TECH – Qualcomm has officially introduced its next-generation Snapdragon X2 Elite series, aimed at strengthening its position in the PC processor market. The announcement, made during the Snapdragon Summit in Maui, Hawaii, brought two models into the spotlight: Snapdragon X2 Elite and Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme, each offering substantial improvements in performance, efficiency, and AI capabilities.
Cited from Jagat Review, At the heart of these new chips is a third-generation Oryon CPU architecture, produced using a 3 nm process node. Jagat Review also said, that, Qualcomm claims that this allows the new X2 Elite series to achieve 43 percent greater efficiency compared to the previous generation. A notable leap is the integration of a Hexagon NPU rated at 80 TOPS, which positions these chips among the most powerful in their class for on-device AI tasks.
The X2 Elite Extreme (X2W-96-100) represents the flagship model. It features an 18-core CPU configuration, comprised of 12 “prime” cores clocked at up to 4.4 GHz and 6 performance cores at 3.6 GHz, with dual-core boost reaching 5.0 GHz. The chip also includes 53 MB of cache for high throughput workloads. On the graphics side, it carries an Adreno X2-90 GPU operating up to 1.85 GHz, with support for ray tracing and upgrades in performance per watt. Its memory subsystem supports LPDDR5x with bandwidth up to 228 GB/s.
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Meanwhile, the standard X2 Elite line is offered in two SKUs: X2E-88-100 (18 cores) and X2E-80-100 (12 cores). The 18-core variant shares the same core layout as the Extreme model but runs at lower clock speeds (e.g. prime cores up to 4.0 GHz). The 12-core SKU divides into 6 prime and 6 performance cores, with reduced cache (34 MB) and a slightly scaled GPU (Adreno X2-85) compared to its higher sibling.
On the GPU front, the X2 Elite series achieves a 2.3× improvement in performance per watt compared to previous-generation Adreno architecture. Support is extended to modern graphics APIs like DirectX 12.2 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and OpenCL 3.0. Qualcomm markets the new chips as capable of “multi-day” battery life, although real-world performance will depend on device integration and workload.
Connectivity is robust: the chips support 5G, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 5.4. Qualcomm expects the first wave of laptops using X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme to arrive in the first half of 2026, with major OEMs like ASUS, Lenovo, HP, Acer, and Samsung likely among early adopters.
Analysts see the X2 Elite series as Qualcomm’s continued push into the Windows-on-ARM space—a strategic effort to challenge Intel, AMD, and Apple’s dominance in the PC sector. With AI on-device becoming an increasingly central differentiator, Qualcomm’s emphasis on NPU performance and energy efficiency may help sway OEMs and developers alike.
As these chips become available, performance benchmarks and real-world usage will be closely watched. The Snapdragon X2 Elite series could redefine expectations for union between AI, battery life, and sustained compute in future PCs.
