In an interesting turn of events, the first device boasting the highest-end version of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chipset isn’t even a laptop. It’s a Mini PC in the form of an official Dev Kit, which undercuts (or at least matches) the price of even the lower-end Snapdragon X Plus laptops, and it’s set for a full launch on August 23rd, though it’s also already available for pre-order onArrow.comfor just $899 USD.
We just reviewed a Snapdragon X Elite laptop— theDell XPS 13 9345— and that unit retails for $1299, which is about $400 pricier for the laptop form factor.
Qualcomm Snapdragon Dev Kit for Windows Specifications
So, who is this Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite Mini PC really for? As advertised, it’s targeted at developers, which makes sense— if you’re hoping to target ARM-native software for the X Elite chips hitting the laptop or want to properly test and tweak your x86-native software for use with those devices, this seems like the way to go. But if the enhanced AI features (Copilot+) of the Snapdragon X Elite happen to hold particularly high appeal to you and your workflows, that’s another reason this piece of kit could be compelling.
For gaming purposes, we definitely wouldn’t recommend the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite platform at this time. While it’s true that some games work and even the new image scaling options added just for Windows ARM and these devices are compelling, the overall gaming performance and compatibility of Snapdragon X Elite just isn’t competitive with x86 gaming laptops at this time. Other iGPUs—evenInteliGPUs— provide a much better experience.
But it’s not all doom and gloom in the world of Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite laptops — or Mini PCs in this case — as long as you have the requisite monitor and peripherals to get it up and running. You generally have a pretty usable version ofWindows 11here, and a number of productivity and creative applications that will work perfectly fine. If your needs are more professional or are particularly focused on development efforts— perhaps even efforts to improve the state of games listed onWorks on Windows on Arm— this may just be the Mini PC for you.
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Christopher Harper has been a successful freelance tech writer specializing in PC hardware and gaming since 2015, and ghostwrote for various B2B clients in High School before that. Outside of work, Christopher is best known to friends and rivals as an active competitive player in various eSports (particularly fighting games and arena shooters) and a purveyor of music ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Killer Mike to the Sonic Adventure 2 soundtrack.
