Qualcomm Allegedly Preparing Snapdragon X Elite Chipsets to Power Future Android PCs

Qualcomm is reportedly working to bring Android 16 support to its X Elite and X PC chipsets. A leaked code repository allegedly reveals the private Android 16 code list for the Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X SoCs — a move that could potentially serve as a platform for Android-powered PCs. Meanwhile, a tipster suggests that the chipmaker is also developing a new Windows on Arm (WoA) processor to exist alongside its flagship Snapdragon X2 Elite processor.

Android 16-Powered PCs

According to tipster @Jukanlosreve's latest X post, an indication of the Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X chipsets was discovered in the Android 16 private code list repository. This suggests that a new category of PCs, powered by the Android operating system, could be on the horizon.

The image shared by the tipster allegedly shows “purwa” in Qualcomm's internal development environment for Android 16. It is, notably, a codename for the company's Snapdragon X series chipsets. Since the Android code has already been uploaded to the repository, it may be possible that the necessary drivers and kernel changes for Android to recognise and utilise the chip components are also on the way.

In addition to the sighting of Snapdragon X series chips in the Android repository, the tipster also claimed that Qualcomm is developing a new WoA processor. It is expected to sit alongside its current flagship offerings, namely the Snapdragon X2 Elite. The purported chip has the "mahua" codename, which roughly translates to “twisted doughnut” in the Chinese language.

While its specifications remain under wraps, the WoA chip will have two versions — a high-performance variant and a lower-end version. The latter is expected to have similar performance to the current Snapdragon X chip.

These developments are in line with recent comments by Google officials. During the Snapdragon Summit in September, Sameer Samat, President of the Android Ecosystem at Google, said, “We (Google and Qualcomm) all want our devices to work seamlessly together.”

While details about this potential collaboration remain under wraps, the Google official added, “We're basically taking the ChromeOS experience, and we're re-baselining the technology underneath it on Android.”