Qualcomm announces Snapdragon X2 Elite and Extreme for Windows PCs

Last year, after well over a decade of trying, Qualcomm finally made Windows on Arm laptops a thing, putting both Intel and AMD on notice and shoving Intel out of consumer-grade Microsoft Surface machines. Today, we’re learning about the second generation of the chip that made it happen, one which’ll now come in two distinct flavors: the Snapdragon X2 Elite and Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme.

Qualcomm is making a gigantic claim right in the headline of its press release: it says these are “the fastest and most efficient processors for Windows PCs.” I’m sure Intel and AMD will have something to say about that!

But for now, the company claims its 3nm chips offer up to 31 percent faster CPU performance than the previous-gen Snapdragon X Elite at the same power, or can require 43 percent less p