Catenaa, Friday, January 09, 2026-Qualcomm has introduced its Snapdragon X2 Plus processors for laptops, joining the previously announced X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme chips to power new Windows PCs, the company said at CES 2026.
The X2 Plus series targets more budget-friendly machines while maintaining strong performance and energy efficiency.
Qualcomm said the chips retain the same 80 TOPS neural processing unit (NPU) as its higher-end models, supporting AI workloads on devices with fewer CPU cores.
The Plus chips come in 10-core and 6-core variants, compared with 18-core and 12-core configurations in the Elite models.
Qualcomm plans for laptops using X2 Elite and X2 Plus processors to become available by the end of the first quarter.
While specific pricing has not been confirmed, the company indicated that the Plus models will likely target mid-range devices, following the pricing tier of the previous generation: Elite around $1,000, Plus around $800, and entry-level X starting at $600.
The company emphasized that Snapdragon X2 laptops aim to compete with low-power Intel Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake processors, offering higher CPU performance and efficiency.
The new processors are designed for both everyday computing and AI tasks, signaling Qualcomm’s continued push into the PC market beyond its traditional smartphone and tablet presence.
Snapdragon X2 Plus laptops combine efficiency, mid-tier pricing, and AI capabilities, expanding Qualcomm’s presence in the Windows PC segment.
