Snapdragon X PCs for just $700 in 2025, some already $300 cheaper
Qualcomm is set to launch PCs much cheaper than the current offer.
Perhaps the biggest concern for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X launch was the pricing of the newly announced laptops. With the initial wave, the company decided to focus on the premium market, with prices easily reaching $999 and higher. This is about to change, as Qualcomm is now aiming to launch cheaper variants in 2025, it is claimed.
“As we look forward to 2025, in addition to new design wins, our X series product roadmap will expand to address PCs with retail prices as low as $700 without compromising NPU performance,”
— Qualcomm CEO and president Cristiano Amon during Q3 2024 earnings call
Qualcomm’s CEO, Cristiano Amon, revealed the company’s plans to release $700 laptops featuring similar NPU performance, set to become available in 2025. This would be the latest update to Snapdragon’s X launch in the PC market.
Snapdragon X PCs
- Laptops $1000+: June 2024 Launched
- Snapdragon Dev Kit (first Mini-PC) $899: August 2024 Expected
- PCs at $700+: 2025 Expected
- Desktops: ❔
The company already offers two main SKUs within the X-Series: the Elite with 12 cores and the Plus with 10 cores. It is unclear whether the proposed 2025 PCs will rely on these SoCs or introduce newer models with even fewer cores.
Announced Snapdragon X Series PCs, Source: Qualcomm
It’s important to note that “PC” can refer to various types of personal computers, including laptops, mini-PCs, and desktops. So far, there has been no mention of a desktop equipped with the latest Qualcomm processor. The SoC supports 8+4 PCIe 4.0 lanes and 2+2 PCIe 3.0 lanes, which is technically enough to connect a discrete graphics card.
OmniBook 14 price, Source: Best Buy
Some PC vendors are not waiting for Qualcomm to launch new systems and have already implemented price cuts for existing models. The OmniBook X is the first Copilot+PC with Qualcomm hardware to retail below $900, which is $300 cheaper than its launch price. The launch of Ryzen AI 300 “Strix Point” seems to have forced Qualcomm to reconsider their margins. However, as of now, Ryzen AI 300 laptops are not officially certified as Copilot+PCs.
Source: The Verge