News

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.

Published

11 months ago

September 24, 2025

Nour Nasir

Qualcomm

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.

Also Read: Abu Dhabi And NVIDIA Launch First Joint AI And Robotics Lab

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

Syria Just Got Its First Super App Featuring Built-In Digital Payments

Built by UAE-based Syrian founders with the Ministry of Tourism’s backing, My Syria lands as visitor numbers more than double.

Published

4 days ago

August 1, 2026

Nour Nasir

syria just got its first super app featuring built-in digital payments

For most of the past decade, paying for anything in Syria with an international card was effectively impossible. Sanctions, a collapsed banking sector, and years of isolation left the country running on cash. That is what makes the launch of My Syria — the country’s first super app — more than a routine product announcement.

Developed by 121 Living, a company founded by four UAE-based Syrian entrepreneurs — Rami Kaiem, Feras Kaiem, Waseem Qudmani, and Kinan Madi — the app launched in Damascus on July 30 under the patronage of Minister of Tourism Mazen Al-Salhani. It bundles hotels, restaurants, transport, attractions, food delivery, and other lifestyle services into a single platform, currently offering eight services with plans to expand to more than 40 verified tourism and hospitality providers across the country.

Although the app already sounds enticing, the headline feature is its built-in payments. My Syria is the first platform in Syria to support cross-border digital payments through Apple Pay, Google Pay, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express — familiar tools for international visitors, and a route into the digital economy for local businesses that have long operated outside it.

my syria super app launch event

The launch rides on a sharp rebound for the troubled country. Syria’s tourism sector recorded 3.52 million visitor arrivals in the first half of 2026, a 111 percent increase over the 1.67 million during the same period in 2025 — a mix of returning expatriates, regional visitors, and international tourists.

Also Read: This UAE Platform Wants To Replace Fashion Photo Shoots With AI

The Ministry of Tourism, which supported and supervised the app’s development, frames the launch as proof of concept for a wider strategy. “Digital transformation is one of the Ministry’s strategic priorities because it enables us to build a more competitive, connected and investment-ready tourism sector,” Al-Salhani said, inviting technology companies “globally, regionally and locally” to explore opportunities across the wider economy.

For 121 Living, this is phase one, with additional services and expanded geographic coverage planned. Whether a super app can flourish in a market still rebuilding its infrastructure is an open question, but for the first time in years, a visitor to Damascus can pay for dinner with their phone.