Snapdragon X Windows Copilot+ PCs get official, starting at $1,099 — Acer, Dell, HP, and Lenovo are all onboard, with some models promising “multi-day battery life”

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Qualcomm fires an AI-infused salvo at AMD, Intel, and Apple with the help of Microsoft and its OEM partners

Qualcomm Snapdragon X Series
(Image credit: Qualcomm)

At today's Windows and devices event, partner OEMs opened the floodgates for new thin and light laptops using Qualcomm's Snapdragon X family of Arm processors. While Qualcomm has released Arm chips in the past, running Windows on Arm, this is the first time it has hardware that is truly powerful enough to take on current-generation mobile chips from Intel, AMD, and even Apple.

Not only does the new Snapdragon X family seem to offer compelling performance and efficiency coupled with long runtimes, but it also features a powerful Hexagon Neural Processing Unit (NPU) that is the focal point of the Windows 11 AI revolution and is capable of 45 TOPS compute. The NPU can efficiently process tasks such as image editing, text-to-image generation, and text creation on-device without the need for the cloud.

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Brandon Hill
Brandon Hill
Senior Editor

Brandon Hill is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware. He has written about PC and Mac tech since the late 1990s with bylines at AnandTech, DailyTech, and Hot Hardware. When he is not consuming copious amounts of tech news, he can be found enjoying the NC mountains or the beach with his wife and two sons.

11 Comments Comment from the forums
  • suryasans
    I doubt the success of Qualcomm based Windows laptops because these laptops are priced more than $ 1000 but none of them are equipped with a discrete GPU. It's only possible in Apple ecosystem with its hardcore fanbase where the buyers will be fine if their overpriced Apple branded laptops aren't equipped with a discrete GPU.
    Reply
  • ikjadoon
    suryasans said:
    I doubt the success of Qualcomm based Windows laptops because these laptops are priced more than $ 1000 but none of them are equipped with a discrete GPU. It's only possible in Apple ecosystem with its hardcore fanbase where the buyers will be fine if their overpriced Apple branded laptops aren't equipped with a discrete GPU.

    They actually start at $999, so unsure where the headline got $1099

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/configure/surface-laptop-7th-edition/8tq2hq5xxkj9X Plus, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD - $999

    //

    Plenty of Intel / AMD laptops are $1000+ without a dGPU, though. That isn't a Qualcomm-specific problem.

    https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/products/laptops/ci/18818/N/4110474292?sort=PRICE_LOW_TO_HIGH&filters=fct_graphics-card-memory_2150%3Ashared%2Cfct_operating-system_970%3Awindows-11-home%7Cwindows-11-pro%2Cfct_price%3A999..
    See the Dell XPS 13, Spectre x360 14, Lenovo ThinkBook, FlexBook, ThinkPad X1s, Acer Swifts, LG Gram, etc. The MSRPs for many models, especially with 16GB DRAM, start over $1000 without a dGPU.

    Most thin and lights simply don't use a dGPU; it's too wasteful and reduces efficiency in mainstream consumer laptops.
    Reply
  • ButchLugrod
    suryasans said:
    I doubt the success of Qualcomm based Windows laptops because these laptops are priced more than $ 1000 but none of them are equipped with a discrete GPU. It's only possible in Apple ecosystem with its hardcore fanbase where the buyers will be fine if their overpriced Apple branded laptops aren't equipped with a discrete GPU.
    Windows PCs encompass a big market, and I think a significant portion of that market would happily sacrifice the dGPU in order to have massive gains in battery life and weight savings. I work in a large enterprise (17,000+ employees) and outside of the creative teams, every single person would, without hesitation, trade in their old Dell for a new laptop that is lighter, faster, and has better battery life and thermals.

