Qualcomm's 18-Core Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme Sets a New Benchmark for Windows-on-Arm Laptops

PCMag’s hands-on testing of the Asus Zenbook A16 with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme (18 cores, up to 5GHz, 80 TOPS AI, reworked Adreno GPU) shows a strong multi-core lead over most Intel/AMD rivals and competitive graphics—even edging Apple’s M-series in some tests. In Cinebench multi-core and Geekbench, the X2 Elite Extreme outperforms its predecessors and many rivals, while HandBrake transcoding a 4K clip finishes in under five minutes. The platform marks Qualcomm’s rise from a niche option to a serious challenger in premium laptops, though battery life and certain design aspects remain to be evaluated in a full review.