Snapdragon C Processors Unveiled for Entry-Level Laptops With Support for AI Tasks, Improved Battery Efficiency

Qualcomm introduced the new Snapdragon C processor on Thursday, specifically designed for entry-level laptops. This comes at a time when component prices are incessantly rising, forcing OEMs to look for more cost-efficient alternatives. Qualcomm says that the Snapdragon C platform will offer “value-oriented” computing, along with “all-day battery life”. On top of this, the Snapdragon C processor is equipped with an integrated NPU to bring AI capabilities to budget laptops. The company has also revealed the names of the OEMs that will equip their future entry-level laptops with the new SoC. Separately, Acer has unveiled its first Snapdragon C-powered laptop.

Snapdragon C Processor Availability, Features

In a press release, the San Diego-based chipmaker launched its new Snapdragon C platform for entry-level laptops. The company has also announced that upcoming budget laptops, priced at $300 (roughly Rs. 29,000) and more, from OEMs like Acer, HP, and Lenovo will be powered by its latest Snapdragon C chipset. Qualcomm claims that the new processor will help laptops become more accessible to students, families, and small businesses.

The new Snapdragon C processor is equipped with an integrated NPU for AI tasks, while also enabling “smooth” web browsing, video streaming, and productivity. The SoCs are also claimed to provide “all-day battery life”. Qualcomm's Senior Vice President Kedar Kondap said, “As costs rise and customer expectations evolve, Snapdragon C brings together value-oriented computing, all-day battery life, AI capabilities, and responsive performance in cool-quiet devices for expanded platform choice.”

While Qualcomm expects laptops powered by the new Snapdragon C processor to go on sale later this year, Acer has announced its first laptop powered by this particular chipset. The Acer Aspire Go 15, along with the new Snapdragon C processor, is also powered by an Adreno GPU, up to 8GB of RAM, and up to 512GB of onboard storage.

This appears to be an industry-wide trend where chipmakers are shifting their focus to entry-level laptop platforms, since the launch of Apple's MacBook Neo, which is powered by an A18 Pro chip. Recently, an unreleased Intel Core 5 320 processor, codenamed Wildcat Lake, was spotted on the PassMark benchmarking platform, which is said to power MacBook Neo rivals. Additionally, the Intel Wildcat Lake processor managed to outperform the A18 Pro processor on the MacBook by a notable margin.