By the FlowUP team, gaming PC builder in Genappe (Belgium) · Updated 29 September 2026
In brief: Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite are Qualcomm’s ARM processors for Windows laptops, arriving in June 2024 with the first Copilot+ PCs. Their strengths: very strong battery life and a 45 TOPS NPU for Windows’ AI features. Since 2026, the second generation (Snapdragon X2 Elite, up to 18 cores and 5.0 GHz, and X2 Plus) has taken over. For gaming, it’s more nuanced: the integrated graphics remain fairly modest, and games often rely on x86 emulation. If gaming is your priority, a laptop with a real GeForce graphics card is still far more suitable.
Snapdragon X: what changes compared with Intel and AMD
For decades, Windows PCs have run on x86 processors from Intel and AMD. The Snapdragon X uses a different instruction family, ARM, the same as in smartphones and recent Macs. The advantage: very low power draw at idle and for office work, so battery life often lasts an entire working day.
The trade-off: software must be compiled for ARM, or go through Prism, the x86 emulator built into Windows 11. It works well for most applications, but a bit less for games.
Snapdragon X powers mainly slim, lightweight laptops designed for battery life.
The first generation: X Elite, X Plus and X
| Model | Cores | Frequency | Graphics power | Announcement or release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snapdragon X Elite X1E-84-100 | 12 | 3.8 GHz (4.2 GHz on 2 cores) | 4.6 TFLOPS | June 2024 |
| Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100 | 12 | 3.4 GHz (4.0 GHz on 2 cores) | 3.8 TFLOPS | June 2024 |
| Snapdragon X Plus X1P-64-100 | 10 | 3.4 GHz | 3.8 TFLOPS | June 2024 |
| Snapdragon X Plus X1P-46-100 | 8 | 3.4 GHz (4.0 GHz boost) | 2.1 TFLOPS | September 2024 |
| Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100 | 8 | 3.2 GHz (3.4 GHz boost) | 1.7 TFLOPS | September 2024 |
| Snapdragon X X1-26-100 | 8 | 3.0 GHz | 1.7 TFLOPS | January 2025 |
Sources: Tom’s Hardware (spec sheets for Snapdragon X, X Plus 8-core and Snapdragon X), consulted on 29 September 2026. All include a 45 TOPS NPU.
The 45 TOPS NPU is what earned them Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC badge, with local AI features such as Recall, live translated captions, or studio effects for the webcam.
2026: time for Snapdragon X2
Qualcomm unveiled the second generation in September 2025: the Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme, made on 3 nm, with up to 18 cores, a clock speed that reaches 5.0 GHz on the Extreme model and an NPU boosted to 80 TOPS. The first laptops arrived in stores in spring 2026. The Snapdragon X2 Plus (6 or 10 cores), announced at CES in January 2026, targets more affordable laptops.
For Notebookcheck, which tested the X2 Elite Extreme in April 2026, it’s a serious rival for Apple and a problem for AMD and Intel in terms of efficiency.
And for gaming?
That’s where marketing talk and reality split. At launch, in 2024, PCWorld compared a Surface Laptop 7 (X Elite X1E-80-100) with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H laptop, both without a dedicated graphics card:
| Game | Snapdragon X Elite | Core Ultra 7 155H (Arc) |
|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 20.7 FPS | 35.8 FPS |
| Dota 2 | 52.8 FPS | 106.6 FPS |
| Skyrim | 29.8 FPS | 59.4 FPS |
Source: PCWorld, June 2024. At the time, several games (PUBG, Apex Legends, CS2, Diablo IV) wouldn’t even launch.
Since then, things have moved on. Epic’s anti-cheat (Easy Anti-Cheat) has worked on Snapdragon since August 2025, and Fortnite has been playable since November 2025. The Prism emulator now handles AVX and AVX2 instructions, and the Snapdragon Control Panel, released in November 2025, manages games and updates graphics drivers. But not every game keeps up, especially those with proprietary anti-cheat: check whether your games are compatible before buying.
Our take: a Snapdragon X laptop is an excellent work-and-on-the-go computer that can run light games. It’s not a gaming PC. If you want to game properly, you have two options:
- A gaming laptop with a dedicated GeForce graphics card, but at the cost of shorter battery life and a higher weight.
- A desktop gaming PC, more powerful for the same budget, quieter, and easier to upgrade, alongside a lightweight laptop for travelling.
We compare the two approaches in Desktop gaming PC or laptop: which should you choose in 2026?, and the criteria for a good laptop in how to choose a laptop.
A light laptop for travel, a desktop PC for gaming: a combination that works.
Our gaming laptops with GeForce RTX
MSI Stealth AI+ 16 : RTX 5060 Laptop
RTX 5060 Laptop, Core Ultra 9, 16 GB DDR5, 16-inch OLED QHD display at 240 Hz: premium portable performance.
MSI Stealth AI+ 16: sleek, OLED and RTX 5060
Core Ultra 9, RTX 5060 and a QHD 240 Hz OLED display, in a chassis designed for portability.
MSI Vector 16 HX: RTX 5070 and Core Ultra 9 275HX
RTX 5070, Core Ultra 9 275HX and a QHD 240 Hz display: the power of a gaming PC in a portable format.
FAQ: Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite
What is Snapdragon X Plus?
It’s a Qualcomm ARM processor for Windows laptops, with 8 or 10 Oryon cores, an Adreno GPU and a 45 TOPS NPU. It sits below the Snapdragon X Elite.
What’s the difference between Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite?
The X Elite has 12 cores, higher clock speeds and, on the fastest model, a more powerful graphics unit. The X Plus has 8 or 10 cores and is used in cheaper laptops.
What is the clock speed of Snapdragon X Plus?
3.4 GHz for the 10-core X1P-64-100 model. The 8-core versions go up to 3.4 or 4.0 GHz in boost, depending on the model.
Can you game on a Snapdragon X PC?
For light games and some newer titles on low settings, yes, and compatibility has improved since 2025. For demanding and competitive games, a PC with a dedicated graphics card remains far more suitable.
What is Snapdragon X2 Elite?
The second generation, unveiled in September 2025 and available in laptops from spring 2026: 3 nm fabrication, up to 18 cores, up to 5.0 GHz and an 80 TOPS NPU.
Sources
- Tom's Hardware, everything about Snapdragon X
- Tom's Hardware, Snapdragon X Plus 8-core (September 2024)
- Tom's Hardware, Snapdragon X (CES 2025)
- Tom's Hardware, Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme (September 2025)
- Notebookcheck, Snapdragon X2 Plus (January 2026)
- Notebookcheck, analysis of Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme (April 2026)
- PCWorld, Adreno X1 vs Intel Arc in 7 games (June 2024)
- Epic Games, Easy Anti-Cheat and Fortnite on Snapdragon
- Windows Central, AVX and AVX2 in Prism (2025)
- Windows Central, Snapdragon Control Panel (November 2025)
