In early September, Qualcomm launched a device starting at $799, equipped with an 8-core processor. Copilot+ PCOriginally thought this was already the entry-level model, but unexpectedly at the earlier Investor Day, Qualcomm’s CEO announced plans to launch a new AI PC starting at just $600, less than NT$20,000, meaning this appears to be the true entry-level Qualcomm AI PC.
Image source:XDA
Qualcomm will launch more affordable AI PCs to capture the entry-level market.
According to a report from XDA, at the Investor Day event, Qualcomm teased a new Snapdragon X chip with a starting price of $600, so it’s not the Elite designed for high-end users, but a lower-tier version than the previous 8-core Snapdragon X Plus chip.
Although it wasn’t disclosed how many cores this chip has, given that it’s only about $200 apart from the $799 price point, 6 cores seems quite likely. If that’s indeed the case, Qualcomm’s AI PC lineup would then offer 12-core, 10-core, 8-core, and 6-core options.
Image source:XDA
Qualcomm hasn’t said much about this new Snapdragon X chip, but one thing is certain: its NPU will be the same as other Snapdragon X products, meaning it will still get the full Copilot+ experience.
As for when it will be released? Not known yet, but next year’s CES is a good bet. Foreign media speculate that it might show up around then.
Image source:XDA
So for those who think the current Qualcomm AI PCs are still a bit pricey, you might want to wait a little longer and see if Qualcomm brings a $600 AI PC at CES 2025 early next year.
But one thing to note is that, previously AI PC with 8-core Snapdragon X Plus chip versionWccftech’s performance tests show that both CPU and GPU performance lag significantly behind the 10-core version.
For example, in the Cinebench 2024 test, compared to the 10-core version, the 8-core version’s single-core performance drops by 5%, and multi-core drops by 20%. The GPU is even worse, far below the X Elite and the 10-core version, with a gap of 40% to 50%.
Image source:Wccftech
So, the 6-core will likely see the same situation as well, unless you really value the NPU and are buying this laptop for AI—only then consider the entry model. Otherwise, getting the 10-core or X Elite would be more worthwhile (though a bit more expensive).
As for the next-generation Snapdragon X Elite chip, XDA believes it won’t be seen until the Snapdragon Summit later next year.
Data source:XDA
All current Qualcomm Snapdragon X series models and specifications.
| Model | Core count | Maximum clock speed | Core Acceleration | Adreno GPU | Hexagon NPU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| X Elite X1E-00-1DE | 12 cores | 3.8 GHz | 4.3 GHz (2c) | 4.6 TFLOPS | 45 TOPS |
| X Elite X1E-84-100 | 12-core | 3.8 GHz | 4.2 GHz (2c) | 4.6 TFLOPS | 45 TOPS |
| X Elite X1E-80-100 | 12 core | 3.4 GHz | 4.0 GHz (2c) | 3.8 TFLOPS | 45 TOPS |
| X Elite X1E-78-100 | 12 cores | 3.4 GHz | Nothing | 3.8 TFLOPS | 45 TOPS |
| X Plus X1P-66-100 | 10 cores | 4.0 GHz | 4.0 GHz (1c) | 3.8 TFLOPS | 45 TOPS |
| X Plus X1P-64-100 | 10 cores | 3.4 GHz | Nothing | 3.8 TFLOPS | 45 TOPS |
| X Plus X1P-46-100 | 8 cores | 3.4 GHz | 4.0 GHz (1c) | 2.1 TFLOPS | 45 TOPS |
| X Plus X1P-42-100 | 8 cores | 3.2 GHz | 3.4 GHz (1c) | 1.7 TFLOPS | 45 TOPS |
| X Plus X1P-?? | 6 cores | TBD | TBD | To be determined. | 45 TOPS |
Source: KOCPC Chinese