Perhaps the most exciting part of the chip is the graphics performance: the Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme both use a new Adreno GPU architecture. Qualcomm says power efficiency has improved by 2.3X, so hopefully that means these laptops can scale up performance when it\u2019s needed, in games or creative applications.<\/p>\n
Lastly, the company claims there’s a much more powerful Neural Processing Unit (NPU) with 80 TOPS (Trillions of Operations Per Second) of on-device AI processing performance. The Snapdragon X set the initial bar with 50 TOPS, which Apple, Intel, and AMD then had to match in their next chips. We\u2019ve yet to see the explosion of on-device AI processing be relevant for the average person, but hopefully, more performance will provide an incentive for developers to build more unique AI experiences that can utilize the NPU.<\/p>\n
Qualcomm boasts \u201cmulti-day\u201d battery life on these new chips, though performance was the priority in the company’s product presentation. This is a change from the original marketing around the first-generation Snapdragon X chips, which centered battery life as its primary selling point.<\/p>\n
As always, it helps to go first. These second-generation PC chips have been announced months ahead of devices from competitors, which may not arrive until the first quarter of 2026, making it easier to compare with previous-gen chips. Intel is expected to launch its highly anticipated A18 chips (also known as Panther Lake) later this year, and Nvidia\u2019s $5 billion investment in Intel<\/a> could change everything in the world of PCs. Apple is also expected to debut an M5 chip<\/a> next month.<\/p>\n A New Smartphone Chip<\/p>\n Alongside new PC chips, Qualcomm also detailed its recently announced mobile chips, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. These were officially unveiled last week, but at the company\u2019s Snapdragon Summit conference, it shared new details on how these chips will perform.<\/p>\n Barely a week has gone by since Apple’s A19-powered iPhones<\/a> hit the market, but Qualcomm is already claiming that its Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is the \u201cfastest mobile CPU in the world,\u201d with a record clock speed of 4.6 GHz (Apple’s A19 Pro has a clock speed of 4.26 GHz). Like the PC chips, graphics and AI processing have the largest leaps in performance, with a purported 23 percent faster GPU and 37 percent faster NPU. Some slightly faster single-core performance in your next phone<\/a> might not be noticeable, but the significantly faster GPU could have a bigger impact on mobile gaming.<\/p>\n The other significant new feature on these mobile chips is the embrace of a new video codec called Advanced Professional Video, or APV. This is a \u201cnear-lossless\u201d codec created by Samsung meant to compete with Apple\u2019s ProRes format, and uses less storage than current options.<\/p>\n Qualcomm says new phones powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 will launch “in the coming days,\u201d with entries from Xiaomi, OnePlus, Samsung, Honor, and Xiaomi.<\/p>\n AI, 6G, and the Future of Android<\/p>\n Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon.<\/p>\n Photograph: Luke Larsen<\/p>\n