Qualcomm is pushing further into the PC space with its new Snapdragon X2 Elite lineup, announced at the 2025 Snapdragon Summit in Maui. These second-generation Arm-based chips are designed for high-performance Windows laptops, with claims of up to 31% higher CPU performance at the same power level, or the same performance while using 43% less power compared to the Snapdragon X Elite.
The X2 Elite family consists of three models, all manufactured on TSMC’s 3nm process. The base X2E-80-100 features a 12-core CPU with six efficiency cores at 3.4GHz and six performance cores at 4.0GHz, boosting up to 4.7GHz. A step up is the X2E-88-100, which increases the core count to 18, adding six more performance cores for heavier workloads such as content creation.
At the top is the X2E-96-100, also an 18-core part but with higher clocks. Its performance cores run at 4.4GHz, with two able to boost up to 5.0GHz, while the efficiency cluster reaches 3.6GHz. Qualcomm is positioning this “Extreme” version for premium laptops where sustained power is crucial.
Graphics have been reworked as well. The upgraded Adreno X2 GPU can run up to 1.85GHz on the Extreme model, and up to up to 1.70GHz on the other two models. Qualcomm says this upgraded GPU offers more than twice the performance-per-watt of the first generation. It supports modern standards, including DirectX 12.2 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and OpenCL 3.0.
AI performance gets a big bump too. The Hexagon NPU now delivers 80 TOPS, which Qualcomm claims is the fastest for any laptop chip to date. That level of power is meant to support Microsoft’s Copilot+ features, enabling on-device AI tools like real-time translation and image editing.
The X2 series supports up to 128GB of LPDDR5X memory, UFS 4.0 storage, and PCIe Gen 5. The first laptops powered by the new chips are expected to arrive in spring 2026.
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