Computex 2025 wrapped up on May 23 after a week of countless new product announcements from major tech players. However, one exception stands out: Qualcomm.
Qualcomm's AI-heavy Computex 2025 presentation notably avoided discussing the next generation of Snapdragon X chips. Instead, it went heavy on AI capabilities with its available hardware. AI performance numbers, AI integration plans, AI and Windows on Snapdragon ... you get the point.
It's no secret that Qualcomm didn't create its Snapdragon X platform as a one-and-done offering, so the lack of news regarding a new generation of hardware was particularly noticeable.
Qualcomm's side doesn't seem concerned with the delayed announcement scheduling. It has its annual Snapdragon Summit planned for September 2025, and it's now clear that Qualcomm is saving its next-gen chips for the occasion.
But why an extended delay between the next generation of Snapdragon X chips?
Qualcomm's 'tick-tock' Snapdragon X release cycle explained
I don't blame you if you haven't been closely monitoring the world of Snapdragon X computing.
To put things into perspective, it's been roughly a year and a half since Qualcomm announced "the most powerful computing processor it has ever created for the PC," the Snapdragon X Elite.
The new System-on-Chip (SoC) was eventually introduced alongside its sibling Snapdragon X Plus chip on May 20 at Computex 2024. This marked the official start of Microsoft's Copilot+ PC initiative that has now grown to include select AMD and Intel CPUs with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) capable of more than 40 TOPS.
In the interim, Qualcomm has expanded its Snapdragon X chips with new SKUs mainly intended for budget systems. However, they've all been built on the same first-gen platform. The Surface Pro 12-inch and Surface Laptop 13-inch are perfect examples.
Waiting until the Snapdragon Summit 2025 in September for a "Snapdragon X2" — the unofficial name — reveal, with what I assume is another few months of waiting for an official launch, will have us well into 2026 before PCs are available with the chips.
Considering both AMD and Intel work on a yearly release schedule, Qualcomm's lack of information regarding "Snapdragon X2" at Computex 2025 could be seen as a misstep.
Qualcomm's management doesn't feel the same way.
Speaking with Laptop Mag at Computex 2025, Qualcomm's GM of mobile, compute, and XR, Alex Katouzian, said:
"I'm not worried about our competitors coming out with something. [...] We're sustained in performance-per-watt, and we have relationships that are strong across retail and commercial, and we have marketing campaigns that are now very much concentrated on Snapdragon."
Katouzian further shored up the argument by pointing out that Snapdragon X devices haven't been available on the market since the initial 2023 announcement:
"We introduced our solution at Computex that would already have designs that we launched in May with Microsoft last year. And so, we're only in the market for nine months. I think a platform such as X Elite, X Plus, X — it needs more than nine months to become mature in multiple designs and SKUs."
These arguments might not be quite what you want to hear, but they're valid. Anyone who can't stand the current trend of releasing new, incrementally better hardware yearly is probably nodding their head.
Katouzian explained to Laptop Mag that Qualcomm is targeting a "tick-tock" release cycle akin to what Apple used to do with its iPhones.
"I think it's OK to come in as a tick-tock. We come in and then four months from now we're going to introduce our next-generation solution, and then it'll ramp into market early 2026. As long as people and OEMs understand that this continuous advantage is coming, I'm OK."
It's important to point out that the Snapdragon X SoC lineup isn't sitting dormant.
New PCs are launching all the time with the first-gen chips inside, and they continue to put up a strong fight in terms of efficiency, performance, and pricing compared to their closest competitors.
'Snapdragon X2' needs to make an impression at Snapdragon Summit 2025
With Qualcomm's decision to mainly reiterate its market standing and advancements during its Computex 2025 keynote, it leaves Intel, AMD, and even Apple open to pull ahead.
Intel has its next-gen "Panther Lake" mobile CPUs slated for a 2026 launch, and they're expected to significantly boost efficiency and performance, with new integrated Arc GPU capabilities.
Apple is also expected to debut its M5 chip sometime in 2025, and it'll be interesting to see how the design has been influenced by the push for AI computing.
Much of the hype surrounding Snapdragon X has died down since launch despite Qualcomm's aggressive ad campaign, and the company needs to make a big impression later this year when it finally unveils the next generation of SoCs.
I don't doubt that it has what it takes to pull this off, and I'm rooting for Qualcomm to once again make big waves in the PC world.
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