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First look: Qualcomm has released more details about Snapdragon C, the Arm-based chip it is preparing for low-cost laptops. The company is betting that a combination of modest CPU performance, integrated graphics, and low power consumption can give manufacturers another option in a segment of the market typically dominated by entry-level Intel systems starting around $300.
The processor has eight Qualcomm Kryo CPU cores. Qualcomm lists a maximum clock speed of 3 GHz for single-core workloads and 2 GHz for multi-core workloads, along with 2 MB of total cache. Its specification notes provide some additional detail but do not fully explain how the chip behaves under a full workload: four cores can run at 2.0 GHz, while three can reach 2.6 GHz. Qualcomm has not said how all eight cores perform simultaneously.
The chip also includes an Adreno GPU clocked at up to 900 MHz and a Qualcomm Hexagon NPU. However, the company has not disclosed the NPU's performance in TOPS. That leaves a gap in Qualcomm's technical pitch, particularly as AI hardware has become a standard feature in new laptops. The presence of an NPU is noteworthy, but without a TOPS figure, it is difficult to compare Snapdragon C directly with competing processors.
