Qualcomm announces Snapdragon X2 Elite with up to 18 CPU cores and Adreno X2 graphics

erek · Sep 24, 2025

"Premium performance for effortless multitasking
Snapdragon X2 Elite drives powerful and efficient multitasking across resource-intensive workloads for productivity, creativity and entertainment in premium PCs. The platform boasts up to 31% faster performance at ISO power and requires up to 43% less power than the previous generation. The 80 TOPS NPU is designed to handle Copilot+ and concurrent AI experiences. Users can harness these features in thin and light designs, even without a charger.

"Snapdragon X2 Elite strengthens our leadership in the PC industry, providing legendary leaps in performance, AI processing and battery life to enable the experiences that consumers deserve," said Kedar Kondap, senior vice president and general manager, compute and gaming, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. "We continue to push the boundaries of technological innovation, introduce breakthrough products that set new industry standards and redefine what's possible for PCs."

Devices powered by Snapdragon X2 Elite are expected to be available 1H26."

View: https://youtu.be/JJbJ72UeMCg

Source: https://www.techpowerup.com/341313/...agon-x2-elite-extreme-and-snapdragon-x2-elite

sleepeeg3 · Sep 25, 2025

Will this make my battery life last longer?

Can you imagine if they just made a mobile phone processor that was optimized purely for power efficiency and coupled it with an earlier version of iOS or Android without all the bloatware that can run on a slower processor? Modern smartphones worked just fine 18 years ago when the first iPhone was released. With the already increasing battery sizes, we would probably have a cellphone that lasts a month!

LukeTbk · Sep 25, 2025

sleepeeg3 said:
Modern smartphones

This one is for the Laptop, for a refresh of Microsoft ARM surface maybe...

DukenukemX · Sep 25, 2025

Considering the shit show from the previous generation chips, I can't see how this will go well. Especially when there's no official Linux support. Qualcomm seems to pushing for these chips to be on Android because I guess Windows was that bad. Except Android is also that bad and will get worse when side loading goes the way of iOS.

LukeTbk · Sep 25, 2025

DukenukemX said:
Considering the shit show from the previous generation chips, I can't see how this will go well. Especially when there's no official Linux support. Qualcomm seems to pushing for these chips to be on Android because I guess Windows was that bad. Except Android is also that bad and will get worse when side loading goes the way of iOS.

It cannot has it would be illegal in the EU (that why iOS support side loading)

The article, the specs, Android is not mentioned once here ? And the video show a laptop with something that look a lot like Windows 11 logo on the monitor

Aurelius · Sep 25, 2025

DukenukemX said:
Considering the shit show from the previous generation chips, I can't see how this will go well. Especially when there's no official Linux support. Qualcomm seems to pushing for these chips to be on Android because I guess Windows was that bad. Except Android is also that bad and will get worse when side loading goes the way of iOS.

A lack of Linux support isn't the issue here. I appreciate the speedup, but Qualcomm mainly has to overcome Windows' ARM app selection and generally poor support. It's telling when Apple currently has much stronger performance and app compatibility.

Android and Chrome OS are merging on computers, and you know Qualcomm wants in on that. Imagine Chromebooks (or Android PCs) that are actually fast and run native apps.

DukenukemX · Sep 25, 2025

LukeTbk said:
The article, the specs, Android is not mentioned once here ? And the video show a laptop with something that look a lot like Windows 11 logo on the monitor

I saw it someplace else.

View: https://youtu.be/aGbJLYvM3U4?si=aaSvz-S8Nb-nytdD

Aurelius said:
A lack of Linux support isn't the issue here. I appreciate the speedup, but Qualcomm mainly has to overcome Windows' ARM app selection and generally poor support.

This is why Wintel is a problem for even Microsoft. You're not about to uproot decades of Wintel for WinARM.

It's telling when Apple currently has much stronger performance and app compatibility.

With a 50.2% native apps and 10% Rosetta, I wouldn't call this strong. Apple is even removing Rosetta 2. I wish someone made an AI version of Tim Cook singing My Way, because that's how Apple is dealing with app compatibility.

View: https://youtu.be/Qp6D71kQRhA?si=A8I9Pui0SMBg6jOV

Android and Chrome OS are merging on computers, and you know Qualcomm wants in on that. Imagine Chromebooks (or Android PCs) that are actually fast and run native apps.

Android is better than ChromeOS but not better than desktop Linux distros. Especially when modern Linux distros that run Wayland have access to WayDroid. WayDroid treats Android apps like native applications, much like Parallels on Mac. The problem with Android is the same problem with iPadOS, in that these OS's have no business being on a laptop. Unless Android tries to become more like a desktop OS, then there's no reason to go Android on a laptop.

LukeTbk · Sep 25, 2025

DukenukemX said:
I saw it someplace else.

Same (no talk of arm mentionned in the segment about the snapdragon X2....), which is talking about Qualcomm claim that those are the fastest and most efficient processors for Windows PC, it just happen to be the segment just after a google effort to move ChromeOS to an Android kernel.

Aurelius · Sep 25, 2025

DukenukemX said:
This is why Wintel is a problem for even Microsoft. You're not about to uproot decades of Wintel for WinARM.

Agreed. Microsoft invested so heavily in Wintel for a while that it didn't stop to think the arrangement might not work forever. Apple at least realized there would be a sharp break and had clearly spent years planning for the switch.

DukenukemX said:
With a 50.2% native apps and 10% Rosetta, I wouldn't call this strong. Apple is even removing Rosetta 2. I wish someone made an AI version of Tim Cook singing My Way, because that's how Apple is dealing with app compatibility.

It's stronger than with Qualcomm. Let's put it this way: even now, there are major apps that run well on Apple Silicon Macs but are either glitchy or missing on ARM-based Windows PCs. I've used both platforms, and compatibility issues are more acute on the Windows side.

DukenukemX said:
Android is better than ChromeOS but not better than desktop Linux distros. Especially when modern Linux distros that run Wayland have access to WayDroid. WayDroid treats Android apps like native applications, much like Parallels on Mac. The problem with Android is the same problem with iPadOS, in that these OS's have no business being on a laptop. Unless Android tries to become more like a desktop OS, then there's no reason to go Android on a laptop.

The point is to make Android more desktop-like. And in Google's case, it's not concerned about replicating conventional Linux — it's thinking more about simplicity and affordability. This is a platform that's likely headed to $250 laptops for elementary school classrooms, not just the $500 mainstream systems at Best Buy. Android gives ChromeOS some much-needed native app support and better support for touch, and those were really the two pain points.

DukenukemX · Sep 25, 2025

Aurelius said:
Agreed. Microsoft invested so heavily in Wintel for a while that it didn't stop to think the arrangement might not work forever. Apple at least realized there would be a sharp break and had clearly spent years planning for the switch.

The success of Windows is based on backwards compatibility, which is why x86 is still around. The moment Microsoft tires to break away from this is also the moment Microsoft retracts. It's not like Microsoft hasn't been trying to break away from x86 for the past three decades, in that every time they do it seems that AMD and Intel find new ways to make it irrelevant. Remember Windows CE? For a while the IBM G3's and G4's were faster than Intel and AMD. When Apple moved onto G5's which by then Intel got around to their CoreDuo chips and made PowerPC obsolete. Technically AMD made PowerPC obsolete with their Athlon 64's but whatever.

