Qualcomm to Launch $600 Snapdragon X Chipset for Budget Laptops

In a bid to take on Apple, Qualcomm is doubling down with more Snapdragon X chipsets for lower-cost devices that should fit somewhere within the growing ARM-based notebook market. Consumer Windows notebooks using Snapdragon SoCs could go on sale for under $700, as CEO Christiano Amon said in the past. But the company has an even lower-cost option in mind—one that is aimed at the $600 entry-level price point.

Qualcomm Aims to Take on Apple with New Snapdragon X Chipset for $600 ARM Laptops

Qualcomm has party-announced chipsets with diverse reputable core matters like 12-core, ten-core, and eight-core CPUs. In cheaper laptops, you often see the lower-core models. Qualcomm will also launch a new Snapdragon X SoC for these low-cost notebooks, presumably including a 6-core CPU. Qualcomm has yet to disclose complete specs, but this chip could share a comparable NPU with its more powerful counterparts to provide competitive functionality at a lower price.

This is a clear shot against Apple, which has dominated the entry-level ARM laptop space thanks to its M1 and M2 chips for some time now. For context, the cheapest MacBook featuring Apple Silicon, the M2 MacBook Air, currently starts at $799 after discounts. Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X SoC has many hurdles ahead of it, from getting developers to port native applications over the Snapdragon platform. In fact, Apple has already made some important movements here, making a real difference for its laptops.

The new Snapdragon X SoC might still outperform the Apple M1 chip when it comes to performance due to its lower multi-core score, which shouldn’t be surprising given that chips above the higher end are expected. So that’s why low-price buyers may find it useful. This new chip will likely be paired with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage in devices, but these lower specs could pose issues for running a full Windows experience, especially if that RAM is soldered to the board.

Qualcomm is also developing its third-generation Oryon cores, expected to arrive in 2025 with the Project Glymur codename. These chips are expected to feature as many as 18 cores and could include hardware-accelerated ray tracing, offering further competition to Apple’s offerings in the future.

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