High-end processors for PC laptops were stuck in a duopoly between Intel and AMD for decades, but that finally changed when the first ARM-based Snapdragon X chips arrived from Qualcomm. Now, the company is revealing its second-generation X Elite chipsets with some impressive improvements.
Qualcomm showed off its first Snapdragon X Elite chips near the end of 2023, primarily intended for high-end ultrabooks and PC tablets. Later in 2024, they were joined by the Snapdragon X Plus chipsets, which are mostly for mid-range laptops. Full support for Snapdragon’s ARM-based architecture in Windows has been slow-going, as many apps and games still have compatibility issues, but it’s getting there. Lenovo, Dell, Microsoft, HP, and many other PC manufacturers are selling PCs with Snapdragon hardware, and the library of ARM-native Windows software is growing.
Qualcomm has now revealed its second-generation Elite chips, the Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme. Just like the previous models, they contain a custom ARM-based Oryon CPU, Adreno GPU, and Hexagon NPU all in one chipset. They’re intended to compete with Intel’s modern Core Ultra chips, AMD’s newer Ryzen processors, and Apple Silicon hardware.
First up is the Snapdragon X2 Elite, which Qualcomm will offer in 12-core and 18-core variants. The low-end chip (X2E–80–100) has 6 prime cores and 6 performance cores, while the higher-end one (X2E–88–100) has 12 prime cores and 6 performance cores. Both versions have roughly the same clock speeds, 80 TOPS Hexagon NPU for local AI and machine learning tasks, and LPDDR5x memory at up to 152 GB/s.
The most powerful chip is the 18-core Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme (X2E–96–100). Qualcomm says it has “up to 75% faster CPU performance than competition at ISO power” and a GPU with a “2.3X increase in performance per watt and power efficiency over the previous generation.”
The 80 TOPS NPU in all models of the Snapdragon X2 Elite is also impressive, giving the chips a lot more performance for local AI and machine learning tasks. Even if you aren’t running local AI chatbots or using Copilot features in Windows, the NPU is also used by Windows apps for image, video, and language functions. For example, DaVinci Resolve and Capcut can use an NPU for faster masking in video editing.
The Snapdragon X2 Elite chips all support up to 128GB RAM, 4K internal screens at up to 144Hz, up to three external screens, up to Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 5.4. There’s still no support for Thunderbolt 4 or 5, but the 40 Gbps USB4 support should be more than enough for most people. It also supports the Snapdragon X75 5G modem, so some PCs with Elite X2 chips will have 5G cellular connectivity.
Unfortunately, Qualcomm hasn’t provided much in the way of performance comparisons and benchmarks, so it’s hard to say where the X2 Elite chips land among the current offerings from Intel, AMD, and Apple. The first Snapdragon X Elite chips were the best attempt yet at power-efficient ARM hardware for Windows PCs, but Apple’s M4 hardware has outpaced it. It sounds like Qualcomm is keeping up with Apple Silicon, but we won’t know for sure until the hardware actually shows up.
The first PCs with Snapdragon X2 Elite chipsets are expected to arrive in the first half of 2026.
Source: Qualcomm