It's stronger than with Qualcomm. Let's put it this way: even now, there are major apps that run well on Apple Silicon Macs but are either glitchy or missing on ARM-based Windows PCs. I've used both platforms, and compatibility issues are more acute on the Windows side.

Apple is doing it "their way". No 32-bit x86 backwards compatibility with the release of macOS Catalina. Rosetta 2 did work well for a while but now Apple is dropping it and forcing developers to port their apps to ARM. Even if you didn't, then you risk alienating your customers with worse performance because of emulation. Apple is willing to bet you'll move onto ARM because they are dominant in the MacOS ecosystem. Where as Microsoft tried this crap with Windows RT and it failed miserably. It was so bad that Windows RT is nothing more than a foot note in history. Remember that Microsoft tried to go ARM well before Apple ever thought of it. If people had to choose between lack of app compatibility with ARM and full app compatibility with x86, then people will always migrate over to x86. You can argue about how much more efficient ARM is but the difference nowadays is marginal.

The point is to make Android more desktop-like. And in Google's case, it's not concerned about replicating conventional Linux — it's thinking more about simplicity and affordability. This is a platform that's likely headed to $250 laptops for elementary school classrooms, not just the $500 mainstream systems at Best Buy. Android gives ChromeOS some much-needed native app support and better support for touch, and those were really the two pain points.

ChromeOS was already able to run Android apps but that didn't save it. Going full Android is their way of hoping people actually want a Chromebook and not because it's required in school. It's also not a pricing problem since desktop Linux is free. Google is trying to control an ecosystem and it's going badly for them. This is why Google is dropping ChromeOS for Android and why side loading on Android is about to get more difficult. If you tried to make Android more desktop like then you'll end with with desktop Linux. I guarantee you that Android laptops won't give me the option to install Linux. It'll fail just as badly as ChromeOS did. Rather than Google embracing desktop Linux like Valve is, we see Google trying to continue to control Linux through Android.

LukeTbk · Sep 25, 2025

DukenukemX said:
ChromeOS was already able to run Android apps but that didn't save it.

There is running and running it, native direct access for intense application, good battery life management (which can be a major feature of those device), etc... can be impacted by running virtually.

DukenukemX said:
I guarantee you that Android laptops won't give me the option to install Linux. It'll fail just as badly as ChromeOS did.

That not the market they are aiming for (or something that would make much sense, considering 100% of the revenues are post sales), did ChromeOS fail badly, they sold 37 millions units or something like that in 2021, will have to see once all that oversupply become obsolete, but not so sure it will fail, specially with the vast Android app ecosystem running natively on ChromeOS in the future...

Aurelius · Sep 25, 2025

DukenukemX said:
Apple is doing it "their way". No 32-bit x86 backwards compatibility with the release of macOS Catalina. Rosetta 2 did work well for a while but now Apple is dropping it and forcing developers to port their apps to ARM. Even if you didn't, then you risk alienating your customers with worse performance because of emulation. Apple is willing to bet you'll move onto ARM because they are dominant in the MacOS ecosystem. Where as Microsoft tried this crap with Windows RT and it failed miserably. It was so bad that Windows RT is nothing more than a foot note in history. Remember that Microsoft tried to go ARM well before Apple ever thought of it. If people had to choose between lack of app compatibility with ARM and full app compatibility with x86, then people will always migrate over to x86. You can argue about how much more efficient ARM is but the difference nowadays is marginal.

Microsoft did try ARM on full-fledged PCs first, but remember that Windows RT (and, of course, the Surface RT) was mainly an answer to the iPad and the first wave of Android tablets. Now, those tablets definitely weren't ready to replace most computers at the time, but they were using ARM — Microsoft was trying to have and eat its proverbial cake by mating ARM's efficiency with a desktop OS. The problem was that it was a quintessential Steve Ballmer-era move: a knee-jerk reaction to a trend that incorrectly assumed people would rush to get a device simply because it ran Windows, no matter how undercooked.

I suspect Windows RT would have fared very differently if Microsoft had already been testing ARM on full Windows in preceding years. I don't think it was — I was at the CES 2010 keynote where Ballmer previewed HP's first Slate tablet (using an Intel Atom chip), and it was painfully obvious that Microsoft was trying to preempt Apple by showing a prototype Windows tablet. One that didn't ship for another nine months, I'd add.

DukenukemX said:
ChromeOS was already able to run Android apps but that didn't save it. Going full Android is their way of hoping people actually want a Chromebook and not because it's required in school. It's also not a pricing problem since desktop Linux is free. Google is trying to control an ecosystem and it's going badly for them. This is why Google is dropping ChromeOS for Android and why side loading on Android is about to get more difficult. If you tried to make Android more desktop like then you'll end with with desktop Linux. I guarantee you that Android laptops won't give me the option to install Linux. It'll fail just as badly as ChromeOS did. Rather than Google embracing desktop Linux like Valve is, we see Google trying to continue to control Linux through Android.

Android doesn't have to look like Linux to be more desktop-friendly. It just has to have a solid windowing interface and apps that take advantage of the extra screen space. Now, whether or not that's enough to move the needle is another story. Chromebooks are still stereotyped as cheap laptops for schoolkids; it's going to take a lot to convince someone to buy an Android laptop over even a $399 mainstream Windows portable.

DukenukemX · Sep 25, 2025

LukeTbk said:
There is running and running it, native direct access for intense application, good battery life management (which can be a major feature of those device), etc... can be impacted by running virtually.

It's going to be the same problem like Apple has with running iOS apps on MacOS. It'll run, but some apps might refuse. Even WayDroid uses LineageOS to run apps and LineageOS is on a lot of apps shit list. The move to Android is hoping that Chromebooks have better reception since Android has better reception. This is probably why Google decided to restrict side loading since the move to Android means the possibility to circumvent the Play Store.

That not the market they are aiming for (or something that would make much sense, considering 100% of the revenues are post sales),

It's an example of how similarly restricted these devices will be, just like ChromeOS. The #1 reason I avoid ChromeOS is because all you can do is browse the web with a bit of Android compatiblity. With Android laptops you can at least install apps, but most likely only approved apps.

did ChromeOS fail badly, they sold 37 millions units or something like that in 2021, will have to see once all that oversupply become obsolete, but not so sure it will fail, specially with the vast Android app ecosystem running natively on ChromeOS in the future...

We can already see the results on Statcount where ChromeOS sits at 1.35%. Desktop Linux has 4x the representation. I can tell you that I have a few Chromebooks in my possession and they're for the landfill. They're locked to a school and there's no option to replace the OS with something useful. You can't even install adblock on these things. Lets put it like this, in that Google wouldn't dump ChromeOS for Android if it's doing so well.

Aurelius said:
Microsoft did try ARM on full-fledged PCs first, but remember that Windows RT (and, of course, the Surface RT) was mainly an answer to the iPad and the first wave of Android tablets.

Microsoft had an OS that was meant to compete with Android tablets and iPads which was Windows mobile and it failed. This is why Windows 8 was created because Microsoft didn't want to miss out on the tablet future because everyone thought that the tablet would replace the desktop/laptop computers. Windows 8 failed and so did the all tablet future. Nowadays it seems manufacturers want laptops to get tablet OS's which is why ChromeOS failed. Apple even wants to make a Macbook with their A-series cell phone chips. The reality is the tablet market isn't doing so well.

