For cheap Windows 11 notebooks: Qualcomm introduces Snapdragon C

US chip manufacturer Qualcomm announces the Snapdragon C ARM CPU series for particularly inexpensive Windows 11 notebooks. In the USA, such devices are expected to be launched with prices starting at 300 US dollars during the year.

Acer has already announced a new version of the Aspire Go 15 with Snadragon C. It is expected to be available with a maximum of 8 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD.

MacBook Neo Counterpart

The Snapdragon C is likely a reaction to the success of the Apple MacBook Neo. In addition, Google plans to launch the so-called „Googlebooks“ with Android and Gemini AI in the fall.

Since mid-2024, Windows 11 notebooks with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X ARM processor have been available, initially at prices above 1000 Euros. Later, Qualcomm introduced cheaper Snapdragon X versions with fewer CPU cores and comparatively low turbo clock speeds.

Meanwhile, several Snapdragon X notebooks are available in Germany starting at around 600 Euros, even equipped with 16 GB RAM and an OLED display each.

For Everyday Tasks

So far, Qualcomm has not revealed how many ARM cores the Snapdragon C has and what their clock speed is. According to the press release, Snapdragon C notebooks are primarily aimed at schoolchildren, families with limited budgets, and small businesses. The devices are intended to handle everyday tasks and run on battery power for a (working) day.

According to Qualcomm, the Snapdragon C also includes a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for AI apps; however, its computing power is unlikely to be sufficient for Microsoft's requirements for the "Copilot+" label. Qualcomm does not mention USB4.

The first Snapdragon C notebooks are expected to be showcased at Computex 2026 in Taipei starting June 2nd.

(ciw)