, and without even fully saturating the NPU. Basically, Qualcomm has yet to find the killer app for local AI -- and Microsoft's nominee, Microsoft Recall, has struggled to the point of near irrelevance. Behind the scenes, however, are local AI applications consumers don't see, including updates to Phi Silica, Microsoft's small language model for Copilot PCs. Adobe Premiere Pro and Blender can leverage the NPU for specific functions, in addition to the software's work with the CPU and the GPU. But the applications still have to be specifically coded for NPUs, because of the absence of Microsoft's Windows ML. "It's not like you're going to get this one app that needs those 80 TOPS, right, but if you've got 10 things running and each take 5 [TOPS], all of a sudden you're at 50," said Bob O'Donnell, president of TECHnalysis Reseach. "That could be discrete apps, but it might be individual agents working on your behalf." Windows ML does the hard work of assigning the AI workload to the proper piece of silicon, which should help. "Windows ML is the built-in AI inferencing runtime optimized for on-device model inference and streamlined model dependency management across CPUs, GPUs and NPUs," Microsoft says. The good news? After first being announced in 2018, Windows ML is now available, Microsoft said Tuesday. Qualcomm isn't saying much about the Adreno graphics core inside of the Snapdragon X2 Elite family. The company says it offers a "2.3X increase in performance per watt and power efficiency over the previous generation," and that's about it. The X2 Elite Extreme chip will feature the X2-90 core running at 1.85GHz; the top X2 Elite chip will also feature the X2-90, but at 1.70GHz. The slowest X2 Elite, the X2E-80-100, will include a slower X2-85 at 1.70GHz. The Adreno core supports AV1, HEVC, and AVC decoding at dual 8K at 60 fps for all three chips. But Qualcomm's GPU still doesn't allow for an external GPU connection, meaning that the gaming market is largely out of reach (again). It's not clear how this will translate into the real world. In our extensive Snapdragon X Elite review, we didn't really focus on gaming. However, when testing Intel's Core Ultra Lunar Lake chip, I tested the original X Elite on a pair of games and they weren't really playable. To Jim McGregor, the founder of Tirias Research, the integration of Qualcomm's X75 modem into the X2 Elite platform might be the most unexpectedly significant addition Qualcomm made. Even though the company's mobile platforms for handsets include CPU, graphics, and modem technology, the Snapdragon X Elite platform never included it. The X2 Elite does. "When they first came out with the embedded modem, I loved that device," McGregor said, adding that he hoped Qualcomm would lean more into its connectivity advantage. "The fact that carriers wouldn't support it was a pain in the butt." "They make the best modems in the world, literally," O'Donnell said. "So why not make that part of the platform?" Qualcomm calls the X75 "the world's first Modem-RF System ready for 5G Advanced," but the real news is simply that it's there. Phones seamlessly roam from Wi-Fi to cellular; why shouldn't PCs? Integrating a modem allows that to happen. Internally, Qualcomm says that NVMe storage is supported via dual PCI Express 5.0. Notebooks incorporating the chip will be able to support a maximum display resolution of 4K at 144Hz, or three external 4K displays at 144Hz. Since the chip only supports 40Gbps USB4 for peripherals, that probably assumes software compression of some sort. PC makers will have 12 lanes of PCIe 5.0 to play with, except for the eight lanes usable by the slowest