Now, those tablets definitely weren't ready to replace most computers at the time, but they were using ARM — Microsoft was trying to have and eat its proverbial cake by mating ARM's efficiency with a desktop OS. The problem was that it was a quintessential Steve Ballmer-era move: a knee-jerk reaction to a trend that incorrectly assumed people would rush to get a device simply because it ran Windows, no matter how undercooked.

Microsoft rushed in because they saw what iOS and Android had going for it and thought it was the most evil thing ever, and had to get in on it. An OS where you get the software from the app store and only the app store where you pay the store (Microsoft) a cut of the sale? Gets updated when and if the manufacturer feels like it? Won't easily allow you to replace the OS for another (Linux)? That is exactly what Windows RT was, and it's this reason why it failed. It's also the same reason why ChromeOS failed.

I suspect Windows RT would have fared very differently if Microsoft had already been testing ARM on full Windows in preceding years. I don't think it was — I was at the CES 2010 keynote where Ballmer previewed HP's first Slate tablet (using an Intel Atom chip), and it was painfully obvious that Microsoft was trying to preempt Apple by showing a prototype Windows tablet. One that didn't ship for another nine months, I'd add.

Microsoft has been dicking with ARM since the PDA existed, which isn't very different from a tablet. The reason Windows ARM fails is because Microsoft has been using it to lock people into their ecosystem. Qualcomms Snapdragon X series chips were not ready for Linux and technically still aren't to this day, which shows how ready Qualcomm was for Windows, which was not very ready. It also didn't help that previous attempts at Windows ARM were basically cell phone chips in laptops. The performance of those devices were not great.

Android doesn't have to look like Linux to be more desktop-friendly. It just has to have a solid windowing interface and apps that take advantage of the extra screen space. Now, whether or not that's enough to move the needle is another story. Chromebooks are still stereotyped as cheap laptops for schoolkids; it's going to take a lot to convince someone to buy an Android laptop over even a $399 mainstream Windows portable.

The reason Linux would be a better choice is because Linux already does the things you'd want, plus can also run Android apps. Linux has the most hardware compatibility, while Android is limited. Linux can run PC games pretty well, while Android does not. You can print and scan with Linux, while it's limited on Android. The problem is that these are things Google doesn't want you to have. Google makes no money off Steam game sales. Google doesn't want you using FireFox and Brave. Google doesn't want you side loading because again it doesn't make them money. If Qualcomm is hoping to associate their X2 chips with Android laptops then be ready to be disappointed.

ChadD · Sep 25, 2025

DukenukemX said:
Considering the shit show from the previous generation chips, I can't see how this will go well. Especially when there's no official Linux support. Qualcomm seems to pushing for these chips to be on Android because I guess Windows was that bad. Except Android is also that bad and will get worse when side loading goes the way of iOS.

Ya never know. I know I have said a few times NV might decide to do something seemingly insane like release their own consumer Linux based OS.
Maybe with MS being unable to really get a handle on making windows not suck, Qualcomm is the company that does it at some point. I know they have been no friend of Linux or OSS. Ya never know though. Maybe they come to the realization that instead of trying to throw in with Google instead of/along side of MS the right move is to just cut both out. Its not like Qcomm doesn't have the cash to do their own thing.

LukeTbk · Sep 25, 2025

DukenukemX said:
It's going to be the same problem like Apple has with running iOS apps on MacOS

you are describring the current reality ? The move is to have android kernel to avoid those problem.

DukenukemX said:
The move to Android is hoping that Chromebooks have better reception since Android has better reception.

I am not sure what else it could ? to move to android is to give access to the giant android marketplace running natively and well, making dev life easier with a single target and so on, what else ? I mean of course.

DukenukemX said:
With Android laptops you can at least install apps, but most likely only approved apps.

Yes they will be a ChromeOS with app more locked (like right now) than some other Android offering, school&kids being a big market for it. They want to upscale it, for that you need a large application base and Android would help.

DukenukemX said:
They're locked to a school and there's no option to replace the OS with something useful.

I am not sure how that would be relevant at all to their success, they are maybe even sold at a lost, Chromebook is a pure exercise at putting people in front of google ecosystem software stack (something they are ready to pay an apple to do so on iOS), the success is how many people are using google how much because they give them away. How much school students end up once on the workplace more often because of it choosing google offering versus a competitor, not how many hardware (for which they make no money) is being sold.

It is something that has 3.5% of the american OS share, 1.36% worldwide is not that from Linux already, during peak school/work from home it did reach 3.4%, Google workspace (and map, search, etc...) retention rate is also a key metric to success, not if kids continue to use chromebook/OS once they get older.

DukenukemX · Sep 26, 2025

ChadD said:
Ya never know. I know I have said a few times NV might decide to do something seemingly insane like release their own consumer Linux based OS.

And that would go nowhere fast. Intel made a Linux based OS and it was amazingly fast, but nobody used it because it wasn't meant to be used.

Maybe with MS being unable to really get a handle on making windows not suck, Qualcomm is the company that does it at some point.

Windows 11 doesn't suck that badly to the point where people would leave it. Windows 8 was probably the worst Windows OS ever, with ME as #2 and Vista as #3. You'll know when Windows 11 really sucks because Microsoft would make some quick changes.

I know they have been no friend of Linux or OSS. Ya never know though. Maybe they come to the realization that instead of trying to throw in with Google instead of/along side of MS the right move is to just cut both out. Its not like Qcomm doesn't have the cash to do their own thing.

If you want people to migrate to ARM then you do a very simple trick and that's to provide a very powerful product for a very cheap price. Chromebooks are cheap but suffocating limited. There are Chromebooks with very powerful hardware but wasted because ChromeOS only wants you to work within the web browser which won't let you install adblock. Apple's Macbooks are better, but unless you never want to play games on your $1k laptop then very few people are interested. Qualcomm Snapdragon X laptops are cheaper than Apple, but not cheap enough to be worth anyone's time.

The thing is that AMD and Intel charge a lot of their products. If you want an AMD Strix Point based laptop then get ready to fork over a lot of money because they go for $1k+. You ain't getting the Ryzen AI 370 for $1k either. Intel products are a bit cheaper but a Core Ultra 9 288V is still $1k, but they can easily go straight to $2k. If you want a cheap AMD or Intel based laptop then you're getting a generation older setup. Would still be a better buy than a Snapdragon X Plus laptop for $600. It is that bad to buy a Qualcomm laptop. Doesn't seem like AMD and Intel are worried about Qualcomm and Apple with prices that insane.

Aurelius · Sep 26, 2025

DukenukemX said:
Microsoft had an OS that was meant to compete with Android tablets and iPads which was Windows mobile and it failed. This is why Windows 8 was created because Microsoft didn't want to miss out on the tablet future because everyone thought that the tablet would replace the desktop/laptop computers. Windows 8 failed and so did the all tablet future. Nowadays it seems manufacturers want laptops to get tablet OS's which is why ChromeOS failed. Apple even wants to make a Macbook with their A-series cell phone chips. The reality is the tablet market isn't doing so well.

