- Qualcomm has launched a new Snapdragon X processor for budget devices.
- The Snapdragon X1-26-100 has 8 cores and a clock speed of 3.0 GHz.
- The NPU remains 45 TOPS and the AI features should work just as well compared to other Snapdragon X processors.
After a pretty meager success of X Elite chipsets and amidst the ARM lawsuit , Qualcomm has launched a new processor at CES 2025. The firm’s calling it just Snapdragon X (alongside Plus and Elite) and as you may have guessed, they’re aimed to be used in budget laptops. Here’s all the information you need to know.
While the X Elite and X Plus are reserved for top-of-the-line laptops, the Snapdragon X is geared more toward mainstream and budget offerings. Unlike X Elite and X Plus, X has only one SKU on offer which is the X1-26-100 .
Image Credit: Qualcomm
It features 8 Qualcomm first-gen Oryon cores that run at 3.0 GHz. The total cache is 30 MB whereas the GPU can output 1.7 TFLOPS . The NPU is the same as the top-of-the-line X Elite processor ( 45 TOPS ) which means the Copilot Plus features on these laptops should work just as well .
Considering the slightly watered-down specifications, we expect Snapdragon X1-26-100 powered chips to be included in laptops that cost $500-$600 . Although it would be better if they ended up costing less considering the X Plus and X Elite laptops recently went on sale for around $800-$1100.
Qualcomm claims there are more than 60 laptops in production with the X series chips, and that number will grow to more than 100 in 2026. Windows on ARM definitely hasn’t taken off as much as Qualcomm expected but with more budget devices being accessible to the general public, the firm could bet on increasing its user base.
Abubakar covers Tech at Beebom, with his passion for technology tracing back to 2011 when he received a Dell Inspiron 5100 as a gift. He’s also a passionate advocate for the right-to-repair movement, believing in empowering users to maintain and extend the life of their devices. Outside the tech world, he enjoys watching anime and exploring his newfound enthusiasm for Japanese cars. In his free time, you’ll often find him immersed in Genshin Impact or researching his next gadget purchase. Before joining Beebom, he contributed to leading publications like Android Police, How-To Geek, and Fossbytes.
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- Microsoft has teased a Surface Copilot+ PC launch, set for next week on May 6.
- Going by earlier rumors, Microsoft may launch smaller, 12-inch Surface laptops to replace Surface Go and Surface Laptop Go.
- Leaks suggest that the smaller Surface PCs will feature the low-end Snapdragon X chip.
Microsoft is holding a Surface event next week on May 6. The official Microsoft Surface handle on X teased a Copilot+ PC launch, saying “Something new is coming…find out next week” with an eye emoji, raising curiosity. Going by recent reports, Microsoft is likely going to release compact Surface laptops.
Earlier, we reported that a smaller Surface laptop appeared on Geekbench featuring the low-end Snapdragon X chipset. It comes with a 12-inch screen and packs the Snapdragon X (X1P-42-100) processor under the hood. The alleged device achieved 1,462 in single-core and 9,251 in multi-core, in the Geekbench CPU test.
The rumor mill suggests that Microsoft is preparing to replace Surface Go and Surface Laptop Go with two smaller Surface Copilot+ PCs, namely Surface Pro and Surface Laptop. In the latest Q3 earnings call, Microsoft didn’t report Surface revenue separately, so it’s not clear how the Surface series is doing.
Recently, Microsoft released Surface laptops with Intel Lunar Lake chips for business customers. And last year, Surface laptops with Snapdragon X processors were unveiled for consumers. Now, with the smaller Surface laptops, Microsoft appears to be targeting portable devices like the iPad Pro.
Going by the early specs, it seems the new Surface devices will be cheaper and portable, offering good performance and impressive battery life.
Passionate about Windows, ChromeOS, Android, security and privacy issues. Have a penchant to solve everyday computing problems.
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