X2 Elite chip. Four PCIe Gen4 lanes will be available, presumably for storage. Qualcomm has added one component to help placate corporate IT managers: Guardian, a new X2 Elite out-of-band management feature to help track and manage X2 Elite systems. Unfortunately for Qualcomm, it's never just about the silicon. "It's really hard to overcome a market that's already got mass adoption, with industry leaders" McGregor said. "Those industry leaders, especially Intel, kind of stumbled. So there was an opportunity there, right? But it's really hard when you go in with a different architecture, different product, and you're taking it head on." For all of its efforts, though, Qualcomm has yet to make a significant dent in the market. Mercury Research, which tracks CPU market share on a quarterly basis, still put AMD at about 20 percent of the notebook client PC market during the second quarter of 2025, with Intel receiving the other 80 percent. Dean McCarron, the principal analyst at Mercury, declined to specify Qualcomm's actual market share because he was unsure of the exact sales numbers. Qualcomm's fundamental problem, however, is that audiences haven't responded as well as the company might have expected. For that, one can point to any number of factors: lingering concerns about app compatibility-a problem Qualcomm aggressively tried to address; issues with Microsoft's rollout of its Copilot+ program, including apps like Microsoft Recall; and successful launches of rival mobile chips. McGregor ticked off more: a lack of support for STEM applications and a management solution for enterprise. In PCWorld tests, Qualcomm came out on top in terms of battery life, but AMD's CPU performance exceeded the competition. Intel's Core Ultra Series 2 (Lunar Lake) was arguably the overall winner, combining good CPU performance, very good GPU performance, and competitive battery life versus the other two chips. Consumers also tend to equate "AI" with ChatGPT rather than Copilot. In 2024, shipments of all Copilot+ PCs were abysmal: less than one percent of the market in 2024 and less than two percent during the first quarter of 2025. "I think what one of the biggest problems is that Qualcomm was strictly tied to and associated with Copilot, and it was honestly more of a Copilot issue than necessarily a Qualcomm issue," O'Donnell said. "So I think that one of the challenges was that there was that very strong association that [Microsoft and Qualcomm] both thought was going to propel them to a higher place. Unfortunately, Recall is a real problem, and now we're at the point where I don't think anybody cares about Recall." PC makers also welcomed the competition Qualcomm's first X Elite chip introduced... then used it as leverage in negotiations with Intel and AMD (according to one source). In the United States, just nine shipping products currently include a first-generation Snapdragon X Elite chip, a source said. By contrast, 224 Intel systems and 106 mobile PCs use AMD's chips, and Qualcomm's market share is still quite small. Kedar Kondap, Qualcomm's general manager of compute and gaming, doesn't see it that way. In an interview before the launch, he pointed out that Qualcomm's sales in its first year exceeded AMD and Intel in their own. At Qualcomm's analyst day, Qualcomm chief executive Cristiano Amon put forward a target: $4 billion in sales by 2029, Kondap said. That's years away, evidence that Qualcomm is playing the long game with its Snapdragon processors. "You have to give them credit because I lose track of this myself -- they've only been in the market for 15 months," O'Donnell said. "For 15 months, it's not too shabby."