Windows CE was Microsoft's early tablet OS (Windows Mobile/Phone was strictly for, well, phones), and it was really more of a PDA platform that was occasionally slapped on to larger screens in the years preceding the iPad. In fact, there's a well-known story that Jobs created the iPad in part because of an obnoxious Microsoft worker who insisted that these Windows CE tablets with virtually mandatory pens (as the resistive touch made fingers impractical) would rule the world. The iPad was a let's-show-them-how-it's-done moment; Microsoft didn't even try to use CE to counter the iPad because neither the platform nor the compatible chips were on par with what Apple was doing (hence that HP Slate prototype demo).

Also, the tablet market is growing right now, according to IDC. Now, the optimism that tablets would replace PCs was certainly misguided for a while, but we're finally approaching a point where they really can do the job for some people. The problem is that Microsoft shoehorned a desktop UI into a tablet well before it was really viable, and with Windows RT it dropped its platform's signature advantage (broad app compatibility) without even really trying to shore things up (this last part also true with Windows 8 at large).

As such, that rumored $599 A-series MacBook isn't so much a response to tablet sales as Apple dipping into a laptop category it hasn't touched before.

DukenukemX said:
The reason Linux would be a better choice is because Linux already does the things you'd want, plus can also run Android apps. Linux has the most hardware compatibility, while Android is limited. Linux can run PC games pretty well, while Android does not. You can print and scan with Linux, while it's limited on Android. The problem is that these are things Google doesn't want you to have. Google makes no money off Steam game sales. Google doesn't want you using FireFox and Brave. Google doesn't want you side loading because again it doesn't make them money. If Qualcomm is hoping to associate their X2 chips with Android laptops then be ready to be disappointed.

Google certainly has its economic interests (the Play Store, fostering Chrome), but I don't think it wants to deny hardware variety, gaming, or printing. And don't forget, an Android PC theoretically allows alternative browsers like Firefox where that wasn't even an option with ChromeOS. I'd say some of it is simply that Google's vision is different than yours — it's designing for kids who need ease of use, for people who are used to doing things on their phones and expect a similar experience.

I'm entirely prepared for Snapdragon X2-based Android laptops to be underwhelming. I just don't want to rule them out, and I could see lower-priced models being appealing to schools and the "I just want a laptop" crowd.

ChadD · Sep 26, 2025

DukenukemX said:
And that would go nowhere fast. Intel made a Linux based OS and it was amazingly fast, but nobody used it because it wasn't meant to be used.

Windows 11 doesn't suck that badly to the point where people would leave it. Windows 8 was probably the worst Windows OS ever, with ME as #2 and Vista as #3. You'll know when Windows 11 really sucks because Microsoft would make some quick changes.

If you want people to migrate to ARM then you do a very simple trick and that's to provide a very powerful product for a very cheap price. Chromebooks are cheap but suffocating limited. There are Chromebooks with very powerful hardware but wasted because ChromeOS only wants you to work within the web browser which won't let you install adblock. Apple's Macbooks are better, but unless you never want to play games on your $1k laptop then very few people are interested. Qualcomm Snapdragon X laptops are cheaper than Apple, but not cheap enough to be worth anyone's time.

The thing is that AMD and Intel charge a lot of their products. If you want an AMD Strix Point based laptop then get ready to fork over a lot of money because they go for $1k+. You ain't getting the Ryzen AI 370 for $1k either. Intel products are a bit cheaper but a Core Ultra 9 288V is still $1k, but they can easily go straight to $2k. If you want a cheap AMD or Intel based laptop then you're getting a generation older setup. Would still be a better buy than a Snapdragon X Plus laptop for $600. It is that bad to buy a Qualcomm laptop. Doesn't seem like AMD and Intel are worried about Qualcomm and Apple with prices that insane.

Intels clear linux was a test bed. Was never intended for use by anyone incuding servers. Nvidia on the other hand does have a Linux distro that is production ready. Its just not been packaged as a consumer product. Server side microsoft already lost years ago already. Its just consumer stuff, no one really wants the hassel. I guess its hard to blame them. There isn't much upside in trying to do your own OS. There is a reason microsoft has been trying to cram data collection, and ads into windows. Windows isn't exactly super profitable. The days of them selling massive expensive site licences to businesses are mostly long gone. OEMs are getting windows for basically free. Its a lot of expense with little return really. Still if anyone does decide to do a full on consumer windows alternative, the driving factor at this point feels like it will be ARM. For no other reason then compaines like NV and Qcom want to sell CPU hardware, and MS does seem incapable of competing with Apple in terms of their OS. There is just no way to argue windows is a better OS. Sure it can play AAA games (on the x86 version... not so much the arm version)... most people just don't care. MacOS is better then windows in every way. The experience for a consumer on a Mac device is just >.

I know you keep saying no one is interested in Apple... sorry Duke your just incorrect on that. Apple is selling shit tons of ARM laptops and desktops. Sales keep ramping up for thier Macs.
Apples second quarter of fiscal 2025, Mac sales of $7.95 billion increased 6.7% year over year and accounted for 8.3% of total sales.
Apples third quarter of fiscal 2025, Mac Revenue: $8 billion, up 15% year over year.
Apple is selling $32 billion worth of mac books every year at this point... and that is growing. (at a rate 2x faster then the PC competition) Even with the windows 10 upgrade forced W11 sales... PC OEMs are not growing sales like Apple is. I hate to admit it but... gaming just isn't as important as it used to be. PC gaming is huge sure but it has competition these days... between consoles and phones, the majority of the market just doesn't care. Heck lets be honest 95% of PCs sold from companies like HP can't game for shit either. Gaming would sway purchasing decisions for you and I... but not the majority of consumer buyers. Of course PC still has the majority of the consumer market. Still if the trend from the last 2 years of Apple sales holds for one more quarter... OSx is probably going to break 10% worldwide OS marketshare next quarter. (its at 9% right now) If not then almost for sure the quarter after that. I don't think Apple has had that sort of marketshare since Apple2 days.

Your not wrong though... Snappdraggon hasn't been cheap enough to justify. At the cost of the decent dragon products you should just pay slightly more and buy a Mac. They are just not good enough to justify. Windows isn't that important anymore. A ARM verison of windows where most of your old stuff runs like ass anyway? I mean its not shocking windows arm hasn't been selling.

Your not wrong that AMD and Intel aren't aggressively targeting the mid market. I think frankly there just isn't any money in it, and everyone has bigger fish to fry. If the AI boom wasn't happening would AMD have produced Strix Halo at all? I would say probably not. IMO Strix Halo was seen as a part they could sell on the high end at good margin as a AI test bench setup (Which they are doing... man there are 4-6k top end strix units out there); it also was a good proof of concept for bigger non consumer parts down the road. I know people get excited that some strix halo2 type hardware is going to deliever crazy gaming for mobile. I think everyone that believes that is in for harsh reality. Its just not the market AMD intended with those parts.

LukeTbk · Sep 26, 2025

Aurelius said:
I'm entirely prepared for Snapdragon X2-based Android laptops to be underwhelming. I just don't want to rule them out, and I could see lower-priced models being appealing to schools and the "I just want a laptop" crowd.

They are relatively easy to imagine and for people with an Android phone/car/TV and so on, use to it and the Apps, can see the use case.

ChadD said:
I hate to admit it but... gaming just isn't as important as it used to be.

Wonder if it greatly depends per market, say Phone taking over gaming is not the same everywhere, PC gaming in China could be a really big driver of what happen there (Japanese alternative historically being from an rival nation and even banned until 2015), which can make Apple taking of on laptop-desktop harder then elsewhere.

