News x86 reigns supreme as Snapdragon X Elite chips captured just 0.8% of the market with 720,000 units sold in Q3 2024 — Qualcomm misses out on rising...

[Admin]

Qualcomm is facing a lot of challenges in solidifying its position in the PC market - powering just 0.8% of all PCs sold in Q3 this year.

x86 reigns supreme as Snapdragon X Elite chips captured just 0.8% of the market with 720,000 units sold in Q3 2024 — Qualcomm misses out on rising... : Read more

 

[ClementNerma]

That's pretty normal ; these chips are very recent and only available in $1000+ laptops. So not everyone can afford them. And Apple is going strong with its MacBooks as well.

 

[TTech002]

It's only Windows lack of compatibility that will hurt these, plus the removal of the Android subsystem for Windows, that you would think would be an easy bonus.

 

[bit_user]

Qualcomm needs others to enter this space. Their exclusivity deal with Microsoft has probably done more harm than good, as they struggle to establish the Windows on Arm market.

They also need to be willing to compete on price. Right now, Windows-on-Arm is considered worse than Windows-on-x86. However, you can start to build the market with some bargain hunters and that might help provide enough momentum for the ecosystem to mature and attract the big corporate customers, who are traditionally very conservative in their decisions about computing platforms.

I think Qualcomm succeeded in building a product that basically appeals to no one. These machines certainly aren't attracting gamers, but rather seem more like ultra-light corporate laptops. However, most corporations won't touch anything so new and immature, like I mentioned above. They're too expensive for schools and students, so I'm not sure exactly who is buying them!

 

[JamesJones44]

Looking at one quarter of sales for something that was just released late June and really early July doesn't paint a complete picture. Most consumers likely aren't even aware of the differences and probably comes down to sales segments.

A better metric to compare would be sales of similarly priced laptops to see what the real distribution of sales are. If 80% of the laptops sold in Q3 where budget than this number is pretty meaningless. If 80% were in the same competing segment as X Elite bases laptops than the number is very significant.

Without that detail it's hard to make any hard calls about the success or lack of success the X Elite is having.

 

[mac_angel]

I don't understand why Qualcomm and/or NVidia don't bother with just licensing the x86 and x64 tech. Qualcomm was looking at buying Intel as it is, and Jensen Huang is worth more than Intel as it is.

 

[JamesJones44]

I don't understand why Qualcomm and/or NVidia don't bother with just licensing the x86 and x64 tech. Qualcomm was looking at buying Intel as it is, and Jensen Huang is worth more than Intel as it is.

My understanding has it has to do with Intel not wanting to license x86/x64, IDK how true that really is, but that is what many have claimed. Given Intel's situation they might be more receptive these days however. AMD also owns a chunk of the license so they would need to play ball as well.

 

[palladin9479]

I don't understand why Qualcomm and/or NVidia don't bother with just licensing the x86 and x64 tech. Qualcomm was looking at buying Intel as it is, and Jensen Huang is worth more than Intel as it is.

Intel hasn't been too keen on licensing x86 since the 90s. With their current manufacturing situation, I can see them to start doing that.

 

[thestryker]

However, most corporations won't touch anything so new and immature, like I mentioned above.

These would have been perfect price/perf/efficiency for the standard corporate setup.

I think corporations would have jumped on them without the VPN incompatibilities and no Google Drive support on launch. This is really basic functionality which has to work and when it doesn't it sends up all sorts of red flags about the platform itself whether or not it impacts a specific organization.

I think Qualcomm succeeded in building a product that basically appeals to no one.

This exactly, because when your audience is limited to people who know the limitations and are willing to deal with it despite the cost you're nowhere.

 

[AtrociKitty]

I have a Snapdragon X laptop and I think they're unfairly overlooked by some, although I do acknowledge they're still a niche product. I've been really happy with mine thus far (Yoga Slim 7x), with the most noticeable difference being that it runs cooler than any other laptop I've had.

The problem is it seems like a product for the extremes of the bell curve, rather than the center where most customers are. For example, I'd have no problem recommending one to someone with minimal tech skill or knowledge. Mainstream software will "just work," with installers pulling ARM builds automatically. An enthusiast at the other extreme will also have no issues, because they know how to work around the rare incompatibility, and likely have other computers on top of that. The problem is your average consumer, who knows just enough to hit something incompatible or to download the wrong installer, but not enough to fix it.

That said, I've been surprised by how good compatibility is to start with. I've only run into two programs that outright didn't work: an automotive ECU editor and an astronomy image stacker, both extremely niche. Everything else simply runs or has an ARM build (excluding modern gaming, but these are not gaming laptops).

 

[sivaseemakurthi]

Some commenters the missing the context. Qualcomm CEO predicted 50% market share for snapdragon laptops in 4 years, so everyone is focused on the low sales.

 

[palladin9479]

The product being discussed is essentially a tablet with a different form factor. Apple can get away with that kind of product through sheer brand loyalty, everyone else... not so much.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Intel hasn't been too keen on licensing x86 since the 90s. With their current manufacturing situation, I can see them to start doing that.

Now's the time to strike, bring Qualcomm & nVIDIA into Team x86.

DENY ARM of any royalties possible.

 

[Notton]

It's too expensive, and that is a very tall hurdle to overcome just to dip toes in the water.

 

[JamesJones44]

Some commenters the missing the context. Qualcomm CEO predicted 50% market share for snapdragon laptops in 4 years, so everyone is focused on the low sales.