Qualcomm announces Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme CPUs -- and it's as powerful as you think

The leaks of Snapdragon X2 CPUs have finally been realized, as Qualcomm has revealed its next set of CPUs to power the latest PCs -- Snapdragon X2 Elite and a whole new set of Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme chips are here. During the Snapdragon Summit 2025, Qualcomm finally announced its next Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and Snapdragon X2 Elite CPUs, its next-gen silicon to boost performance and efficiency in lightweight Windows laptops, and beyond (mini PCs included). Not only can we expect up to 75% faster CPU performance in its third-gen 3nm Oryon CPU, but the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme also delivers a 2.3x uplift in graphics power and efficiency in its upgraded Adreno GPU, while also featuring up to 80 TOPS (Trillions of Operations Per Second) in its Hexagon NPU to bring the "world's fastest NPU for laptops." Qualcomm was the first to bring AI performance to Windows Copilot+ PCs, and it aims to boost performance, power efficiency and AI power with its next-gen chips -- this time with an Extreme CPU contender. The first devices with Snapdragon X2 Elite chips are expected to launch in the first half of 2026. In the meantime, here's what we know about Qualcomm's next-gen chips. Just from their specs, the Snapdragon X2 Elite CPUs already show a major boost over the last Snapdragon X Elite chips. This includes up to 18 CPU cores (12 prime cores, 6 performance cores), which is up from the Snapdragon X Elite's 12 cores, 1.85 GHz max frequency in its next-gen Adreno GPU and 80 TOPS for improved AI performance -- nearly double the amount of the original X Elite's 45 TOPS. So far, three CPUs have been announced, including the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and two other X2 Elite chips. Compared to its previous-gen processors, Qualcomm claims its latest chipset delivers 31% faster performance at ISO power and only needs 43% less power, translating to greater battery life. What really brings the heat is the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme, set for "ultra-premium PCs." This chip will take full advantage of agentic AI, and aims to offer high-end performance for photo and video editing, data analytics and, of course, gaming in thin-and-light Windows PCs. As for the upgraded Adreno GPU, the Snapdragon X2 Elite series claims to boost graphics quality and frame rates (including ray tracing), all while making the most of power efficiency to improve battery life. The Snapdragon X2 Elite-series chips also offer Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, while support for Snapdragon X75 5G Modem also means the latest in 5G connectivity. While the boost in performance is sure to impress, Qualcomm also points out that we'll see multi-day battery life. Snapdragon chips are known for delivering the best battery life in laptops, with the Dell XPS 13 boasting nearly 20 hours of battery. With Snapdragon X2 Elite chips, we expect to see huge improvements. As we've seen when gaming on a Snapdragon X Elite laptop, Qualcomm's chips are capable of playing the latest PC games while saving battery. However, X2 Elite looks to deliver even more. In fact, PCs with Snapdragon X2 Elite chips will offer up to 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution with 144Hz refresh rates on their displays. That's on par with some of the best gaming laptops, all without a discrete GPU to deliver ultra-thin PCs. Of course, we'll have to see how these CPUs perform once we get hands-on time with them (more on that soon). "Snapdragon X2 Elite strengthens our leadership in the PC industry, providing legendary leaps in performance, AI processing and battery life to enable the experiences that consumers deserve," says Qualcomm's SVP and GM of compute and gaming, Kedar Kondap. Kondap continues: "We continue to push the boundaries of technological innovation, introduce breakthrough products that set new industry standards and redefine what's possible for PCs." That's not all that was announced during Qualcomm's annual Snapdragon Summit, as CEO Cristiano Amon announced that 6G connectivity will arrive in devices as early as 2028.

Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme is here to set new Windows laptop battery life standards | Stuff

Could 2026 finally be the year you ditch that laptop lead from your travel bag? Qualcomm has just pulled back the curtain on Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and Snapdragon X2 Elite, new top-tier chipsets that aim to up the oomph while also boosting battery life for multiple days of use between trips to the charging socket. Both new chips are built on the same 3nm architecture as the last-gen Snapdragon X Elite, which shook up the laptop world with MacBook-rivalling efficiency last year. Only now everything has been uprated across CPU, GPU and AI-boosting NPU to give AMD, Intel and even Apple cause for concern. The Oryon CPU has now hit its third iteration, with up to 18 cores depending on the model. It's the first ARM-compatible chip to hit the 5.0GHz mark, which Qualcomm says is enough to deliver up to 75% more grunt than AMD and Intel's equivalents at the same power draw. It needs up to 43% less power overall, which the firm reckons will translate into 'multi-day' battery life. Performance gains go even further on the GPU side, with a massive 2.3x performance per watt over the last-gen version. Qualcomm isn't talking exact numbers just yet, so there's no word if that translates to double the frame rate in games, but it bodes well for an area that wasn't exactly a Snapdragon strong point on the first X Elite generation. Last year's Hexagon NPU could crack 45 TOPS for AI-based jobs, but the new generation now pushes out 80 - that's as good as it gets from an ultraportable laptop right now, and could be a big reason for picking up a Snapdragon-powered laptop as AI gets integrated into more apps. Other top line upgrades include a new FastConnect 7800 modem with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 LE connectivity. The first Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and X2 Elite-powered laptops should start arriving from big-name brands as early as January next year. Qualcomm also showed off a bunch of different form factors at its Snapdragon Summit event, hinting convertibles, 2-in-1s, all-in-one desktop PCs and mini PCs could also be on the way too.

