Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon X2 Elite and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, Betting Big on On-Device AI

On September 24, Qualcomm unveiled two major new processors at the Snapdragon Summit 2025, held simultaneously in Hawaii and Beijing, marking a bold expansion into the global PC and smartphone markets. The company introduced the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and Snapdragon X2 Elite for high-performance laptops, alongside the fifth-generation Snapdragon 8 Elite for flagship smartphones—both designed to solidify Qualcomm’s dominance in mobile computing and challenge the long-standing leadership of Intel and Apple in the PC space. Building on the success of last year’s Snapdragon X Elite, which helped elevate Windows on Arm from a niche experiment to a viable alternative in Microsoft’s Surface lineup, the new X2 series aims to shift Qualcomm from challenger to industry leader. The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme, the top-tier variant, features a custom third-generation Oryon CPU with up to 18 cores, including two high-performance cores that reach a maximum clock speed of 5GHz—making it the first Arm-compatible CPU to achieve this milestone. According to Qualcomm, the X2 Elite Extreme delivers up to 44% higher single-core and 75% higher multi-core CPU performance at the same power level compared to competing processors. To match its peak performance, rivals would require 144% to 222% more power. The graphics performance has also seen a major leap. The new Adreno GPU architecture delivers a 2.3x improvement in performance per watt. To address the historically weak gaming experience on Windows on Arm, Qualcomm added an 18MB dedicated high-speed cache to the GPU. The platform also supports full Unreal Engine 5 features, including hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading, providing a stronger foundation for game developers and enthusiasts. AI performance is another key focus. The Snapdragon X2 Elite series features a new Hexagon NPU with an impressive 80 TOPS of AI compute power—up from 45 TOPS in the previous generation—making it the fastest NPU available for laptops, according to Qualcomm. However, devices powered by these chips are expected to launch in early 2026, giving competitors time to respond. Meanwhile, in the mobile space, the fifth-generation Snapdragon 8 Elite arrives with the same 3nm process and third-generation Oryon CPU, reaching a peak frequency of 4.6GHz. Qualcomm claims it is the world’s fastest mobile CPU. Compared to its predecessor, the new chip offers a 20% improvement in CPU performance, 23% in GPU performance, and a 37% boost in NPU performance—capable of processing up to 220 tokens per second. Power efficiency has also improved significantly, with CPU power consumption down 35% and GPU consumption reduced by 20%. Major brands including Xiaomi, Samsung, OPPO, vivo, and Honor will launch new flagship devices powered by the chip in the coming days. Xiaomi 17 series will be one of the first global launches, debuting the same night as the summit. Beyond raw performance, the fifth-generation Snapdragon 8 Elite is built for the next wave of AI: agentic AI. Chris Patrick, Senior Vice President of Qualcomm’s mobile business, described the chip as enabling personalized AI agents that can “see what you see, hear what you hear, and think what you think” in real time. This is made possible through continuous on-device learning and real-time perception, allowing AI to deliver context-aware, proactive assistance while keeping user data private and local. The platform also introduces the world’s first hardware support for the Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec—a near-lossless video format developed in collaboration with Samsung. Designed to compete with Apple’s ProRes, APV enables high-quality, high-flexibility video capture on mobile devices, catering to professional creators. At the heart of both launches is Qualcomm’s clear bet on edge AI. According to Precedence Research, the global edge AI chip market is projected to grow from $8.3 billion in 2025 to $36.12 billion by 2034, at a compound annual growth rate of 17.75%. The demand for low-latency, real-time, and privacy-preserving computing is driving this shift. Qualcomm’s strategy centers on becoming the foundational platform for edge intelligence. Its unique strength lies in its integrated expertise across connectivity (5G/6G, Wi-Fi) and computing (CPU, GPU, NPU), enabling seamless, efficient on-device AI experiences. CEO Cristiano Amon outlined six key trends shaping the future of AI during his keynote: AI as the new user interface, a shift from smartphone-centric to agent-centric experiences, architectural transformation, hybrid models, stronger edge data relevance, and the rise of perceptual networks. Together, these point to a future where computing moves from the cloud to the edge—into the devices users carry every day. Amon’s vision of “The Ecosystem of You” imagines a future where all personal devices—smartphones, PCs, cars, XR headsets, wearables—work as a unified, intelligent network centered around the individual. To realize this, Qualcomm launched the “AI Acceleration Initiative” in China, partnering with local industry leaders to advance edge AI applications in personal, physical, and industrial AI. While performance benchmarks are always subject to competition, Qualcomm’s real advantage lies not in a single product’s speed, but in its ability to build a comprehensive ecosystem. From bringing Arm to the PC market to empowering mobile devices with professional-grade capabilities, Qualcomm is positioning itself as the engine of the next era of intelligent computing. The race for edge AI has begun—and Qualcomm has laid its strongest cards on the table.