With the official launch of Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite series today (24th), the device that uses the platform is expected to be launched in the first half of 2026, which has once again attracted attention. Industry insiders revealed that they are optimistic about Qualcomm's performance on AI PC next year, while OEM manufacturers will be most likely to be developed with Huasi and HP.
Industry insiders revealed that AI PC is still mainly driving the leading brand, among which HP and Huafeng are slamming the B2C (Business-to-Consumer) market and want to make a wave of sound on the consumer side; Dell mainly locks in B2B (Business-to-Business), so he has not made too much effort; as for Acer, because it is being revamped and has already achieved brand OEM, it is currently not the first players to enter.
At the same time, market news was released that Apple is launching a new entry-level MacBook, which will be equipped with A18 Pro chips instead of M series processors, with prices ranging from about US$599 to US$699 (about NT$17,900 to NT$20,900), and is the first time Apple has launched a MacBook with a price lower than US$999 (about NT$29,826), which also attracts market attention.
Industry insiders pointed out that with the low price of Apple, it is now a chance for Qualcomm, because only it can directly determine the Apple arm-base chip. Considering the different operating systems, when consumers attract Apple's ecosystem, it will turn into an irreversible transition. For brands such as Huashui, it is difficult to recycle. This is also one of the reasons why these brands must use AI PCs. The most affected is the x86 operation of Intel and AMD.
Speaking of Qualcomm's goal of achieving 12% global market share by 2029, industry insiders believe that this process may even accelerate, and the biggest pressure will be Intel. Once the Arm architecture is expanded and penetrated, the entire "pool" of x86 will be reduced, leaving only two major players, and the pressure of competition will become greater and greater.
When talking about AI PC prices, the market price trend will basically first observe the price of Apple. If the price of Apple is low, the chances of consumers buying Windows on Arm will increase significantly.
It is worth noting that Alex Katouzian, general manager of Qualcomm, also shared his PC product line in this theme lecture. In addition to the latest two X2 Elites and the previous Snapdragon 8 Elite, he accidentally shared another Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, providing more user flexibility, and more news will be available in the future. It is currently speculated that it may be a more approachable AI PC product line, which is the price zone for Qualcomm's product line.
Extended reading:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 scored a new high! Strong pressure Apple A19 Pro chip
Qualcomm Top PC Processor Snapdragon X2 Elite Series is a powerful debut, with 18-core CPU and 80 TOPS NPU
With a 3-nanometer, fully large nuclear structure, Qualcomm released the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5