Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Revolutionizes the $600 Laptop Segment

At the famed Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025 in Las Vegas, Qualcomm introduced the latest addition to its line-up: the Snapdragon X chip. Aimed at students, freelancers, and those budget-conscious shoppers, this new processor fits comfortably into laptops priced around $600.

The Snapdragon X, officially known as the X1-26-100, is a powerhouse, albeit slightly dialed down compared to the Snapdragon X Plus. It still carries an 8-core setup, hitting 3.0 GHz without any boost capability and reaching 1.7 TFLOPS for graphics processing. Meanwhile, the X Plus chips, with clocks ranging from 3.2 to 3.4 GHz and the ability to boost up to 4.0 GHz, offer varied performance with graphical capabilities stretching from 1.7 to 3.8 TFLOPS.

Qualcomm champions the Snapdragon X by including a robust 45 TOPS neural processing unit (NPU) in its design, making it a comprehensive Copilot+ PC and AI PC. This alignment with AI functionalities is aimed to enhance the use of Windows on Arm PCs.

Reflecting on Qualcomm’s initial presentation of its Snapdragon X Elite chips, it’s clear they’ve chosen a flexible design that allows scaling up or down in core numbers and clock speeds. For CES, they’ve opted to focus on clock speed, and it’s a savvy strategic choice. Historically, laptops under $800 have struggled with poor performance due to Intel and AMD’s lack of compelling options at these price points.

Engineered with a balanced setup of 8-cores running at 3.0 GHz, the Snapdragon X processor doesn’t skimp on connectivity and speed. It offers optional 5G support, Wi-Fi 7, incredibly fast 8448 MT/s LPDDR5x RAM, a nifty “Sensing Hub” for detecting human presence, USB4 (up to 40Gbps), and Bluetooth 5.4—all traits typically associated with pricier laptops.

Diving into the Snapdragon X’s performance relative to its series mates, the X Plus line features variations with 8 to 10 cores, some supporting boost capabilities for short spurts. Meanwhile, the Snapdragon X hangs in there with 8 cores, a moderate clock speed, and a GPU mirroring the lower-tier X Plus (XIP-42-100).

Having briefly handled this chip, the experience was telling; Windows 11 felt agile and responsive, noticeably superior to older budget Intel chips.

In terms of stats, Qualcomm’s breakdown showcases the Qualcomm Snapdragon Compute Platform with comparisons across various configurations and chip models. They also made intriguing comparisons with Intel, pitting their Snapdragon X against Intel’s upcoming Core 5 120U (10 cores, peaking at 5GHz). In a nutshell, Snapdragon X outshone its Intel counterpart, offering twice the power using half the energy.

Qualcomm’s bold claims suggest their chip is 163% quicker in single-core tasks on Geekbench 6.2, while also being 157% faster in multi-core tasks—all at the same power level. Additionally, Qualcomm states that the Intel Core requires significantly more power to achieve similar performance levels compared to the Snapdragon X.

Moreover, the Snapdragon X’s graphical prowess purportedly exceeds the Intel Graphics GPU by 319% at the same power draw, and the Snapdragon X GPU needs much less energy—around 258% less—to maintain the same performance.

The Snapdragon X series lacks nothing in innovation either. While the budget Intel and AMD processors don’t support NPU, Snapdragon X steps in with its robust AI-friendly architecture.

Snapdragon X holds the potential to seriously shake up the market, particularly given that the majority of laptops sold in recent years have played within the $600-$800 bracket, a trend expected to hold strong toward 2030. With the enhanced capability of Snapdragon X, laptops in this range can perform admirably more without pushing consumers to spend excessively.

Furthermore, the device serves as a launchpad, helping integrate AI into regular PC usage beyond the high-end market. The platform makes AI accessible to everyday users, ensuring the benefits aren’t limited to the premium audience.

In terms of brand partnerships, players like Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo are on board, and it’s only a matter of time before they announce new laptops featuring the Snapdragon X series. By welcoming Snapdragon X into their line-ups, these companies potentially change the norm for laptops in the market.

Ideal for students, freelancers, and anyone watching their spending, Snapdragon X laptops are hitting the shelves in early 2025. Remarkably, they will support up to three UHD external displays, paving the way for expanded, multitasking workstations for users.

Microsoft, too, could find the Snapdragon X a compelling option to power its Surface Go range. With the previous models’ lackluster performance, the Snapdragon X chip could offer a real turnaround in speed and efficiency.

When it comes to managing heat and noise, Snapdragon X laptops offer flexibility. OEMs can choose to incorporate a fan, use passive cooling, or even design fanless models, depending on performance aspirations.

Expect to hear more exciting developments about Snapdragon X this week at CES 2025, as we delve deeper with Qualcomm and get an up-close look at the new laptops featuring this innovative silicon.