Qualcomm announces Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and X2 Elite for Next-Gen Windows PCs

Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme powers ultra-premium Windows 11 PCs with top-tier performance, multi-day battery life, and advanced AI processing. Snapdragon X2 Elite delivers efficient multitasking for demanding workloads in premium PCs, with performance designed to last. Both platforms feature 80 TOPS AI processing, the world's fastest laptop NPU, and best-in-class CPU performance. Qualcomm has introduced two new entries to its Snapdragon X Series portfolio: the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and Snapdragon X2 Elite. Built for premium Windows 11 PCs, the new platforms aim to deliver major gains in performance, battery efficiency, and on-device AI, setting benchmarks for the next generation of thin and light computers. The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme is designed for users with advanced, professional-level computing demands. According to Qualcomm, it is built to handle agentic AI workflows, scientific research, data analytics, and professional media editing on devices that remain portable. The platform is powered by the 3rd Generation Qualcomm Oryon CPU, which the company claims delivers up to 75% faster performance than competing CPUs at equivalent power levels. A redesigned Adreno GPU brings a 2.3x improvement in performance per watt over the previous generation, while the Hexagon NPU introduces 80 trillion operations per second (TOPS) of AI processing power -- the highest for laptops to date. This AI capacity is intended to support concurrent tasks across Copilot+ PCs and other advanced AI features. For premium-tier PCs, Snapdragon X2 Elite offers a balance of performance and efficiency. Qualcomm says it delivers up to 31% faster performance at ISO power while requiring 43% less power than its predecessor. The platform also integrates the 80 TOPS Hexagon NPU, enabling multitasking and AI-driven workflows in devices optimized for portability and extended use without constant charging. Both platforms emphasise multi-day battery life, a longstanding focus of Qualcomm's push into the PC market. The combination of Oryon CPU performance, GPU efficiency, and NPU acceleration is designed to extend usage times without compromising speed or AI functionality. Kedar Kondap, senior vice president and general manager of compute and gaming at Qualcomm, said the announcement reflects Qualcomm's ambitions in the PC space: "Snapdragon X2 Elite strengthens our leadership in the PC industry, providing legendary leaps in performance, AI processing and battery life to enable the experiences that consumers deserve." The first devices powered by Snapdragon X2 Elite are expected to be available in the first half of 2026.

Qualcomm Announces Fastest, Most Efficient Windows PC Processors - Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM)

Technology giant Qualcomm Inc QCOM unveiled the new Snapdragon X2 Elite and Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme on Wednesday, which will expand the company's use cases for Snapdragon among the PC market. Here are the details. What Happened: Qualcomm calls the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and X2 Elite the fastest and most efficient processors for Windows PCs. The processors are built with ultimate performance, strong battery life and fast AI-processing in mind for consumers. CPU performance is up to 75% faster than competitors for the new platforms. Qualcomm said Snapdragon X2 Elite has multitasking capabilities across high workloads in Windows PCs with performance that can last for days. The new platforms feature the world's fastest Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for laptops with best-in-class CPU performance. NPUs are specialized chips designed to advance AI and machine learning tasks. Read Also: Qualcomm Q3 Earnings: Double Beat, Auto Revenue Hits Record Why It's Important: Qualcomm says the new Snapdragon for PC provides "premium performance for effortless multitasking." "Snapdragon X2 Elite strengthens our leadership in the PC industry, providing legendary leaps in performance, AI processing and battery life to enable the experiences that consumers deserve," Qualcomm Senior Vice President and General Manager of Compute and Gaming Kedar Kondap said. Kondap said the new Snapdragon processors "set new industry standards" for what is possible on a PC. "We continue to push the boundaries of technological innovation," Kondap added. Devices with Snapdragon X2 Elite are expected to launch in the first half of 2026. Read Next: Qualcomm Unveils Smart Glasses Gen AI Without Phone Or Cloud: 'Beginning Of Something Huge' QCOMQualcomm Inc$173.792.51%OverviewMarket News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Qualcomm's Kedar Kondap on gaming, AI and how Snapdragon X2 Elite raises the bar for PCs

