Snapdragon X Platform for Affordable PCs Debuts at CES 2025

Qualcomm this week at CES 2025 announced its new Snapdragon X platform, a next-generation effort to bring powerful CPUs to budget personal computers. Targeting Intel and AMD’s entry-level chips, octa-core CPUs, the platform should provide advanced AI functions, longer battery life, and higher efficiency. The Snapdragon X is anticipated to fuel machines that cost less than $600 (about ₹51,400), thus making Arm-based Windows laptops relatively more affordable for a wider audience.

Snapdragon X Platform for Budget PCs with 45 TOPS NPU Performance Unveiled at CES 2025

Snapdragon X platform (X1-26-100) has eight Oryon CPU cores, with a maximum frequency of 3GHz. This is less than Snapdragon X Plus (3.4GHz) and Snapdragon X Elite (3.8GHz) in midrange and premium notebooks, but the platform still aims for cost-effective performance. Its silicon is built on a 4nm process, with support for up to 64GB of LPDDR5x RAM, providing 135GB/s memory bandwidth. The integrated Qualcomm Adreno GPU allows for up to three 4K displays at 60Hz simultaneously, so users can remain productive and enjoy an immersive experience.

Perhaps the most exciting detail about the Snapdragon X platform is its dedicated Hexagon NPU, which can supposedly achieve 45 trillion operations per second (TOPS) of AI performance. This puts it in stark competition with processors from Intel and AMD, which don’t include dedicated AI capabilities. The new platform includes support for fast wake, standby efficiency, and battery life enhancements, claiming up to double the battery life of the competition. The platform is said to offer up to 163% faster performance than the competition, according to Qualcomm.

Also featuring 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 and USB 4 Type-C, the Snapdragon X platform helps ensure users stay connected with the latest standards. OEMs — such as Dell, HP, Lenovo, Acer, and Asus — will start offering PCs that use this platform in early 2025, with pricing in the area of $600 (₹51,400), bringing premium features to the affordable at lower price points.

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