Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Elite Sets Sights on Gaming Dominance Against Intel and AMD

Qualcomm has set out to prove that its new Snapdragon X2 Elite SoC for Windows laptops is not just significantly faster than the previous generation, but also outperforms the top current processors in this segment for gaming. According to Qualcomm’s tests, their new platform surpasses both the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 with its iGPU Radeon 890M and the Core Ultra 9 288V featuring the iGPU Arc 140V. These are the two highest-performing integrated graphics cores in the segment and among the top in the market, with only the Radeon 8060S and Apple’s solutions being more powerful. Qualcomm’s aggressive strategy to update graphic drivers monthly, aligning with practices of AMD and Nvidia, promises constant performance improvements.

Intriguingly, Qualcomm did not concentrate on selecting specific games for their benchmarks, as evidenced by their poster showcasing a broad range. In most cases, the new Adreno X2 GPU leads the pack, though there are a few titles where Intel or AMD solutions match or exceed Qualcomm’s offering. A standout performance is noted in one game where Qualcomm’s new chip isn’t just faster-it surpasses competitors by a factor of 1.5 to 2 times. This leap is partly due to the GPU configuration, which includes 2048 ALU blocks, doubling those found in the Radeon 890M and Arc 140V.

By the time the Snapdragon X2 Elite finds its way into consumer devices in the second quarter of 2026, AMD is unlikely to have fresh offerings in this class, yet Intel plans to release Core Ultra 300 processors featuring a GPU that promises to be 1.5 times quicker than the Arc 140V. The impending competition suggests a robust showdown in the high-performance laptop sector, with Qualcomm keeping a strategic eye on the horizon.