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It’s no secret that Google and Qualcomm are actively working on a new generation of Android-powered PCs: a project Qualcomm’s CEO has already called “incredible”. This new hardware is expected to launch next year as part of the massive Android/ChromeOS merger. Now, thanks to some new findings, it looks like Qualcomm is preparing its powerful Snapdragon X Elite chips for these future Android PCs.
Snapdragon X Elite spotted in Android 16 code
According to screenshots posted on X by analyst @Jukanlosreve, Snapdragon X chipsets have been spotted in “Android 16’s private code list”. The report notes that Qualcomm has uploaded the necessary code to the repository for both the flagship Snapdragon X Elite and the lower-end Snapdragon X chips.
This strongly implies that Qualcomm is paving the way for PC makers to use these very same chips that are currently powering a new generation of ARM-based Windows laptops for their upcoming Android-powered machines.
Why this is such a big deal
This is fantastic news for the future of the platform. The Snapdragon X Elite chip made a huge splash in 2024, proving itself as a powerful and highly capable processor for running a full desktop OS on an ARM architecture. It’s the chip that finally made Windows-on-ARM a feasible and even desirable reality.
The thought of bringing that same level of performance—which has been praised for its power, efficiency, and ability to handle robust applications—over to this new, converged Android desktop is incredibly enticing. It signals that Google and its partners aren’t aiming for a low-power, compromised experience; they’re aiming to compete with high-performance laptops right out of the gate.
While it’s unclear if these new Android PCs will also use the next-gen Snapdragon X2 Elite, which is showing promise for 2026, just knowing the current X Elite is the baseline is a very exciting prospect. And as always with all of this news, stay tuned!
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