Qualcomm promises Snapdragon X PCs will cost as little as $700 next year

Currently, the $999 Microsoft Surface Laptop is the cheapest way to get a Windows machine that runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Plus chip, with all the battery life benefits (and caveats) that might entail. But in 2025, they’ll be cheaper — Qualcomm now says they’ll hit the $700 mark next year.

“As we look forward to 2025, in addition to new design wins, our X series product roadmap will expand to address PCs with retail prices as low as $700 without compromising NPU performance,” Qualcomm CEO and president Cristiano Amon just said on the company’s Q3 2024 earnings call.

Amon did not necessarily say the cheaper machines would be laptops — the company’s chips can also power small desktops like its eight-inch Dev Kit. He only spoke to price.

Qualcomm isn’t breaking out any sales or financial numbers for its first wave of Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus laptops in earnings just yet, saying it’s “too early” to tell, but confirmed that “we’re already working with OEMs on the next wave of Copilot Plus PCs.” Currently, the company only breaks out Handsets, Automotive, and Internet of Things as its product businesses.

Amon says that more PC product announcements are coming at IFA, which begins the first weekend of September, and that he believes Qualcomm will be “one of the top silicon suppliers” for AI PCs going forward.

“We expect PC to be the next biggest driver of diversification for the company,” he said, though he expects the business will be “slow and steady as the market transitions.” He says some Snapdragon X PCs have already sold out.

In addition to its chip business, Qualcomm also makes serious money licensing technology to other companies; the company mentioned on the earnings call that two unnamed major Chinese OEMs have now signed long-term agreements, similar to the licensing arrangement with Apple that now runs through 2027.

Amon also said the company has its own custom CPU that will be revealed at its Snapdragon Summit (which runs late October) and will launch it in phones either toward the end of this year or in early 2025 — it’ll be part of the company’s next flagship Snapdragon 8 phone chip.