I’ve found evidence of multiple Snapdragon X2 Elite Googlebooks in development

When internal leaks confirmed that Qualcomm’s mysterious ‘Calypso’ codename in the Chromium Gerrit was actually the 12-core Snapdragon X2 processor, it was easy to assume that we were looking at a single reference flagship. But a new firmware commit I recently spotted in Google’s code repositories paints a different picture.

A fresh Depthcharge Chromium Gerrit commit reveals that Google and Qualcomm are configuring multiple distinct SKU variants under the Calypso board umbrella, making it highly likely that we will see more than just one Snapdragon X2-powered Googlebook hit the market.

What Depthcharge SKU definitions actually mean

For those who don’t spend their days reading bootloader code, Depthcharge is the lightweight payload in ChromeOS and Aluminium OS that handles system initialization right before the operating system boots up.

When developers add new SKU IDs to Depthcharge, it allows the bootloader to read hardware ID straps on the motherboard and apply specific configurations. In practice, this means Calypso is likely branching out into multiple physical device configurations beyond ‘Mensa’ that will require different power tables, display pipelines, and memory profiles.

Multiple Snapdragon X2 silicon tiers on the way

One major reason for establishing distinct board SKUs in Depthcharge is to handle different chip tiers within the same processor family. Qualcomm’s 12-core Snapdragon X2 (“Mahua”) lineup includes both flagship Snapdragon X2 Elite chips and slightly lower-clocked Snapdragon X2 Plus variants.

By defining multiple SKUs under Calypso, Google is setting up the software groundwork to support both the flagship Snapdragon X2 Elite models (think maximum clock speeds, 80 TOPS local NPU execution, and multi-monitor output) and the efficiency-focused Snapdragon X2 Plus models (longer battery life, fanless thin-and-light chassis designs, and lower price points). This is precisely what we are seeing on the Snapdragon X Elite and Plus Googlebooks that have already been uncovered.

More than one OEM is building on Calypso

Beyond silicon chip tiers, Depthcharge SKU branching is the classic sign of multi-OEM adoption. Just as Intel’s shared ‘Fatcat’ reference board spawned individual retail models from Lenovo (‘Ruby’) and Acer (‘Moonstone’), Calypso and its ‘Mensa’ blueprint are likely being adopted by multiple manufacturing partners.

While Dell’s ‘Mica’ (XPS 13), HP’s ‘Quartz’ (Googlebook 14c), and Lenovo’s (likely) ‘Meru’ represent separate Snapdragon X tracks from different OEMs, seeing ‘Calypso’ expand into multiple SKUs suggests that partners like Acer, ASUS, Lenovo, Dell or HP are building their own high-end Snapdragon X2 Googlebooks on top of the ‘Calypso’ reference architecture as well.

The Googlebook fleet keeps expanding

Watching this all begin to unfold over the last month is wildly exciting, and it reminds me of the earlier days of Chromebook expansion. The biggest difference this time around is that Google is clearly targeting the consumer market first, and they are doing so with high-end hardware and incredible-looking devices out of the gate.

But even this approach with ‘Calypso’ reinforces the fact that Google is also looking to the near future where not only the high-end of the market is being served. And we expect to see this same strategy from OEMs with silicon from both Intel and MediaTek as well. It’s an exciting time for Google’s laptops, for sure, so make sure you are staying tuned to Chrome Unboxed for every detail as we approach the official launch of Googlebook!