Qualcomm is back with a bang! After making a big impact last year with its Snapdragon X Elite chip for Windows on Arm laptops, the company has just announced its second-generation processors — the Snapdragon X2 Elite and the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme. Qualcomm says these are the fastest and most efficient processors for Windows PCs. That’s a bold claim, especially when going up against giants like Intel and AMD.
In this article, we’ll break down the details in very easy United States English, so everyone can understand. We’ll also compare what makes these new chips special and why they matter for laptops in the future.
A Quick Look Back
Last year, Qualcomm finally made Windows on Arm laptops a real thing. For over a decade, Microsoft and Qualcomm had tried to make Windows on Arm successful, but only with limited results. The Snapdragon X Elite changed that, bringing strong performance, better battery life, and a serious challenge to Intel and AMD laptops.
This year, Qualcomm is taking things even further with the Snapdragon X2 series.
What’s New with Snapdragon X2 Elite and Elite Extreme?
The Snapdragon X2 chips are built on 3nm technology, which means they are smaller, more power-efficient, and more powerful than before. Qualcomm claims:
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Up to 31% faster CPU performance compared to last year’s Snapdragon X Elite at the same power.
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43% less power needed for the same performance.
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2.3x better GPU performance per watt, thanks to a new 1.85GHz GPU.
On the CPU side, Qualcomm is using its 3rd-generation Oryon CPU:
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Up to 18 cores in total.
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12 cores can run up to 4.4GHz.
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Up to 2 cores at 5GHz, which is a first for Arm CPUs.
This shows Qualcomm is serious about competing not just with energy-efficient chips but also with powerful desktop-class processors.
Smarter with AI: The 80 TOPS NPU
AI is the big focus in today’s laptops. The Snapdragon X2 comes with a brand new 80 TOPS Hexagon NPU, which is designed for AI tasks. Qualcomm says:
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37% faster performance than before.
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16% lower power consumption.
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It’s the fastest laptop NPU in the market right now.
This matters because apps like Microsoft Copilot, Adobe Firefly, and other AI tools need strong AI performance built right into the hardware.
Real-World Benefits for Creators and Gamers
Qualcomm isn’t just talking numbers; it is showing real improvements for daily tasks:
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28% faster photo editing in Adobe Photoshop.
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43% faster exports in Adobe Lightroom.
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Better performance in Adobe Premiere video analysis.
Gamers will also see better performance thanks to a dedicated 18MB Adreno High Performance Memory Cache, which reduces lag and speeds up graphics processing. While Qualcomm didn’t announce a dedicated Snapdragon gaming laptop yet, even Razer confirmed that its Synapse software is coming to Windows on Snapdragon.
Battery Life: Multi-Day Use?
Qualcomm says these new chips can deliver multi-day battery life. That’s the same promise made last year, but in practice, laptops with the X Elite got about 14 to 18 hours of use. If “multi-day” means two workdays, that’s still very impressive compared to many Intel and AMD laptops, which often last less than a full day on a charge.
Competing with Intel and AMD
Qualcomm is clearly aiming at the top competitors:
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Intel Core Ultra 9 285H
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AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370
The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme, in particular, is claimed to be up to 75% faster than these chips at the same power. Qualcomm’s charts don’t show all the details, but if true, that would be a game-changer.
Another big shift is that Qualcomm is now testing these chips at over 50W of power. This means they won’t just be for thin and light laptops but also for bigger, more powerful machines.
When Can You Get One?
Unlike last year, Qualcomm is not releasing laptops right away. The company says laptops with Snapdragon X2 Elite and Elite Extreme will be available in the first half of 2026 (1H26). So we still have to wait a bit before testing them in real life.
What About Google and Android on PC?
There’s also an interesting partnership brewing. Qualcomm and Google may be working on a version of Android for PCs, which could combine ChromeOS and Android into one platform. Google has hinted that this could arrive around the same time as Snapdragon X2 laptops. If true, it could make Snapdragon-powered PCs even more exciting.
Final Thoughts
The Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite and Elite Extreme look like a big step forward in Windows on Arm laptops. With faster CPUs, stronger GPUs, better AI performance, and improved battery life, Qualcomm is positioning itself as a real challenger to Intel and AMD in the laptop market.
If Qualcomm can deliver on its promises, we may finally see a future where most people choose Snapdragon laptops for both performance and efficiency.