Snapdragon X PCs will soon be significantly cheaper - what you need to know

Snapdragon X PCs will soon be significantly cheaper - what you need to know

Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X chip is making a big splash. We have tested several models, including the Surface Laptop 7, Dell XPS 13, and HP OminBook X, and have all been impressed with their performance and especially their super-long battery life.

The biggest issue, however, is price, with the cheapest laptop model selling for $999. According to Qualcomm, that will soon change.

Cristiano Amon, CEO and president of Qualcomm, said during the company's Q3 earnings call, "As we head into 2025, in addition to acquiring new designs, we will expand our X Series product roadmap to address PCs as low as $700 without compromising the performance of the NPU."

If true, that would be a $300 price drop compared to the current most affordable model. If that happens, the laptop would open the door to a whole new type of buyer and could even be the best laptop for students with low barriers to entry.

It is worth noting that Amon did not explicitly mention laptops, so it is possible that these $700 devices are small desktops with Snapdragon X chips. We strongly suspect, however, that he is referring to a lower-priced laptop. If so, the Windows model could undercut the $999 MacBook Air.

We asked Qualcomm for clarification, but the company responded but did not provide any additional information "beyond what Cristiano said."

In any case, Amon said, "We are already working with OEMs on the next wave of Copilot Plus PCs," and more models are certainly on the way.

One thing is certain: Qualcomm believes that PCs will be a big part of its business. Aemon said during the earnings call that "we expect PCs to be the next big diversification driver for Qualcomm."

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