And for all we know, China could already be the number 1 market when it come to new PC and has been for gaming PC (hardware and game sales) for a while now.

In some ways gaming is becoming more important
) Refresh cycle, in the past getting a new computer to browse the web faster was a thing (SSD for example), every 4 years a new computer gave the most basic user a nice experience bump, now ? An Apple M1 from 2021.... you better do something extremely heavy for an upgrade. The library of popular game that can run on a playstation 4 is vast, so for most gamers there is no need, but with games at least an possible to notice bump experience is always possible to create. The number of actually old device or device that a recent but not more powerful that what was an high end desktop more than 10 years ago is really vast in the non gaming PC world.

) One of the thing that for now rested partly on the edge and not fully on the cloud

) China market, maybe the big one, as the number 1 market that has no the same level of consoles gaming tradition (and a recent history with Japan an big exporter of them), they game on PC a lot, the estimate of active Chinese PC gamers is around the entire US population.

DukenukemX · Sep 26, 2025

Aurelius said:
Now, the optimism that tablets would replace PCs was certainly misguided for a while, but we're finally approaching a point where they really can do the job for some people.

Until the OS is taken more seriously then the PC market has nothing to worry about. Anything PC like you do on a tablet is still a novelty, just like browsing the web on a PS5.

The problem is that Microsoft shoehorned a desktop UI into a tablet well before it was really viable, and with Windows RT it dropped its platform's signature advantage (broad app compatibility) without even really trying to shore things up (this last part also true with Windows 8 at large).

With Windows 8 we saw Microsoft shoehorn a tablet UI into a desktop and made every desktop user deal with it, because this was how Microsoft was going to get into the tablet market.

As such, that rumored $599 A-series MacBook isn't so much a response to tablet sales as Apple dipping into a laptop category it hasn't touched before.

If iPads could replace desktop PCs then there would be no need for the A-series Macbooks. The A-series Macbooks maybe a response to the marketing conditions. As in people are broke and Apple is trying to appeal to people who want to own an Apple Macbook but are on a limited budget. iPadOS is just that bad but then again so is Android when it comes to desktop functionality.

Google certainly has its economic interests (the Play Store, fostering Chrome), but I don't think it wants to deny hardware variety, gaming, or printing.

Then why go Android over desktop Linux?

And don't forget, an Android PC theoretically allows alternative browsers like Firefox where that wasn't even an option with ChromeOS.

Along with many other things. It's not like Firefox has made a dent in the Chrome browser market share.

I'd say some of it is simply that Google's vision is different than yours — it's designing for kids who need ease of use, for people who are used to doing things on their phones and expect a similar experience.

So then I can format these Android laptops and install Linux? Without having to find a hidden switch or do a series of reboots where I have to tell Google that I know what I'm doing and would like to install an alternative OS?

I'm entirely prepared for Snapdragon X2-based Android laptops to be underwhelming. I just don't want to rule them out, and I could see lower-priced models being appealing to schools and the "I just want a laptop" crowd.

Android based Snapdragon X2's will likely still cost nearly $1k, at least initially. If these were $300 then I'd consider.

StoleMyOwnCar · Sep 26, 2025

sleepeeg3 said:
Will this make my battery life last longer?

Can you imagine if they just made a mobile phone processor that was optimized purely for power efficiency and coupled it with an earlier version of iOS or Android without all the bloatware that can run on a slower processor? Modern smartphones worked just fine 18 years ago when the first iPhone was released. With the already increasing battery sizes, we would probably have a cellphone that lasts a month!

Even if they did, cell phone tower scanning, GPS, etc are all power hogs which have nothing to do with the OS or necessarily the processor. My iPhone 8+ doesn't even have a sim card in it anymore, but it was still running dead with the screen turned off most (actually almost all) of the time, sometimes within a day or so. I had to put it into airplane mode to get it to turn all of that off (which I don't know why it was on in the first place, but putting that aside...). Once I did, I was getting days.

The physical chips (and processing) needed to keep up with a modern cell phone network are kind of needy.

Aurelius · Sep 26, 2025

DukenukemX said:
Until the OS is taken more seriously then the PC market has nothing to worry about. Anything PC like you do on a tablet is still a novelty, just like browsing the web on a PS5.

It's more than a novelty; it's just not as in-depth as it could be. iPadOS 26 is a big step up with actual windowing, longer-running background processes, and other efforts to help multitasking. There are some curious steps back (Slide Over is gone, for instance), but it's considerably easier to use in a typical workflow.

DukenukemX said:
If iPads could replace desktop PCs then there would be no need for the A-series Macbooks. The A-series Macbooks maybe a response to the marketing conditions. As in people are broke and Apple is trying to appeal to people who want to own an Apple Macbook but are on a limited budget. iPadOS is just that bad but then again so is Android when it comes to desktop functionality.

They can replace PCs for some — not all. Yes, that rumored MacBook is partly an acknowledgment, but I think the real goal is to reach more audiences: China, India, and really anyone who previously ruled out any machine even vaguely close to the $1K mark.

DukenukemX said:
Then why go Android over desktop Linux?

A few reasons. To start, Android is already a robust, easy-to-use platform with touch-friendly input and millions of native apps; if Google simply made classic Linux easier to use, it'd have to re-do or re-integrate elements while having a less elegant way to run mobile-oriented Android apps.

Google would theoretically get a ton of Linux apps... but few of those are as easy-to-use. Google also likely isn't worried about chasing after the PC gaming crowd. And I suspect Google wants to avoid making just a simpler version of Linux — otherwise it's not doing anything that really stands out versus Apple or Microsoft.

DukenukemX said:
So then I can format these Android laptops and install Linux? Without having to find a hidden switch or do a series of reboots where I have to tell Google that I know what I'm doing and would like to install an alternative OS?

If you're the sort who knows how to and is determined to install Linux... you were never going to buy one no matter how capable and flexible Android PCs might be.

DukenukemX said:
Android based Snapdragon X2's will likely still cost nearly $1k, at least initially. If these were $300 then I'd consider.

My theory is that Snapdragon X2-powered Android laptops will only show up in force when there are mainstream chip versions, like a base X2 or an X2 Plus. The Elite and Elite Extreme (really, Qualcomm?) are aimed squarely at Windows systems.

DukenukemX · Sep 27, 2025

ChadD said:
There is a reason microsoft has been trying to cram data collection, and ads into windows. Windows isn't exactly super profitable.

Why would it be? Who else sells an OS in this day in age?

The days of them selling massive expensive site licences to businesses are mostly long gone. OEMs are getting windows for basically free. Its a lot of expense with little return really.

OS's now facilitate alternative business models. Google's Android is meant to promote more of Google's services, while SteamOS is meant to promote... Steam. Apple's OS's promote their app stores and hardware. Microsoft doesn't know how to monetize Windows properly.

Still if anyone does decide to do a full on consumer windows alternative, the driving factor at this point feels like it will be ARM. For no other reason then compaines like NV and Qcom want to sell CPU hardware, and MS does seem incapable of competing with Apple in terms of their OS. There is just no way to argue windows is a better OS.

Alternative OS's with ARM are meant to promote a locked ecosystem. You're not going to get people to easily install an alternative OS if they could just install Windows on x86 hardware, because they will.

Sure it can play AAA games (on the x86 version... not so much the arm version)... most people just don't care. MacOS is better then windows in every way. The experience for a consumer on a Mac device is just >.