    If these are as good (or nearly) as they are saying, these new machines are going to be huge sellers. Probably not big with the gamer crowd (not yet anyway) but that's a comparatively smaller segment of the market.
    Reply
  • The Hardcard
    ButchLugrod said:
    Windows PCs encompass a big market, and I think a significant portion of that market would happily sacrifice the dGPU in order to have massive gains in battery life and weight savings. I work in a large enterprise (17,000+ employees) and outside of the creative teams, every single person would, without hesitation, trade in their old Dell for a new laptop that is lighter, faster, and has better battery life and thermals.

    If these are as good (or nearly) as they are saying, these new machines are going to be huge sellers. Probably not big with the gamer crowd (not yet anyway) but that's a comparatively smaller segment of the market.
    While Qualcomm will probably have the lead, I don’t think it’s a big enough lead. AMD laptops already are not too shabby on battery, much better than 2018 Windows laptops. More importantly, I think Strix and Lunar will both be more than good enough. I don’t see a path for any night and day differences in any metric.

    The Qualcomms will sell, but not as much as they hoped for.
    Reply
  • suryasans
    ikjadoon said:
    They actually start at $999, so unsure where the headline got $1099

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/configure/surface-laptop-7th-edition/8tq2hq5xxkj9X Plus, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD - $999

    //

    Plenty of Intel / AMD laptops are $1000+ without a dGPU, though. That isn't a Qualcomm-specific problem.

    https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/products/laptops/ci/18818/N/4110474292?sort=PRICE_LOW_TO_HIGH&filters=fct_graphics-card-memory_2150%3Ashared%2Cfct_operating-system_970%3Awindows-11-home%7Cwindows-11-pro%2Cfct_price%3A999..
    See the Dell XPS 13, Spectre x360 14, Lenovo ThinkBook, FlexBook, ThinkPad X1s, Acer Swifts, LG Gram, etc. The MSRPs for many models, especially with 16GB DRAM, start over $1000 without a dGPU.

    Most thin and lights simply don't use a dGPU; it's too wasteful and reduces efficiency in mainstream consumer laptops.
    You forgot that most consumers don't see any differentiation on any Qualcomm based laptop. Most PC users are satisfied with AMD/Intel based laptops that are much lower in price while getting what They need from their AMD/Intel laptops like portability, pen-capable touchscreen and guaranteed legacy software compatibility. This article decribes what laptop that most of buyers seek if they want to buy >$ 1000 laptops.https://www.techradar.com/news/best-thin-and-light-gaming-laptops
    Reply
  • suryasans
    https://www.techradar.com/news/best-thin-and-light-gaming-laptops
    Reply
  • Notton
    Asus Vivobook S15 (S5507) is $1299
    https://www.asus.com/laptops/for-home/vivobook/asus-vivobook-s-15-s5507/
    Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 14" 3.4Ghz: $1729
    Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 16" 3.8Ghz: $2129
    https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/galaxy-books/galaxy-book4-edge/buy/galaxy-book4-edge-16-qualcomm-snapdragon-x-elite-1tb-sapphire-blue-np960xmb-kb1us/
    Something not mentioned: Qualcomm's page indicates X Elite comes with a "Snapdragon™ X65 5G Modem-RF System". I wonder if that is an optional feature, or we have a new era of integration.

    If Qualcomm is serious about chopping away at the laptop market, they are going to need something cheaper than US$1000.
    Especially when Intel Lunar Lake and AMD Strix Point are just around the corner.

    Here is hoping for a 3-way price war.
    Reply
  • Amdlova
    999 is a doa product
    Reply
  • Pierce2623
    My main takeaway from this article is that HP charges $500 for an anti-fingerprint coating.
    Reply
  • slightnitpick
    ButchLugrod said:
    I work in a large enterprise (17,000+ employees) and outside of the creative teams, every single person would, without hesitation, trade in their old Dell for a new laptop that is lighter, faster, and has better battery life and thermals.
    I agree about the dGPU being very much optional. But I wouldn't trade in my old Dell. I hate those clickable touchpads. I like my old Dell with its discrete left, middle, right buttons for the touchpad.
    Reply