Qualcomm unveils specifications for Snapdragon C aimed at affordable laptops, potentially causing significant challenges for Intel.
Qualcomm aims to address the primary issues with budget laptops: performance and battery life. In May of this year, the company showcased its new entry-level Snapdragon C Platform, designed for budget laptops starting at $300, with promises of enhanced speed, battery longevity, and AI capabilities that budget-conscious consumers often forgo.
Recently, the chip manufacturer unveiled the specifications for its latest chip, and if these claims prove accurate, Intel may face significant challenges. However, competition ultimately benefits consumers, making them the true winners in this scenario.
**Snapdragon C Specifications**
- **CPU**: Qualcomm Kryo CPU (6nm)
- **Single-Core Maximum Frequency**: 3.0 GHz
- **GPU**: Qualcomm Adreno GPU (Maximum Frequency: 900 MHz)
- **NPU**: Qualcomm Hexagon
- **Memory**: Up to 16GB LPDDR5/5x or LPDDR4x
- **Storage**: Supports PCIe 3.0 NVMe, UFS 2.2/3.1
- **Connectivity**: Wi-Fi 6/6E, Bluetooth 6.0
**What makes Snapdragon C faster than a typical budget chip?**
At the core of the platform is Qualcomm's Kryo CPU, an 8-core processor capable of reaching clock speeds up to 3.0 GHz. When compared to Intel’s N250, a chip commonly used in similarly priced laptops, Qualcomm claims that Snapdragon C provides up to 67% faster performance on a single charge and offers up to 2.1x better power efficiency.
Users stand to gain significantly from these efficiency enhancements in their daily tasks. Streaming on Netflix reportedly consumes 106% less power, a Teams audio call requires 99% less energy, and even idle applications use 39% less power. With the addition of an integrated Adreno GPU and Hexagon NPU for AI tasks, users can expect a laptop that multitasks effectively without exhausting the battery by lunchtime.
**Who is this new chip designed for?**
Qualcomm is targeting the Snapdragon C at students, families, small businesses, and frontline workers—essentially anyone in need of a reliable laptop that meets their needs without the high cost of flagship models. “Students, families, and small businesses require dependable, responsive devices that can handle their everyday activities, from web browsing and productivity tasks to streaming and video conferencing, all at affordable prices,” stated Nitin Kumar, VP of Product Management at Qualcomm Technologies.
Historically, Windows on ARM faced challenges with native app support, but this has improved significantly. The platform now supports many popular applications, including Chrome, Excel, Instagram, Spotify, and Zoom, so transitioning should not feel like starting from scratch.
Acer, Asus, HP, and Lenovo are poised to release laptops featuring Snapdragon C soon, so if you've been hesitant about upgrading to a budget PC, it may finally be worth the wait.
Other articles
Josh Kushner secured $2 billion to acquire the companies that are being targeted by AI.
Thrive Holdings secured $2 billion at a valuation of $12 billion from SoftBank. The company acquires accounting and IT businesses outright and then integrates its own AI engineers into them.
Nebius's revenue increased by 454%, with a significant portion of the funds coming from customers making advance payments.
Nebius reported a revenue increase of 454%, reaching $582 million, and its stock finished 34% higher. However, the operating cash of $2.2 billion consisted of customer prepayments rather than actual profit.
SK Hynix is investing $720 billion as its stock price drops by 50%.
The $720 billion expansion by SK Hynix is the largest in the history of memory production. Despite its shares dropping by half since June, the company continues with its construction plans.
Accel has raised $3.5 billion. Europe will now receive the same funding as the US.
Accel secured $3.5 billion simultaneously through four funds. The Accel Europe fund now stands at $800 million, matching its US counterpart, whereas the India fund has decreased to $550 million.
The drought in Europe is causing nuclear reactors to be shut down.
Romania is shutting down its sole operational reactor as a drought in Europe affects nuclear production. Triodos estimates that the summer's impact amounts to 1% of the EU's GDP.
SK Hynix is investing $720 billion as its stock price drops by 50%.
The $720 billion expansion by SK Hynix is the largest in the history of memory production. Since June, its stock has dropped by 50%. Nevertheless, the company continues with its construction plans.
Qualcomm unveils specifications for Snapdragon C aimed at affordable laptops, potentially causing significant challenges for Intel.
Qualcomm has officially announced the complete specifications for its Snapdragon C Platform, designed for laptops in the $300 range, asserting up to 67% faster performance and 2.1 times better battery efficiency compared to Intel's N250.