Except that gaming is probably why Windows is so dominant. Gaming is why Linux is gaining market share. Also to say that MacOS is better is ignoring a lot of the shortcomings of MacOS because Apple isn't pushing ads.

View: https://youtu.be/beCMr0fWDuQ?si=o-Ibq_ejUE0fLRxV

Apples second quarter of fiscal 2025, Mac sales of $7.95 billion increased 6.7% year over year and accounted for 8.3% of total sales.
Apples third quarter of fiscal 2025, Mac Revenue: $8 billion, up 15% year over year.

Doesn't make up for lasts years massive decline that was 34% last year. Even if what you said would make up for it, then it's not showing up in statcounter.

I hate to admit it but... gaming just isn't as important as it used to be. PC gaming is huge sure but it has competition these days... between consoles and phones, the majority of the market just doesn't care. Heck lets be honest 95% of PCs sold from companies like HP can't game for shit either.

Console market already lost to the PC gaming market. Kinda funny because Doug Bowser is "retiring" at the very old age of 60. I'm sure the Switch 2 is doing just fine.

Still if the trend from the last 2 years of Apple sales holds for one more quarter... OSx is probably going to break 10% worldwide OS marketshare next quarter. (its at 9% right now) If not then almost for sure the quarter after that. I don't think Apple has had that sort of marketshare since Apple2 days.

Apple had higher representation a few years ago, so I doubt it.

A ARM verison of windows where most of your old stuff runs like ass anyway? I mean its not shocking windows arm hasn't been selling.

A lot of your old stuff wouldn't even run on modern ARM based Macs so it's not much different in that area. The problem with ARM on Windows is that you have vast amounts of software that would be difficult to get working on ARM. Linux on x86 already has a hard time with just Wine, and a lot of stuff still doesn't work. Where on Mac you understand it won't work and just move onto alternatives, if any exists. Mac users accept their limitations where a Windows user doesn't expect any. There's nothing you can't do on a Windows machine, but plenty you can't on Mac.

If the AI boom wasn't happening would AMD have produced Strix Halo at all?

I think Strix Halo was a test from AMD to see what performance would they get from a monolithic chip using a big connection to LPDDR. Strix Halo is already used in many more devices that doesn't involve AI. I doubt Strix Halo is selling well because of it's price.

I know people get excited that some strix halo2 type hardware is going to deliever crazy gaming for mobile. I think everyone that believes that is in for harsh reality. Its just not the market AMD intended with those parts.

I think AMD understands that the market can't afford the stuff AMD is producing and there won't be a Strix Halo 2. If anything we'll see AMD making more chiplet designs to help cut back with cost. Monolithic chips are harder to manufacture due to the high chance for a defect to occur on the silicon and therefore lower yields. With chiplet you can pick apart the good from the bad and as Intel would put it, glue chips together. Unlike Apple who wants to put a cell phone chip in their laptops as a cost cutting measure. Qualcomm could have an advantage if they understand they're the underdog and need to price much, MUCH, lower. We're in a recession and products that cater to a recession would be successful.

erek · Sep 30, 2025

DukenukemX said:
Why would it be? Who else sells an OS in this day in age?

OS's now facilitate alternative business models. Google's Android is meant to promote more of Google's services, while SteamOS is meant to promote... Steam. Apple's OS's promote their app stores and hardware. Microsoft doesn't know how to monetize Windows properly.

Alternative OS's with ARM are meant to promote a locked ecosystem. You're not going to get people to easily install an alternative OS if they could just install Windows on x86 hardware, because they will.

Except that gaming is probably why Windows is so dominant. Gaming is why Linux is gaining market share. Also to say that MacOS is better is ignoring a lot of the shortcomings of MacOS because Apple isn't pushing ads.

View: https://youtu.be/beCMr0fWDuQ?si=o-Ibq_ejUE0fLRxV

Doesn't make up for lasts years massive decline that was 34% last year. Even if what you said would make up for it, then it's not showing up in statcounter.

Console market already lost to the PC gaming market. Kinda funny because Doug Bowser is "retiring" at the very old age of 60. I'm sure the Switch 2 is doing just fine.

Apple had higher representation a few years ago, so I doubt it.

A lot of your old stuff wouldn't even run on modern ARM based Macs so it's not much different in that area. The problem with ARM on Windows is that you have vast amounts of software that would be difficult to get working on ARM. Linux on x86 already has a hard time with just Wine, and a lot of stuff still doesn't work. Where on Mac you understand it won't work and just move onto alternatives, if any exists. Mac users accept their limitations where a Windows user doesn't expect any. There's nothing you can't do on a Windows machine, but plenty you can't on Mac.

I think Strix Halo was a test from AMD to see what performance would they get from a monolithic chip using a big connection to LPDDR. Strix Halo is already used in many more devices that doesn't involve AI. I doubt Strix Halo is selling well because of it's price.

I think AMD understands that the market can't afford the stuff AMD is producing and there won't be a Strix Halo 2. If anything we'll see AMD making more chiplet designs to help cut back with cost. Monolithic chips are harder to manufacture due to the high chance for a defect to occur on the silicon and therefore lower yields. With chiplet you can pick apart the good from the bad and as Intel would put it, glue chips together. Unlike Apple who wants to put a cell phone chip in their laptops as a cost cutting measure. Qualcomm could have an advantage if they understand they're the underdog and need to price much, MUCH, lower. We're in a recession and products that cater to a recession would be successful.

"Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme Benchmarks Highlight Impressive CPU Performance but Underwhelming GPU
by Cpt.Jank Today, 14:13 Discuss (18 Comments)
Qualcomm recently unveiled the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme SoC as its latest foray into the world of Windows on Arm hardware. It claimed that the new processor would deliver up to 75% higher CPU performance and a 2.3 × improvement in performance per watt. Now, following the post-launch hype, independent benchmarks are starting to appear and show what Qualcomm didn't on-stage. The most recent set of benchmarks comes from ComputerBase, the German-language outlet known for its in-depth hardware testing, and it shows that Qualcomm's claims of CPU performance were surprisingly impressive. Although it also becomes clear why Qualcomm stuck to performance per watt instead of focusing too much on raw GPU performance."

LukeTbk · Sep 30, 2025

DukenukemX said:
Microsoft doesn't know how to monetize Windows properly.

They made 23 billions in direct revenues and we do not know how much by promoting, making it seem a bit by default (office365 and others services they sales), there is a vast range of possible and it does not mean that properly, but that a lot of money...

DukenukemX said:
I think Strix Halo was a test from AMD to see what performance would they get from a monolithic chip using a big connection to LPDDR. Strix Halo is already used in many more devices that doesn't involve AI. I doubt Strix Halo is selling well because of it's price.

Strix halo is a chiplet (3 die) connected together, if you zoom on the picture you can see the break and count the 3 die:
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...formerly-ryzen-ai-max-poses-for-new-die-shots
. Although the CCDs have been tweaked slightly at 67.07mm2, they still support 3D V-Cache,

https://chipsandcheese.com/p/amds-strix-halo-under-the-hood
So the first big change between a Granite [Ridge] or a 9950X3D and this Strix Halo is the die-to-die interconnect.

