At the recent Snapdragon Summit, Qualcomm unveiled a new generation of ARM processors for laptops and PCs. The Snapdragon X2 series currently includes two chips: the Snapdragon X2 Elite and the flagship Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme. Their performance is expected to be sufficient to compete with current Apple solutions.
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Qualcomm confirmed that Snapdragon X2 processors will hit the market in early 2026, meaning consumers will have to wait a few months before they can experience the capabilities of devices powered by these processors. The new products are manufactured using a 3nm process, which should deliver improved energy efficiency compared to the previous generation.
Snapdragon X2 Elite Configuration
The Snapdragon X2 Elite will be available in 12- or 18-core configurations, including six performance cores and up to 12 main cores with clock speeds of up to 4.7 GHz. Internally, the X2 Elite boasts up to 31% higher performance at the same power consumption level and consumes 43% less power than its predecessor.
Adreno GPU
The next-generation Adreno GPU delivers 2.3 times higher performance per watt. However, the company has not yet disclosed the total computing power in teraflops.
NPU
The neural processing unit (NPU) has also been significantly upgraded. Its performance has increased to 80 TOPS (trillion operations per second), up from 45 TOPS in the first generation. This is expected to enable more complex and intensive AI calculations directly on the device.
The X2 Elite Extreme shares many of the standard model's GPU and NPU specs, but its CPU offers up to 75% more performance than its competitors with comparable power consumption. This chip's clock speed can reach 5.0 GHz in Boost mode, which, according to Qualcomm, is a record for ARM processors. It also boasts higher memory bandwidth - 228 GB/s.
Specification Details
The following specifications detail the technical characteristics of three variants of the Snapdragon X2 Elite processor family: the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme, the Snapdragon X2 Elite (88), and the Snapdragon X2 Elite (80).
Model Codes: The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme is designated as X2E-96-100; the Snapdragon X2 Elite (88) as X2E-88-100; and the Snapdragon X2 Elite (80) as X2E-80-100.
Core Configuration: The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and the Snapdragon X2 Elite (88) each feature a total of 18 cores, comprising 12 main cores and 6 performance cores. In contrast, the Snapdragon X2 Elite (80) incorporates 12 cores in total, consisting of 6 main cores and 6 performance cores.
Clock Frequencies: The main cores of the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme operate at a base frequency of 4.4 GHz, while those of the Snapdragon X2 Elite (88) and (80) operate at 4.0 GHz. The performance cores run at 3.6 GHz for the Extreme variant and at 3.4 GHz for both the (88) and (80) variants.
Turbo Boost Capabilities: The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme supports turbo frequencies of up to 5.0 GHz for both single-core and dual-core workloads. The Snapdragon X2 Elite (88) achieves up to 4.7 GHz under similar conditions. The Snapdragon X2 Elite (80) attains 4.7 GHz for single-core and 4.4 GHz for dual-core turbo operation.
Cache: Both the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and the (88) variant include 53 MB of cache, whereas the (80) variant is equipped with 34 MB.
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU): The GPU codename for the Extreme and (88) models is X2-90, while the (80) model uses the X2-85 GPU. The GPU clock speed is 1.85 GHz for the Extreme variant and 1.70 GHz for both the (88) and (80) variants.
API Support: All three variants support DirectX 12.2 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and OpenCL 3.0.
Neural Processing Unit (NPU): Each variant delivers an NPU performance of 80 TOPS.
Memory Subsystem: All models utilize LPDDR5x memory with an effective data transfer rate of 9523 MT/s. The maximum supported RAM is 128 GB or more for the Extreme variant, and 128 GB for the (88) and (80) variants. The memory bus width is 192 bits for the Extreme variant and 128 bits for the other two. Consequently, the memory bandwidth is 228 GB/s for the Extreme and 152 GB/s for both the (88) and (80) models.
Application use and availability
Snapdragon X2 processors will power a wide range of Windows devices, from 2-in-1s like the Surface Pro and slim laptops to powerful workstations and mini PCs. With the release of the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme, even desktop PCs powered by Snapdragon processors are possible.
The first devices based on the Snapdragon X2 Elite will likely be unveiled at CES 2026 in January 2026. Microsoft also plans to release updated Surface Pro 12 and Surface Laptop 8 based on the new processors next year.
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