Qualcomm is sharpening its focus on high-performance computing. The approach was evident during the recently concluded Snapdragon Summit 2025, where it announced the second-generation Snapdragon X2 Elite chip which had gaming and AI acceleration at its heart. During the summit, Digit got a chance to sit with Kedar Kondap, Senior Vice President and GM of Qualcomm's Compute division to understand company's ambitions in the PC market and various aspects of the the new chip. Gaming was a headline feature of the keynote, with Qualcomm signaling its intent to bring the same dominance it enjoys in smartphones to the world of PCs. Kondap called gaming "a category that excites almost everybody" and noted that Qualcomm's long-standing partnerships with game developers and engine makers are now being extended to Windows devices. The new Snapdragon X2 Elite promises more than 2x graphics performance over the first-generation platform. Qualcomm has also worked to ensure compatibility with AAA titles, addressing lingering challenges such as support for Epic Games' Easy Anti-Cheat, a critical feature for online multiplayer titles. "That was huge progress for us," Kondap said. The company also confirmed that Fortnite is coming to Snapdragon-powered PCs, alongside new titles like Alien Rogue Inversion from Servios. It's even bringing an on-device AI experience in Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition using the X2 Elite's NPU. These might be the first serious steps from Qualcomm in pushing gaming on Windows PCs. While gaming grabbed attention, Qualcomm's broader ambition is to redefine the performance and efficiency equation for laptops. Kondap explained that the first-generation Snapdragon X Elite prioritised three pillars: performance, battery life and AI. He said that the new X2 Elite will raise the bar across all three. Powered by the third-generation Orion CPU, the platform delivers 30-50 per cent CPU performance gains and up to 60 per cent improvements in performance-per-watt compared to the previous generation. Kondap described these jumps as "pretty much unprecedented" in the PC industry. Battery efficiency, a hallmark of Snapdragon-powered laptops, remains central to Qualcomm's pitch. The company has already demonstrated what is possible with devices like the HP Omnibook 5, which boasts up to 34 hours of battery life. With the X2 Elite, Qualcomm aims to sustain and expand this advantage over traditional x86-based competitors. The Snapdragon X2 Elite also represents a dramatic leap in AI capability. The platform integrates a new NPU (Neural Processing Unit) that delivers 80 TOPS (trillions of operations per second) which is a huge up from 45 TOPS in the first generation. Qualcomm believes this headroom is critical as the industry shifts toward agentic AI models and always-on intelligent experiences. "We see the market moving towards Agentic AI, and we see the need for more TOPS," Kondap emphasised, framing AI as the defining battleground for the next wave of PC innovation. Unlike last year, when Qualcomm announced laptops almost immediately after unveiling the first Snapdragon X Elite, the company now expects the first wave of X2 Elite-powered laptops to launch in spring 2026. According to Kondap, rollout timelines depend on individual OEM strategies, but he is encouraging partners to ensure global and Indian availability aligns. Qualcomm might still be relatively new to the PC processor space but is positioning itself as a serious challenger to entrenched players. " It's been 15 months and we launched 22 devices on the same day. That is unprecedented in Windows history," Kondap said, underlining Qualcomm's momentum. He added that Qualcomm's combination of longer battery life, superior performance-per-watt and industry-first AI acceleration sets it apart. "We've already leapfrogged in terms of performance and efficiency, and with X2, we've raised the bar again." With Snapdragon X2 Elite, Qualcomm is making an aggressive play to shape the future of Windows PCs, betting that its legacy in mobile computing can translate into leadership in a market long dominated by Intel and AMD. Whether this translates into actual success or not, we will get to know only when the first set of PCs with Snapdragon X2 Elite chip drop sometime next year. But if we are actually entering an era for thinner and ligher gaming PCs, I don't see a lot of peple complain.