Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon C for budget Windows laptops

Qualcomm has announced a new processor platform, the Snapdragon C, designed to bring its technology to budget-friendly Windows laptops. The company revealed the chip ahead of the Computex 2026 technology expo, stating it is aimed at entry-level laptops priced from approximately $300 and up, targeting students, families, and small businesses.

The "C" in Snapdragon C stands for "Compute," according to the company. Unlike Qualcomm's higher-performance Snapdragon X series, which uses its custom Oryon CPU architecture, the Snapdragon C utilizes a Kryo CPU architecture based on Arm designs. This architecture is known for power efficiency and has traditionally been used in smartphones and tablets. Qualcomm confirmed the platform includes a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for on-device AI tasks, though officials stated it does not meet the performance requirements to support Microsoft's Copilot+ PC features.

Acer is the first manufacturer to announce a laptop using the new chip, the Aspire Go 15. The company describes it as a mainstream device focused on essentials like web browsing, video streaming, and productivity. Its listed specifications include a 15.6-inch 1080p display,...