Claiming to deliver the fastest and most efficient processors for Windows ever
Qualcomm has taken a bold step forward in Windows computing with the announcement of its next-generation chips for Windows on Arm laptops — the Snapdragon X2 Elite and Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme. These new chips aim to redefine performance and efficiency for Windows PCs, challenging Intel and AMD head-on.
The Big Claim
In its press release, Qualcomm boldly states these are “the fastest and most efficient processors for Windows PCs.” That’s a serious claim, and it’s bound to spark a reaction from Intel and AMD. But Qualcomm says its 3nm chips back it up with impressive metrics:
- Up to 31% faster CPU performance than the previous Snapdragon X Elite at the same power level.
- Up to 43% less power consumption for the same performance level.
- Up to 2.3x GPU performance per watt thanks to a new 1.85GHz GPU.
CPU Innovations
At the heart of the new Snapdragon X2 Elite lineup is Qualcomm’s 3rd-gen Oryon CPU, shared with its upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite 5 mobile chip. Key specs include:
- Up to 18 cores (12 cores running up to 4.4GHz, with up to 2 cores hitting 5GHz — a first for Arm CPUs).
- A new 80 TOPS Hexagon NPU for AI tasks, delivering 37% more performance while reducing power use by 16%. Qualcomm claims this is the fastest laptop NPU to date.
For the X2 Elite Extreme, Qualcomm makes a bold statement: it offers up to 75% faster CPU performance compared to competitors at the same power level — a likely reference to Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285H and AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, though Qualcomm does not explicitly name names.
Efficiency and Battery Life
Qualcomm claims these power savings will result in multi-day battery life — although last year’s Snapdragon X Elite laptops already promised similar claims, delivering between 14–18 hours in real-world tests. Qualcomm hints these gains come from both architecture improvements and new silicon innovations, including:
- Adreno High Performance Memory: a dedicated new 18MB high-speed cache to improve gaming and graphics performance.
Performance Gains for Creators
Qualcomm says creative professionals will notice major improvements:
- 28% faster photo editing in Photoshop.
- 43% faster exports in Lightroom.
- Similar boosts for Premiere Pro video analysis.
Razer also announced it will bring its Synapse software to Windows on Snapdragon, although it did not confirm whether Snapdragon-based gaming laptops are in the pipeline.
Expanding Snapdragon’s Role in PCs
Interestingly, Qualcomm is testing the X2 Elite Extreme at over 50W, pushing beyond the thin-and-light laptop segment it initially targeted. This suggests Snapdragon chips could scale to larger, higher-performance laptops in the near future.
Qualcomm says these new chips will be available in the first half of 2026, keeping a similar timeline to last year’s launch cycle with Microsoft, though this time without revealing exact laptop partners.
What’s Next: Android for PC?
Qualcomm has not confirmed whether these chips will power the rumoured Android for PC collaboration with Google. However, Google’s Sameer Samat hinted that ChromeOS and Android could merge sometime next year, potentially aligning with the launch of Snapdragon’s X2 Elite chips.
Final Take
With the Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme, Qualcomm is making a statement — that Arm-based processors are ready to compete with, and even surpass, traditional x86 laptop chips. Whether this will shift the balance of power in the Windows PC market remains to be seen, but the improvements in efficiency, AI performance, and CPU power make these chips a serious contender.
