Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon X2 Plus for budget and midrange laptops
Qualcomm just dropped its latest chip, the Snapdragon X2 Plus, at CES 2026.
It's built for budget and midrange laptops, aiming to give them a serious boost in speed and battery life, without the high-end price tag.
This follows last year's Elite models, which were mainly for premium devices.
Qualcomm says 35% single-core gains
This chip packs a 10-core Oryon processor, upgraded Adreno graphics, and an 80 TOPS Hexagon NPU for better AI performance.
You also get Wi-Fi 7 support and improved security with Snapdragon Guardian.
Qualcomm says you'll see up to 35% faster single-core speeds, a 17% jump in multi-core tasks, and up to 43% better energy efficiency compared to older models.
The first laptops with this chip are expected within six months, so if you're eyeing a new laptop that won't break the bank but still feels fast, it might be worth waiting for these releases.