Qualcomm's groundbreaking Intel rival just turned laptops up to 11

If you're on the hunt for a new laptop, it might be worth holding on for another few weeks. That's because chip manufacturer, Qualcomm, has just unveiled its latest processing powerhouse for PCs at IFA 2024 – and it could be a gamechanger.

The release of the Snapdragon X Plus eight-core chip here follows on from the brand's launch of the Snapdragon X Elite. That was first touted at Snapdragon Summit last year, and was on full show at Computex 2024 earlier this year.

That was a big deal. It allowed Windows laptop manufacturers to finally go toe-to-toe with Apple devices like the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Those devices had been leaps and bounds ahead previously, thanks to a stellar combination of raw horsepower and battery-saving efficiency.

So, what's new with the Snapdragon X Plus eight-core? Sitting at the base of the brand's current range, we'd expect this chipset to bring that iconic performance to an even more affordable set of devices.

That's great news for most people. While it's fun to fawn over the high-end and the high performance devices, they're rarely the top pick for the average user.

Of course, there are some concessions to be made with this chip. It has a less powerful GPU, for example, as well as a slightly smaller cache. It's also got a slightly lower capacity for multithread performance.

Still, those are unlikely to be too harrowing for the Average Joe. Plus, you'll still get 45 TOPS of NPU performance – perfect for powering AI processes and Copilot+.

Qualcomm also promises 'multiple days of battery life' which will be a welcome addition to such devices. It's no secret that longevity is one of the main sticking points for those shopping for an affordable Windows PC, and this could completely revolutionise that market.

We'll be keeping a close eye on new releases featuring this device over the coming weeks and months.