Using its Oryon technology, Qualcomm has succeeded in developing computer chips capable of competing with Macs using Apple Silicon chips. The benchmarks are impressive and machines using the Snapdragon X Elite or Snapdragon X Plus chips keep their promise when it comes to battery life. For example, the Asus Vivobook S 15 Snapdragon, which we had the opportunity to test, would be capable of lasting around fifteen hours of office use. In addition, these new PCs are equipped with significant computing power for AI, which allows them to benefit from exclusive Windows features: “Copilot+” features.
But, despite all their advantages, machines using these Qualcomm processors still struggle to appeal to the crowds. However, the Snapdragon X chip that Qualcomm has just presented at CES in Las Vegas could help it increase its market share. If the Snapdragon X Elite and the Snapdragon X Plus provide excellent performance, the Snapdragon Indeed, the Snapdragon
The Snapdragon However, Qualcomm has not made any concessions when it comes to AI, since the Snapdragon X also has an NPU (a component dedicated to artificial intelligence) of 45 TOPS. And naturally, it will be able to manage the “Copilot+” features of Windows 11. In addition, its architecture should allow PCs using the Snapdragon X to have greater autonomy and computing power, compared to other products in the same category. Among the brands that will launch PCs running Snapdragon X are Acer, Asus, Dell and HP. These machines should soon arrive on the market.
Qualcomm remains optimistic
Besides the fact that there will soon be affordable PCs with Qualcomm Snapdragon X chips, the company is also making significant progress on the software front. As a reminder, Windows applications designed for Intel processors are not naturally compatible with Snapdragon machines, which use another architecture. As a result, Qualcomm and Microsoft offer an emulation system, so that it is possible to use an app when it is not natively available.
But the good news is that the number of applications directly compatible with Snapdragon PCs is also increasing. According to Qualcomm, “native app development has tripled over the past year.”
The number of PCs using the Qualcomm platform is also increasing. And according to the company, by 2026, there will be more than 100 different Snapdragon models available on the market.
- After the Snapdragon X Plus and the Snapdragon X Elite, which challenge Apple chips, Qualcomm presents the Snapdragon
- This new platform is less powerful, but it is also less expensive and it will provide certain advantages (including Qualcomm’s NPU for artificial intelligence) on mid-range models.
- Qualcomm targets the $600 PC market and announces that the first models using this new chip will arrive soon
