Qualcomm Unveils Second-Generation Snapdragon X2 Chips for Windows on ARM Laptops
January 2, 2026
Last year marked a significant milestone as Qualcomm successfully introduced Windows on ARM laptops, ending over a decade of effort and signaling a challenge to both Intel and AMD. This breakthrough led to the exclusion of Intel from consumer-grade Microsoft Surface devices. Now, Qualcomm is ready to elevate its offerings with the second generation of its Snapdragon X2 chips, which will come in two models: the Snapdragon X2 Elite and the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme.
A Bold Claim in a Competitive Landscape
Qualcomm boldly states that these processors are “the fastest and most efficient for Windows PCs,” though expectations from Intel and AMD remain high. The new chips are built on a 3nm process and deliver impressive performance improvements: up to 31% faster CPU performance compared to the previous Snapdragon X Elite at equivalent power levels, and up to 43% reduction in power consumption. The GPU performance per watt has also seen a substantial boost—by up to 2.3 times—thanks to a new 1.85GHz GPU.
Cutting-Edge CPU and AI Capabilities
The chips utilize a 3rd-generation Oryon CPU architecture, which is also featured in Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite 5 mobile chip. The CPU boasts up to 18 cores, with 12 cores capable of reaching up to 4.4GHz, and two cores hitting 5GHz—an industry first for ARM CPUs according to Qualcomm.
The new Snapdragon X2 also includes an 80 TOPS Hexagon NPU designed to handle AI tasks more efficiently, offering 37% more performance and a 16% reduction in power consumption. Qualcomm claims this is the fastest laptop NPU to date.
Enhanced Performance and Battery Life
Qualcomm describes the chips as a “legendary leap in performance,” with the Elite Extreme model purportedly delivering up to 75% faster CPU performance than competing chips at comparable power levels. While the specific competitors are not explicitly named, the benchmarks likely compare against some of the most powerful laptop processors like Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285H and AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 370.
Power efficiency claims suggest these processors could enable “multi-day battery life,” although last year’s Snapdragon X Elite already delivered between 14 to 18 hours of usage—possibly translating to two full workdays.
Gaming and Content Creation Boosts
Gaming on ARM is poised for improvement with a dedicated high-speed cache—an 18MB “Adreno High Performance Memory”—which is expected to enhance gaming performance on Snapdragon-powered devices. Content creators will benefit as well, with Adobe applications showing notable improvements: 28% faster photo editing in Photoshop, 43% faster exports from Lightroom, and enhanced performance in Premiere for video analysis.
Razer’s Collaboration and Future Outlook
Razer announced that it will bring its Synapse software to Windows on Snapdragon, though the company did not confirm any plans for a Snapdragon-based gaming laptop. Qualcomm’s testing of the X2 Elite Extreme reportedly exceeds 50W of power, signaling potential for larger, more powerful Windows devices beyond ultralights.
Availability and Future Directions
The new Snapdragon X2 chips are not arriving this year but are expected to be available in the first half of 2026. While Qualcomm’s press release did not specify if these chips will feature in upcoming collaborations with Google on Android for PC, Google’s president of Android Ecosystem, Sameer Samat, hinted that a merger of ChromeOS and Android could be on the horizon.
Correction
September 24th, 2024: Qualcomm clarified that the GPU performance per watt boost is 2.3x compared to the previous generation, not overall GPU performance.
Stay tuned for more updates as Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X2 chips prepare to reshape the landscape of Windows on ARM devices.
Topics: Qualcomm, Snapdragon X2, Windows on ARM, Mobile Processors, AI, Gaming, Laptops
Author: Sean Hollister