CES 2026: Snapdragon X2 Elite set to power new Windows laptops

Qualcomm

After being teased earlier in 2025, Qualcomm’s next-generation Snapdragon X2 Elite chips are now expected to formally arrive in consumer laptops at CES 2026. The new silicon will headline a fresh batch of Windows machines, with Lenovo among the first manufacturers to put the chips into shipping products.

The original Snapdragon X Elite marked a turning point for Windows on Arm. It delivered battery life figures that rivalled Apple’s MacBooks while keeping performance competitive, finally making Arm-based Windows laptops feel viable for everyday users. Qualcomm is now promising a far more aggressive jump with its second generation.

Earlier this year, the company said CPU performance on Snapdragon X2 Elite would be around 75% faster than the first generation. On the graphics side, GPU performance per watt is claimed to be more than double, opening the door to better gaming and creative workloads without sacrificing battery life. If those gains hold up in real-world testing, the X2 generation could significantly narrow the remaining gaps between Arm-based Windows laptops and traditional x86 machines.

According to reports, Lenovo will unveil several Snapdragon X2-powered laptops during CES. These are expected to include the Yoga Slim 7x, IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1, and IdeaPad Slim 5x models in both 13-inch and 15-inch sizes. Not all of them will use the flagship Elite chip, with the more affordable IdeaPad variants likely relying on Snapdragon X2 Plus processors instead.

The Yoga Slim 7x appears to be Lenovo’s halo Snapdragon device for 2026. It is said to feature an 18-core Snapdragon X2 Elite variant, paired with a 2.8K OLED display and a claimed battery life of up to 29 hours. Pricing is expected to land at around Rs 79,000 to Rs 80,000, with a launch window tipped for the second quarter of 2026.

CES is unlikely to be a Lenovo-only affair. With most major PC brands attending the show, more Snapdragon X2 Elite laptops are expected to be announced across different price points and form factors. That broader adoption will be crucial for Qualcomm as it tries to cement Arm as a mainstream option for Windows PCs.

If Snapdragon X Elite was about proving that Windows on Arm could finally work, Snapdragon X2 Elite looks like Qualcomm’s attempt to push the platform into genuine competitiveness. CES 2026 should give the clearest signal yet of whether that ambition is about to become reality.