Snapdragon X2 Plus introduced: Qualcomm’s new AI chip for Copilot+ PCs
With the Snapdragon X2 Plus Qualcomm is expanding its Snapdragon X series at CES 2026 with a new SoC that promises one thing above all: more performance, more battery life and significantly stronger AI functions – without compromise. The chip is aimed at mobile professionals, creative people and everyday users looking for a powerful Windows notebook that also impresses from the socket.
The heart of the Snapdragon X2 Plus is the 3rd generation of the Qualcomm Oryon CPU, which works with six or ten cores depending on the variant. According to Qualcomm, single-core performance is up to 35 percent higher than the previous generation, while energy consumption is reduced by up to 43 percent. The goal is clear: consistent performance even when running on battery – a point at which many classic x86 notebooks continue to falter.
Strong AI performance
Qualcomm positions the chip particularly strongly in the field of artificial intelligence. The integrated Hexagon NPU delivers 80 TOPS, making it one of the most powerful AI accelerators in a notebook processor. Over 50 AI functions run directly on the device – from image and video editing to multimodal content to agentic AI workflows, without cloud dependency. This makes the Snapdragon X2 Plus a central platform for Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs.
Qualcomm also raises the ante graphically: The integrated Adreno GPU relies on a modern, chip-based architecture and supports, among other things, DirectX 12.2 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4 and high refresh rates of up to 4K at 144 Hz. External displays can also be connected flexibly – up to three 4K monitors or a 5K display are possible.
When it comes to connectivity, the Snapdragon X2 Plus offers Wi-Fi 7, optional 5G, and advanced security features such as Snapdragon Guardian, Microsoft Pluton, and out-of-band management. Qualcomm addresses not only end users, but also companies with high security and administration requirements.
Notebook coming in H1 2026
The first notebooks with Snapdragon X2 Plus are expected from the leading OEMs and should be available in the first half of 2026. The new chip underlines Qualcomm’s ambitions to establish itself as a real alternative to classic notebook processors in the long term – especially in the age of AI-supported work.