Qualcomm's Next Gen Snapdragon X2 Ultra Premium Chip Breaks Cover In Shipping
Qualcomm's ambitions to dominate the ARM-based laptop market took another step forward with the apparent shipping of the Snapdragon X2 Ultra (Premium?) chip, as revealed by recent shipping logs spotted by enthusiast and occasional leaker Everest (@Olrak29_ on X/Twitter). The logs, dated around New Year's, reference "SNAPDRAGON X2 ULTRA PREMIUM 12CH X20," confirming the chip's branding and possibly the core count—12 cores, matching the Snapdragon X Elite. While "Ultra Premium" could be an internal moniker, the logs suggest this is Qualcomm's next big swing in the laptop chip arena.
This development follows last year's success of Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite processors, which showed that ARM-based designs could hold their own against AMD and Intel, at least on native code. Qualcomm's commitment to improving their custom Oryon cores—which debuted in the first-gen Snapdragon X series—is evident. At their Investor Day in November of last year, the company confirmed they are skipping directly to a third-generation Oryon design for 2025. Details remain scarce, but the move signals an aggressive development strategy.
The Snapdragon X2 Ultra (Premium?) is likely to be the final form of the "Glymur" chip leaked in October 2024 by German site WinFuture. That first report indicated that Qualcomm began testing Glymur samples as early as July, using the internal model number SC8480XP. For context, current Snapdragon X processors, including the X Elite, are purportedly based on the SC8380XP platform and carry the codename "Hamoa."
By its own word, Qualcomm is positioning itself to capture 50% of the non-x86 laptop market by 2029, a bold target given the competition. Besides Apple, there's also NVIDIA, who is rumored to be entering the laptop CPU market with a new processor developed in partnership with Mediatek. Still, the Snapdragon X2 Ultra Premium hitting this shipping milestone shows the company is moving quickly to secure its foothold.
Obviously, we have no idea how the X2 Ultra's performance compares to existing Snapdragon X chips, but the branding suggests it will be Qualcomm's most ambitious laptop processor yet. Enthusiasts and analysts alike will be watching for official announcements, likely within the next few months. Qualcomm's latest chip could mark another leap forward for ARM in laptops—and a major headache for x86 incumbents.
