New Snapdragon X Chip Makes AI-Powered Laptops More Affordable

Qualcomm is simplifying access to performance AI PCs with an affordable version of its Snapdragon X Series processors.

At CES 2025, Qualcomm introduced new Snapdragon X processors designed to be more budget-friendly, positioned below the existing Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite models.

These new processors will enable laptops priced as low as $600 (about £450) to feature the Copilot+ PC branding from Microsoft. This branding signifies that these machines can harness the latest generative AI capabilities offered by Microsoft.

Central to the Snapdragon X's performance is its 45 TOPS (trillion operations per second) Qualcomm Hexagon neural processing unit (NPU), providing significant computational power. The Snapdragon X maintains a 4nm architecture, the same as its higher-tier counterparts, but utilizes an 8-core, 3GHz Qualcomm Oryon CPU. Additionally, users can connect up to three external displays at 4K resolution at 60Hz thanks to the Adreno GPU.

This new chip promises a battery life that is reportedly twice as long as its competitors, notably Intel's Core i5 120U processors. Qualcomm suggests that in some scenarios, this could result in multi-day battery life, which will be attractive to many users.

With this release, Qualcomm aims to effectively challenge Intel, potentially leading to a broader acceptance of Windows-based devices that operate on ARM processors. There has already been commitment from major manufacturers such as Lenovo, HP, Asus, and others, with approximately 60 models in development and an expectation of 100 models in the market by the following year.

The Snapdragon X series is designed to be a viable choice for a range of users including students, freelancers, and those seeking budget-friendly laptops.

Moreover, the Snapdragon X will also extend its capabilities to mini desktop PCs similar to the Apple Mac mini, although the specific manufacturers for these devices have not yet been disclosed. Lenovo mentioned that their upcoming mini and tiny desktop PCs represent a significant progression in their PC development journey, combining the powerful Snapdragon features into a novel format, suitable for consumers, businesses, and developers alike.

Qualcomm, Snapdragon, AI