I did hear a lot of time the idea that strix halo was monolithic lately (maybe because the gpu die is so big people can assume it has the cpu on it ?),

Or you meant to say, strix point which was small enough for AMD to go monolithic

https://www.tweaktown.com/news/9963...s-new-ryzen-ai-300-strix-point-apu/index.html

DukenukemX · Sep 30, 2025

LukeTbk said:
They made 23 billions in direct revenues and we do not know how much by promoting, making it seem a bit by default (office365 and others services they sales), there is a vast range of possible and it does not mean that properly, but that a lot of money...

Microsoft obviously makes money but they're going about it that's slowly destroying Windows.

Strix halo is a chiplet (3 die) connected together, if you zoom on the picture you can see the break and count the 3 die:
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...formerly-ryzen-ai-max-poses-for-new-die-shots
. Although the CCDs have been tweaked slightly at 67.07mm2, they still support 3D V-Cache,

https://chipsandcheese.com/p/amds-strix-halo-under-the-hood
So the first big change between a Granite [Ridge] or a 9950X3D and this Strix Halo is the die-to-die interconnect.

View attachment 757288 View attachment 757289

I did hear a lot of time the idea that strix halo was monolithic lately (maybe because the gpu die is so big people can assume it has the cpu on it ?),

Or you meant to say, strix point which was small enough for AMD to go monolithic

https://www.tweaktown.com/news/9963...s-new-ryzen-ai-300-strix-point-apu/index.html

I thought it was monolithic chip but I'm wrong. I learned about it today after watching this video. That makes Strix Halo more impressive and we can expect a lot more from Zen6.

View: https://youtu.be/maH6KZ0YkXU?si=FJSr7wUT-WnuygRs

erek · Sep 30, 2025

DukenukemX said:
Microsoft obviously makes money but they're going about it that's slowly destroying Windows.

I thought it was monolithic chip but I'm wrong. I learned about it today after watching this video. That makes Strix Halo more impressive and we can expect a lot more from Zen6.

View: https://youtu.be/maH6KZ0YkXU?si=FJSr7wUT-WnuygRs

“Open Source Adreno 800 GPU Drivers Start Trickling Into Linux Driver Stack
by Cpt.Jank Today, 19:37 Discuss (0 Comments)
Qualcomm recently announced the Snapdragon X2 Elite and Elite Extreme, which appear to be putting up some respectable CPU and GPU benchmarks, but there hasn't been much word on Linux compatibility until now. A recent Linux driver patch sees the start of adding open source driver support for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 series GPUs in the X2 Elite SoC to the open-source Qualcomm MSM Direct Rendering Management driver. The patch submission specifically calls out changes to the driver that were necessary because of the new slice-based architecture, as well as changes that allow for higher current draw and necessary thermal mitigations.”

LukeTbk · Sep 30, 2025

DukenukemX said:
I thought it was monolithic chip but I'm wrong.

I think it could be due to how some talked about the upcoming APU being chiplet has if it was super different from strix halo (i.e. what already out...), instead of a very direct evolution, I also had that impression listening to some content about AMD.

DukenukemX said:
That makes Strix Halo more impressive

Less its pricing

, but yes they are getting closer to Apple/Nvidia way to interconnect chiplet than their previous interconnect strategy (far away from each other and costly latency/energy wise) and considering it already work they can go all in for Xbox/etc... with it, but you still get why sony would still go monolithic at under 300mm

erek · Oct 18, 2025

"Linux Display Driver Patches Posted For The Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite

3 Hours Ago - Arm - Snapdragon X2 Elite Display - Add A Comment
Since Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon X2 Elite last month, Linux patches for the X2 Elite "Glymur" platform have begun flowing. Among the recent Linux patches for the Snapdragon X2 is this past week seeing initial display support."

erek · Sep 24, 2026

erek said:
"Linux Display Driver Patches Posted For The Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite
View attachment 760659
3 Hours Ago - Arm - Snapdragon X2 Elite Display - Add A Comment
Since Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon X2 Elite last month, Linux patches for the X2 Elite "Glymur" platform have begun flowing. Among the recent Linux patches for the Snapdragon X2 is this past week seeing initial display support."

“Qualcomm Announces Snapdragon X2 Series Processors Will Support Linux

from the in-the-chips dept.
Snapdragon X2 Series processors feature a neural processing unit (NPU) delivering 80 trillion operations per second and allowing advanced AI features to run locally. And Snapdragon X2 Series "is expanding to Linux," Qualcomm announced today, calling it one of their most-requested capabilities:Qualcomm Technologies is a top contributor to Linux development at a kernel level, and now we're embracing support for Snapdragon X2 Series as a platform directly. We're upstreaming core drivers for Snapdragon X2 Series — including the Hexagon NPU and Adreno GPU — to open the door to developers and partners. We are starting with support for two operating systems based on Linux...

- Debian: We're kicking off with Debian by the end of this year, one of the most influential Linux distributions and the foundation behind many of the distros people use every day.
- Ubuntu: Qualcomm Technologies has partnered with Canonical to bring Ubuntu, the world's most widely used Linux distro, to the platform with Snapdragon X2 Series certification targeted for the first half of 2027.

...and this is just the beginning. Our partners HP, ASUS and HUMAIN are planning Linux support in the first of 2027, so that their devices deliver the incredible experience users expect with Snapdragon X2 Series in a new operating system.
Qualcomm's developer blog called it "a significant step forward" in Qualcomm's commitment to a developer-first approach, and "to the open-source community."

"For developers, the important part is simple: more core hardware features are being reviewed and merged, so that laptops with Linux on Snapdragon X2 Series will be easier to build, test, and debug..."The enablement work completed so far has been validated on a Debian 13-based ("Trixie") user space and a custom kernel, so developers should treat this as the current reference environment while support continues to mature... Linux support for laptops with Snapdragon X2 Series is rolling out in stages, starting with the core pieces developers need before they can do production-level work on their device... For developers who want to try it today, the call to action is straightforward: start with Snapdragon X2 Series hardware, review the latest recipes to build Qualcomm Linux Debian Images, build available upstream sources the Debian OS image and test the peripherals that matter to you, such as graphics, AI inference, device I/O, or basic application bring-up. Early testing helps identify the gaps that matter most before support becomes broader and ready for production-level workloads...

You do not have to wait for everything to be fully finished before getting hands-on. If you are comfortable working from upstream sources you can start evaluating Snapdragon X2 hardware today... Check out the step-by-step instructions, including the full build flow and deployment guidance for Snapdragon X2 Series Linux software.

Put simply, this effort is less about supporting specific Linux distributions and more about empowering the developers who make Linux available on new hardware. This Developer Preview targets distribution maintainers, toolchain developers, kernel contributors, and hardware enablement engineers. It provides the upstream building blocks, including kernel patches, drivers, and reference device trees, needed to enable Snapdragon X2 Series support in their own projects and distributions. For end users looking for a turnkey "install and go" experience, that will come later as distributions adopt what lands upstream. We're encouraging the community to build on this work and help shape what comes next.
The blog post notes that in the initial enablement stage, "Qualcomm Linux supports systemd-boot as the Universal extensible firmware interface (UEFI) boot manager to load and boot the Linux kernel."

Hands-on demos were given at the Snapdragon Summit in Maui of Linux running on Snapdragon X2 Series hardware, which the developer's blog calls "a practical look at what works today and where Snapdragon X2 Series Linux support is headed."“

1_rick · Sep 24, 2026

Well, it's about time but I will believe it when I see it. Last i checked, the linux on Snapdragon X (first-gen) initiative is basically dead due to lack of support from Qualcomm (or I'd be using it on my Zenbook already.)

