Qualcomm announces Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and X2 Elite for next-gen Windows PCs
Qualcomm has introduced two new processors for Windows PCs at its Snapdragon Summit 2025 in Maui: the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and the Snapdragon X2 Elite. These chips succeed the first-generation Snapdragon X Elite series launched last year and target premium thin-and-light devices with higher performance, extended battery life, and faster AI acceleration.
There’s no mention of the more affordable X2 Plus chips yet, so Qualcomm is again making the same mistake by introducing the flagship most expensive SKUs first.
Source: Qualcomm
The new lineup is built on a 3nm process and features the third-generation Qualcomm Oryon CPU. The flagship X2 Elite Extreme (X2E-96-100) scales up to 18 cores, including 12 Oryon Prime and 6 Performance cores, with boost frequencies reaching 5.0 GHz on up to two cores. Multi-core operation runs at up to 3.6 GHz. Qualcomm claims up to 75% faster CPU performance compared to competing x86 designs at the same power level.
Source: Qualcomm
Graphics are handled by the new Adreno X2-90 GPU, which delivers a 2.3x increase in performance per watt over the first-gen X Elite. For AI tasks, both Extreme and standard Elite models integrate the latest Hexagon NPU, rated at 80 TOPS INT8, which Qualcomm says is the fastest available for laptops. This NPU is optimized for running Copilot+ and concurrent AI workloads locally.
The X2 Elite family consists of three SKUs:
- X2 Elite Extreme (X2E-96-100): 18 cores, 5.0 GHz boost, 53 MB cache, 192-bit memory bus with 228 GB/s bandwidth.
- X2 Elite (X2E-88-100): 18 cores, 4.7 GHz boost, 53 MB cache, 128-bit bus with 152 GB/s bandwidth.
- X2 Elite (X2E-80-100): 12 cores, 4.7 GHz single-core / 4.4 GHz dual-core boost, 34 MB cache, 128-bit bus with 152 GB/s bandwidth.
Source: Qualcomm
All models support LPDDR5X-9523 memory up to 128 GB capacity, the Snapdragon X75 5G modem with peak 10 Gbps downloads, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 5.4. Qualcomm Guardian technology is also included for enterprise-grade device management and security.
Devices powered by Snapdragon X2 Elite processors are expected in the first half of 2026, with designs spanning laptops and compact desktop PCs. Qualcomm’s announcement comes ahead of new launches from Apple, AMD, and Intel. While AMD Zen6 APUs are not to be expected anytime soon, Intel should announce and launch its Panther Lake chips this year.
Source: Qualcomm PR