Editor’s note: Qualcomm provided travel, lodging and other accomodations associated with Snapdragon Summit.
At Snapdragon Summit, Qualcomm debuted Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for handsets and the Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme for PCs
MAUI–As is tradition, Qualcomm announced its latest compute and mobile platforms during the Snapdragon Summit. We’ll dig into the details but the takeaway here is that the company is moving fast with its Oryon CPUs, now in the third generation, and showing very material performance and power efficiency improvements. This is coupled with impressive progress on the Hexagon NPU which, in sum, makes for a very compelling AI narrative.
Qualcomm’s Alex Katouzian, group general manager for mobile, compute and XR, told the audience on Maui (and tuning in virtually from around the world) that the latest Oryon CPU is 39% faster than its first-generation predecessor and draws 43% less power. “Performance per watt continues to be an advantage for Snapdragon. And we delivered exactly that with Oryon gen three.” The Oryon CPU is based on Qualcomm’s $1.4 billion acquisition of Nuvia which closed in May 2021. It first hit compute platforms in 2023, followed by mobile platforms in 2024.
The third-gen Oryon features two prime cores with clock speeds up to 4.6 GHz and six performance cores running at 3.6 GHz. “This is the first time you’re seeing this kind of speed on smartphones,” Katouzian said. Those two clusters have 12 MB of cache each. In terms of what that means for users, expect 20% single core improvements, 32% web browsing improvements and 17% multi-core improvement; those figures are based off of industry-standard benchmarking scores. “It’s designed to keep up with how you actually use your phones.”
Back to benchmarking: Katouzian said, “We do not run benchmarks in freezer environments to inflate numbers…Everything is tested on our reference designs at room temperature, real-world conditions. When we say it’s fast, it’s fast the way you will experience it.” This is an if-you-know, you-know-type reference, and it played well in the room because the room was full of people who know.
The latest Hexagon NPU comes with a number of performance improvements. But, Katouzian said, “What really shows the value of our NPU is not just raw power; it’s the experiences it unlocks. It’s how that power translates into seamless AI-driven features that feel natural, intuitive and genuinely useful. That’s the real magic that happens.”
Referencing Oryon, Hexagon, the Adreno GPU, Spectra ISP, and other sub-systems, Katouzian said, “What makes Snapdragon so powerful is more than just one component. It’s the combination of everything we build…It’s this full stack working together that unlocks what’s possible in smartphones today.”
Qualcomm SVP and GM Chris Patrick was at the companion event in China. He said in a statement, “With Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, you are at the center of your mobile experience. It enables personalized AI agents to see what you see, hear what you hear and think with you in real time.” The new SoC “pushes the boundaries of personal AI, allowing you to experience the future of mobile technology today.”
Katouzian also teased the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. “We developed this chipset to give you more choices and flexibility while still delivering flagship features. We will have more to share about this platform later this year, so please stay tuned.”
“PC reborn…It’s not just a chip. It’s a revolution”
Share-taking in the PC market is a priority for Qualcomm as it continues to execute on its diversification strategy. And Kedar Kondap, SVP and GM of compute and gaming, started his portion of the keynote by reflecting on the trajectory of this business line. “I was thinking last night, it has only been 15 months since we launched the first generation of Snapdragon X Elite. A lot has happened in the last year. And as I pause and reflect on this, I can tell you one thing: I feel so grateful.”
To put some figures to that, in June 2024, 22 PCs feature the Snapdragon X Elite launched. “That is the most devices ever announced in a single day in the history of Windows.” Fast forward to present and that portfolio has grown to around 150 devices across a range of form factors and market segments. “I am a firm believer that revolutionary technology always wins,” Kondap said.
With that Kondap went through the details of the two new compute platforms. The ultra-premium Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme for Windows 11 PCs. This SoC includes the third-gen Oryon CPU which Kondap said is 75% faster than competitive products at ISO power. The latest GPU brings a 2.3-times performance/watt increase, as well as power efficiency gains as compared to the Snapdragon X Elite. The NPU pushes 80 TOPs for AI processing.
“The X2 Elite Extreme features the world’s fastest NPU for laptops,” Kondap said. “It is more than five times faster than the competition.” Applause break. “When we introduced X Elite, we brought performance leadership back to the Windows ecosystem. Today I can proudly say we continue to maintain our leadership position in the market.”
Snapdragon X2 Elite is the premium-tier offering. Qualcomm described it as ideal for “powerful and efficient multitasking across resource-intensive workloads for productivity, creativity and entertainment…The platform boasts up to 31% faster performance at ISO power and requires up to 43% less power than the previous generation…Users can harness these features in thin and light designs, even without a charger.”
During his portion of the presentation, Kondap threw to videos from OEM partners ASUS and Razer, and brought out Microsoft’s Steven Bathiche, technology fellow and corporate vice president for Windows and devices. Bathiche gave a fascinating presentation that I’ll cover separately. He talked about compute cycles, scaling laws, AI progress and turned a number of truly great phrases my favorite of which was, “Absorbing the slope and shape of the curve and taking into account what was just announced, one can really get a sense of how fast things are evolving.” So look forward to that.
Final thoughts from Katouzian: “We have seen some incredible launches today between smartphones and PCs. And it’s clear the next generation fo Snapdragon technology continues to be a driving force…Snapdragon is redefining what smartphones and PCs can do, making interactions more seamless and more personal and more helpful. The future is bright.”
Taken together, the day’s announcements reinforce Qualcomm’s position at the intersection of mobile and compute innovation. As Oryon CPUs and AI-driven experiences proliferate, Snapdragon is poised to play a defining role in the next era of personal devices.
