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Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon X2 Elite & Extreme For Windows PCs
Qualcomm’s new chipsets bring faster CPUs, stronger GPUs, and upgraded AI, with the first laptops expected in early 2026.
Qualcomm has announced the Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme, the second generation of its Windows-on-Arm chip designed to challenge Intel and AMD in the PC market. Qualcomm is marketing them as “the fastest and most efficient” processors for Windows laptops, though rivals are likely to dispute that claim.
Built on a 3nm process, the X2 line offers up to 31 percent faster CPU performance than the first-generation Snapdragon X Elite at the same power, or up to 43 percent less power use. GPU performance per watt has improved 2.3 times, thanks to a new 1.85GHz GPU. The chips feature Qualcomm’s third-generation Oryon CPU, with up to 18 cores: 12 cores running at up to 4.4GHz, and two cores capable of reaching 5GHz. Qualcomm says this clockspeed is a first for Arm CPUs.
AI performance has also been scaled up. A new Hexagon NPU delivers 80 TOPS, offering 37 percent more performance at 16 percent lower power draw. Qualcomm claims it is the fastest laptop NPU available today. Other upgrades include 18MB of high-speed cache, branded Adreno High Performance Memory, intended to improve gaming performance, which lagged in the first generation.
The company is pitching the Extreme variant as delivering “up to 75 percent faster CPU performance” compared with high-end chips like Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285H and AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 370. The comparisons, however, come with caveats: Qualcomm has not published fully labeled graphs, and its testing shows the Extreme drawing over 50W of power, suggesting it will scale into larger laptops beyond thin-and-light designs.
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Qualcomm claims efficiency gains could extend battery life beyond a single workday, though last year’s X Elite machines generally managed 14-18 hours per charge. Creative software performance is another focus: Adobe benchmarks suggest 28 percent faster Photoshop edits, 43 percent faster Lightroom exports, and similar boosts in Premiere.
Meanwhile, Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan also announced Synapse software support for Snapdragon Windows laptops, though he stopped short of confirming a Snapdragon-based gaming machine.
The first laptops powered by Snapdragon X2 Elite and Extreme are expected in the first half of 2026.
News
Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users
Google brings its latest image model to Gemini and Search, adding 4K output and tighter text control for regional users.
Google has opened access to Nano Banana 2 across the Middle East and North Africa, pushing its newest image model into everyday tools rather than keeping it inside the exclusive (and expensive) Pro tier.
The rollout spans the Google Gemini desktop and mobile apps, and extends to Google Search through Lens and AI Mode. Developers can also test it in preview via AI Studio and the Gemini API.
Nano Banana 2 runs on Gemini Flash, Google’s fast inference layer. The focus is speed, but also control. Users can export visuals from 512px up to 4K, adjusting aspect ratios for everything from vertical social posts to widescreen displays.
The model maintains character likeness across up to five figures and preserves fidelity for as many as 14 objects within a single workflow. This enables visual continuity across scenes, iterations, or edits — supporting projects like short films, storyboards, and multi-scene narratives. Text rendering has also been improved, delivering legible typography in mockups and greeting cards, with built-in translation and localization directly within images.
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Under the hood, the system taps Gemini’s broader knowledge base and pulls in real-time information and imagery from web search to render specific subjects more accurately. Lighting and fine detail have been upgraded, without slowing output.
By embedding the model inside Gemini and Search, Google is normalizing advanced image generation for a mass audience. In MENA, where startups and marketing teams are leaning heavily on AI to scale content across languages and borders, that shift lands at a practical moment.
The move also folds creative tooling deeper into search itself, so that image generation is no longer a separate workflow. It now sits right next to the query box.
Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users
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