Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X Plus chip is coming to Chromebooks
It could push ChromeOS devices to compete with Windows machines like the Surface Laptop 7 or even the Surface Pro 11.
When it comes to competition, I’ve always wondered when Google would brush up the Chromebooks to level up against Microsoft’s Surface laptops. It turns out this is soon to become a reality.
The latest ChromeOS code leaves a hint in the commit message that Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X Plus chip is coming to ChromeOS, potentially leveling up performance and battery life.
Right now, Chromebooks are mostly known for being light, affordable, and super simple, which is great for students, travelers, or anyone who just wants to surf the web. But for people who want serious performance and long battery life, it doesn’t cater to that, so they often look to other premium performance laptops like Microsoft’s Surface lineup, and this is where things get interesting with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Plus.
This Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus chip isn’t just another processor, it brings an 8-core Oryon CPU clocking up to 3.4 GHz, and a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) capable of delivering a massive 45 TOPS (trillions of operations per second) in AI performance.
Ogbonda Chivumnovu
The real deal here is the balance. Snapdragon X Plus is built to offer strong performance without affecting battery life, which could mean Chromebooks that run all day, and not just when you're barely touching them. Up until now, most Chromebooks either leaned on MediaTek’s ARM chips or Intel processors, the latter being reliable but not exactly known for stellar battery life on lightweight machines. With the X Plus, this could change.
Now, this is not the first time ARM processors have tried to build into Chromebooks. MediaTek’s recent Kompanio Ultra chips were designed specifically to make Chromebooks faster and more efficient. There have also been Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c-powered Chromebooks, like the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11, but they were good for casual use, not heavy lifting. The Snapdragon X Plus, though, feels different. It could push ChromeOS devices to compete with Windows machines like the Surface Laptop 7 or even the Surface Pro 11.
Of course, it’s too early to get all giddy. There's no guarantee a finished product will roll out soon, and pricing could be an issue. Snapdragon X Plus-powered devices aren’t exactly cheap, and historically, Google have been cautious about pushing Chromebooks much above $700. Still, Google working with the Snapdragon X Plus could pave the way for future premium Chromebooks, maybe even a next-gen Pixelbook.
