Qualcomm’s recent announcements weren’t just about a new flagship mobile processor. The chipmaker also lifted the lid on its next-generation platform for PCs, unveiling two new high-end chips: the Snapdragon X2 Elite and the X2 Elite Extreme.
These two processors are set to be the top-tier offerings in Qualcomm’s second generation of Arm-based chips for laptops and other portable computers. The new ‘Extreme’ tier sits above the standard Elite, which was previously the highest designation in the original X-series line-up.
So, what’s under the bonnet? The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme, is configured with up to 18 cores. The chip is also capable of hitting a 5 GHz clock speed, though this turbo boost will only be available on up to two of its cores. All these new Elite chips will be built on a 3nm process node. The architecture uses a blend of high-performance ‘Oryon Prime’ cores and what are termed standard ‘Performance’ CPU cores.
The performance claims are, as you’d expect, rather bold. Qualcomm states that at a standardised power level, the X2 Elite offers up to 75% more performance than its competitors. When it comes to multitasking, they claim a 31% performance uplift at the same power, or the same performance for 43% less power compared to their previous generation.
The main difference with the Elite Extreme model comes down to higher clock speeds across the board for both single-/dual-core boost and multi-core maximums. To break down the models: the Extreme is the X2E-96-100, while the two standard Elite variants are the X2E-88-100 and the X2E-80-100. Both the Extreme and the 88-100 model pack 18 cores, with the entry-level Elite of the trio featuring 12 cores.
There’s a new Adreno GPU which is said to deliver a 2.3x improvement in performance per watt and power efficiency. The Neural Processing Unit (NPU) also gets a massive boost, now rated at 80 TOPS, which Qualcomm believes makes it the fastest in a laptop. That’s a 78% increase over the previous 45 TOPS NPU.
On the connectivity front, the X2 Elite chip integrates the x75 5G modem-RF system for peak downloads up to 10 Gbps, alongside the FastConnect 7800 suite for Wi-Fi 7/6/6E and Bluetooth 5.4.
As for when we’ll see these chips in actual devices, Qualcomm says we should expect laptops featuring the Snapdragon X2 Elite to start shipping in the first half of 2026.