Qualcomm used CES 2026 to quietly widen the scope of its Snapdragon X roadmap by introducing the Snapdragon X2 Plus, a lower-cost tier designed for more accessible Windows laptops. While the company has yet to ship the higher-end Snapdragon X2 Elite processors announced at its Snapdragon Summit in September 2025, the X2 Plus parts are scheduled to appear in shipping systems by the end of March 2026. In practical terms, that makes them the first members of the X2 family that most buyers are likely to encounter.
The positioning of the Snapdragon X2 Plus reflects current realities in the PC market. Laptop prices have continued to climb, driven by component shortages and higher baseline specifications. For many users, stepping down slightly on CPU performance remains one of the few ways manufacturers can control costs without abandoning premium features altogether. Qualcomm appears to be leaning into that logic, offering much of the X2 Elite platform at reduced core counts and clock speeds that are better suited to everyday productivity and AI-assisted workflows.
Like the Elite models, the Snapdragon X2 Plus chips are built on a 3nm manufacturing process, an upgrade from the 4nm node used in the earlier Snapdragon X generation. This puts Qualcomm on similar footing with competitors such as Apple, which has used 3nm since its M3 series, and ahead of some current x86 laptop chips. Smaller process nodes generally allow denser designs and higher efficiency, though they also introduce thermal challenges that need to be managed carefully in thin-and-light systems.
Qualcomm is offering two X2 Plus configurations: a six-core model aimed at entry-level designs and a ten-core variant intended for more balanced systems. Both retain a 128-bit memory bus and updated integrated graphics, though at lower clock speeds than the Elite parts. Cache sizes are also trimmed, reinforcing the idea that these chips are meant to sit below flagship laptops rather than compete with them directly.
One area where Qualcomm is not dialing things back is AI acceleration. The Snapdragon X2 Plus includes the same 80 TOPS neural processing unit found in the Elite lineup, a substantial jump from the previous generation’s 45 TOPS. Support for newer data formats such as FP8 aligns the chip with emerging on-device AI workloads in Windows. Qualcomm continues to highlight its NPU performance advantage, although comparisons remain complicated, as rivals like Intel and AMD report platform-level AI performance rather than isolating the NPU.
Within the broader context of CES 2026, the Snapdragon X2 Plus announcement was not a headline-grabbing moment. Qualcomm devoted more attention to robotics and embedded platforms, areas it sees as long-term growth opportunities. That relative understatement may also reflect the nature of the product itself. Affordable laptops rarely generate the same excitement as flagship devices, even though they tend to reach a much larger audience.
If the Snapdragon X2 Plus delivers on its efficiency and AI claims in real-world systems, it could play a meaningful role in bringing ARM-based Windows laptops to more mainstream price points. Whether that translates into wider adoption will depend less on benchmarks and more on how well these chips integrate into balanced, reasonably priced machines throughout 2026.
