As we eagerly await the arrival of the first wave of laptops powered by Snapdragon X Elite in mid-2024, Qualcomm is also exploring the possibility of introducing a more budget-friendly option to its ARM-based Windows chip lineup: the Snapdragon X Plus.

A new leak suggests Qualcomm is working on not one, but two versions of the Snapdragon X Plus System-on-Chip (SoC), both of which could offer a significant advantage over Apple’s current MacBook lineup.

Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus Chip Leak

These chips are reportedly assigned model numbers X1P44100 and X1P46100. Notably, the “X Plus” Snapdragon ARM processors are identified by the ‘X1P’ prefix, distinguishing them from the Snapdragon X Elite chips, which use ‘X1E’ in their model numbers.

While specific details are still scarce, the naming convention implies that the Snapdragon X Plus will be a scaled-down version of its more powerful counterpart. This could mean fewer cores as one of the differentiating factors, similar to how Apple differs its M-series chip.

Although the X Plus may not match the raw performance of the X Elite, it could be a perfect fit for affordable ARM-based Windows notebooks.

Importantly, Qualcomm seems to be testing one key feature that could make Snapdragon X Plus laptops truly compelling — an integrated Snapdragon X65 5G modem.

If Qualcomm manages to deliver this with the X Plus, it could transform the market with an influx of 5G-ready Windows laptops, outpacing Apple – which is absent from the 5G laptop space.

While there is no official release date yet, considering that Snapdragon X Elite devices are expected later in 2024, we can expect the arrival of the X Plus either towards the end of the year or in 2025. But that’s just a guess on our side.

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