Lakados · Sep 24, 2026

LukeTbk said:
This one is for the Laptop, for a refresh of Microsoft ARM surface maybe...

Now I can continue to ignore it for the more expensive Intel version because its drivers actually work.

How much are the ARM surface tablets disliked here you ask?

Enough that despite budgets being slashed across the board, Accounting has voluntarily decided to “find the money” to make the last of my ARM Surface Pro’s go away.

They have issues with screen sharing, audio sync, MS Word and Excel, and the power saving settings keep reverting to a set of defaults which break OneDrive and SharePoint syncing.

Oh and they hate connecting to multiple external displays.

So I’m sure this new hardware is great, beefiest CPU and GPU package they have ever delivered. But I don’t trust their software to take advantage of it.

Maybe I’m being too harsh and it’s a Microsoft problem… But the ARM powered SurfacePro’s have been an administrative nightmare for me since their first major Windows update after their launch.

1_rick · Sep 24, 2026

Lakados said:
Now I can continue to ignore it for the more expensive Intel version because its drivers actually work.

How much are the ARM surface tablets disliked here you ask?

Enough that despite budgets being slashed across the board, Accounting has voluntarily decided to “find the money” to make the last of my ARM Surface Pro’s go away.

They have issues with screen sharing, audio sync, MS Word and Excel, and the power saving settings keep reverting to a set of defaults which break OneDrive and SharePoint syncing.

Oh and they hate connecting to multiple external displays.

So I’m sure this new hardware is great, beefiest CPU and GPU package they have ever delivered. But I don’t trust their software to take advantage of it.

Maybe I’m being too harsh and it’s a Microsoft problem… But the ARM powered SurfacePro’s have been an administrative nightmare for me since their first major Windows update after their launch.

I can't tell you anything about using it in a corporate environment but I love my Zenbook; it's great in many ways.

DukenukemX · Sep 25, 2026

Lakados said:
Now I can continue to ignore it for the more expensive Intel version because its drivers actually work.

How much are the ARM surface tablets disliked here you ask?

Enough that despite budgets being slashed across the board, Accounting has voluntarily decided to “find the money” to make the last of my ARM Surface Pro’s go away.

They have issues with screen sharing, audio sync, MS Word and Excel, and the power saving settings keep reverting to a set of defaults which break OneDrive and SharePoint syncing.

Oh and they hate connecting to multiple external displays.

So I’m sure this new hardware is great, beefiest CPU and GPU package they have ever delivered. But I don’t trust their software to take advantage of it.

Maybe I’m being too harsh and it’s a Microsoft problem… But the ARM powered SurfacePro’s have been an administrative nightmare for me since their first major Windows update after their launch.

I remember posting links to videos on how these Qualcomm chips are unstable. Videos from Dawid Does Tech that I know everyone here loves. What's funny is that Apple Macbooks share a lot of the same problems but nobody cares because Apple is the greatest. Everything from external display issues to USB SSD's. I don't think people get how much effort goes into software when it comes to hardware. You can't expect Qualcomm to match the quality of AMD and Intel drivers, and Microsoft is just as responsible as there wasn't much if any quality assurance.

1_rick · Sep 25, 2026

DukenukemX said:
I remember posting links to videos on how these Qualcomm chips are unstable. Videos from Dawid Does Tech that I know everyone here loves. What's funny is that Apple Macbooks share a lot of the same problems but nobody cares because Apple is the greatest. Everything from external display issues to USB SSD's. I don't think people get how much effort goes into software when it comes to hardware. You can't expect Qualcomm to match the quality of AMD and Intel drivers, and Microsoft is just as responsible as there wasn't much if any quality assurance.
View attachment 827797
View attachment 827798

I use my Zenbook on a daily basis with a USB-C hub: mouse, keyboard, power, HDMI. No problems like this. I will say that it's only got a 60Hz refresh rate so I can't talk about any problems with not running at 120Hz.

The biggest problem I've had with it is 3rd-party applications that don't have native ARM64 versions, like some microcontroller brands whose x86 device drivers just won't work, meaning I can't flash them.

DukenukemX · Sep 25, 2026

1_rick said:
I use my Zenbook on a daily basis with a USB-C hub: mouse, keyboard, power, HDMI. No problems like this. I will say that it's only got a 60Hz refresh rate so I can't talk about any problems with not running at 120Hz.

The biggest problem I've had with it is 3rd-party applications that don't have native ARM64 versions, like some microcontroller brands whose x86 device drivers just won't work, meaning I can't flash them.

I'm sure by now Qualcomm must have fixed most of the problems. Dawid Does Tech did a video and shows the X1 drivers got improved to the point where games are playablish. For the first year of these Snapdragon X1 laptops you were a beta tester. This was evident due to the high returns on Amazon. Incompatibility is just the nature of trying to use ARM on a x86 Windows world.

View: https://youtu.be/SaenlQ3r3tU?t=378

Lakados · Sep 25, 2026

1_rick said:
I use my Zenbook on a daily basis with a USB-C hub: mouse, keyboard, power, HDMI. No problems like this. I will say that it's only got a 60Hz refresh rate so I can't talk about any problems with not running at 120Hz.

The biggest problem I've had with it is 3rd-party applications that don't have native ARM64 versions, like some microcontroller brands whose x86 device drivers just won't work, meaning I can't flash them.

Lots of things work fine but others are just too hit and miss.

The big one for me is the graphics acceleration in Office, it generates the most complaints.

When typing the characters flicker, you know when you are typing in a password on your phone and it shows you the character you typed briefly before becoming something generic like a *. Imagine that when you are typing a document but instead of displaying the character you typed it briefly shows the last character you typed before changing to the character you actually typed.

But working with images when GPU acceleration is disabled is painful.

The second biggest issue is the power settings keep reverting to a setting that disables the WiFi when it goes to sleep or any non active state. Which breaks O365 and other file syncs. Then fix is just to close and reopen OneDrive, but I always get confused tickets of why is my version of X document different than theirs.

Neither are show stoppers, but they are examples of the minor annoying things, and sadly for Microsoft, the people who have those Surface Pro’s are upper management…
They are tired of having to fight their machines meanwhile those of us who have the cheaper boring Latitudes have none of those problems.

1_rick · Sep 25, 2026

Lakados said:
Lots of things work fine but others are just too hit and miss.

Wow, that's just insane. I don't have O365, but none of those issues are things I've observed otherwise. But I use it as a light development and web browsing machine.

Lakados · Sep 26, 2026

1_rick said:
Wow, that's just insane. I don't have O365, but none of those issues are things I've observed otherwise. But I use it as a light development and web browsing machine.

Yeah it’s not a thing for 99% of people, but Microsoft sells and markets the Surface Pro specifically to O365 locations and they do so hard and it’s that customer base who gets punished the most for it.

It may just be a Microsoft issue and Asus, Acer, and others don’t have that problem but it certainly doesn’t help the case much.

Qualcomm announces Snapdragon X2 Elite with up to 18 CPU cores and Adreno X2 graphics

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“Qualcomm Announces Snapdragon X2 Series Processors Will Support Linux​

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“Qualcomm Announces Snapdragon X2 Series Processors Will Support Linux