Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon C Platform for Affordable AI-Powered Laptops
Qualcomm has unveiled the Snapdragon C Platform, a new processor designed to bring AI capabilities, long battery life, and responsive performance to affordable laptops. Targeting devices priced from around $300, the chipset is aimed at students, families, and small businesses, with Acer, HP, and Lenovo among the OEMs expected to launch Snapdragon C-powered laptops later this year. The platform also includes an integrated NPU for AI features while focusing on cool, quiet operation and all-day battery life.
San Diego, California: Qualcomm Technologies has announced the Snapdragon C Platform, a new processor designed for entry-level laptops, aiming to bring longer battery life, AI capabilities, and improved performance to more affordable devices.
The Snapdragon C platform is targeted at laptops priced from approximately $300 onwards and is designed for students, families, and customer-facing small businesses. Qualcomm said leading PC manufacturers including Acer, HP, and Lenovo are expected to launch devices powered by the new chipset later this year.
According to the company, Snapdragon C focuses on delivering responsive everyday computing performance for tasks such as web browsing, video streaming, productivity applications, and video conferencing. The platform also integrates a Neural Processing Unit (NPU), enabling AI-powered features in devices positioned in the entry-tier segment.
One of the key highlights of the platform is its emphasis on power efficiency. Qualcomm claims Snapdragon C will enable cool and quiet laptop designs while offering all-day battery life, a feature that has traditionally been associated with more premium devices. The company says the processor has been engineered to maintain consistent performance during everyday workloads without compromising portability.
“As costs rise and customer expectations evolve, Snapdragon C brings together value-oriented computing, all-day battery life, AI capabilities and responsive performance in cool-quiet devices for expanded platform choice,” said Kedar Kondap, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Compute and Gaming at Qualcomm Technologies.
Kondap added that the platform is intended to help expand access to modern computing experiences for students, families and small businesses, while also broadening choices available to PC manufacturers and consumers.
The launch further expands Qualcomm’s Snapdragon PC portfolio as the company continues to push Arm-based processors into the Windows laptop market. While premium Snapdragon X-series processors have largely targeted AI PCs and premium notebooks, Snapdragon C is positioned to bring similar power-efficiency benefits and AI functionality to more budget-conscious buyers.
Qualcomm said laptops powered by Snapdragon C are expected to become available later in 2026.