Unfortunately, the article didn't focus on laptops only though. It focused on all PC shipments. I'm sure the lions share of that is laptops, but still an Apples to Oranges comparison, especially since Qualcomm currently only sells in one PC segment at the moment.

Now, all that being said. I don't think Qualcomm has a shot in you know what of being in 50% of laptop sales in 4 years. 20% would be a feat, 50% would take something spectacular which thus far, they haven't demonstrated.

 

[jlake3]

Unfortunately, the article didn't focus on laptops only though. It focused on all PC shipments. I'm sure the lions share of that is laptops, but still an Apples to Oranges comparison, especially since Qualcomm currently only sells in one PC segment at the moment.

Now, all that being said. I don't think Qualcomm has a shot in you know what of being in 50% of laptop sales in 4 years. 20% would be a feat, 50% would take something spectacular which thus far, they haven't demonstrated.

I feel like the fact Qualcomm only sells chips within one specific and premium segment is a problem in itself. It's competitors sell in every segment, and while Qualcomm's numbers would look better if you only considered ultraportable laptops... according to Google, those are only 20-30% of laptop sales, and laptops are 47% of "PC" sales (40% desktops, the remainder being tablets, workstations, and "Other").

Everyone seemed convinced this was ARM's breakout moment, but even if the X Elite snags a third of all ultraportables, ARM is still gonna be in the low single digits overall.

 

[Alvar "Miles" Udell]

I wouldn't mind having one, the battery life is nice, but the problem is the price.

To borrow a chart from TomsGuide, it's basically the same as the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, and you can get a 155H based laptop with better specs for less money, likely because they care more about the Apple M3, users who are unlikely to switch, instead of Windows users who will more often than not go to the manufacturer who provides the best bang for the buck. Now if they priced it such that the Snapdragon X Elite provided that performance at a $500 price point and not a $1000+ one, then they could make waves.

Header Cell - Column 0	Snapdragon X Elite (X1P-46-100)	Apple M3	Intel Core Ultra 7 155H
Geekbench 6 (single-core)	2,422	3,102	2,364
Geekbench 6 (multi-core)	11,345	12,052	12,612

 

[Mama Changa]

Many people will be sitting on the sidelines watching how ARM for Windows unfolds. The SD Elite X is a nice SoC , but the eco-system is not fully ready. I suspect 2nd gen will be far better especially for software compatibility and emulation. Qualcomm skipping straight to 3rd gen Oryon cores should mean huge uplifts especially for iGPU which is currently lacking. Combine that with Nvidia/Mediatek alliance next year, I suspect by 2026 sales for ARM on laptop will explode. Then also in 2026 AMD is entering the fray with it's Soundwave apu that the media is deliberately ignoring. Intel will be the only major player ignroing ARM as Pat the rat has already said their new architecture is already so efficient and performant, they don't need ARM to compete on those metrics.

 

[usertests]

$1,500 laptops that should be $500 (I'll buy it for $199).

 

[Amdlova]

Qualcomm dream... 50% market share in four years... Maybe when nvidia launch their chip will have 99% market share in four years

 

[ezst036]

X Elite is struggling to win over consumers.

Qualcomm shoulda put out a series of 3 to 5 ATX/mATX/ITX/etc boards for us.

But they want to be stingy. So they got what they deserved.

It's enthusiasts who want to be the early adopters. Not necessarily people "trying to get their work done".

Do people get excited about Raspberry Pis so they can (first) go run Microsoft Word? I'm not saying the number of people is zero I'm just saying Qualcomm failed to read the market.

 

[jlrx]

Did you guys seriously just compare a chip line that just came out this year to one that's been on the market for 40+ years? Windows on Arm is not gonna takeover overnight. Give it a few years.

 

[bit_user]

I feel like the fact Qualcomm only sells chips within one specific and premium segment is a problem in itself. It's competitors sell in every segment, and while Qualcomm's numbers would look better if you only considered ultraportable laptops... according to Google, those are only 20-30% of laptop sales, and laptops are 47% of "PC" sales (40% desktops, the remainder being tablets, workstations, and "Other").

Once you can build successful laptops, mini-PCs are an easy lateral move. I think corporate and commercial are the biggest markets for those, which means they'll tend to have most of the same roadblocks as selling them laptops.

 

[bit_user]

To borrow a chart from TomsGuide, it's basically the same as the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, and you can get a 155H based laptop with better specs for less money, likely because they care more about the Apple M3, users who are unlikely to switch, instead of Windows users who will more often than not go to the manufacturer who provides the best bang for the buck. Now if they priced it such that the Snapdragon X Elite provided that performance at a $500 price point and not a $1000+ one, then they could make waves.

Header Cell - Column 0	Snapdragon X Elite (X1P-46-100)	Apple M3	Intel Core Ultra 7 155H
Geekbench 6 (single-core)	2,422	3,102	2,364
Geekbench 6 (multi-core)	11,345	12,052	12,612

FYI, the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-84-100 manages a GB 6.3 single core score of 2834 points.

I don't know how many in this thread are aware of Qualcomm's model lineup, but I'm certainly not very familiar with it. I just wanted to point out that you're not comparing the best model. Granted, you're also not going to find it in a $1k laptop (new), but then that price is also a little low for a M3 Macbook Air 13".

 

[bit_user]

Maybe when nvidia launch their chip will have 99% market share in four years

Nvidia doesn't have a good history in the smartphone & tablet market. The first Google Pixel 2-in-1 (tablet/notebook) was based on a Nvidia SoC and just about the only such device to use it (other than Nvidia Shield). Before that, Nvidia tried to break into the phone SoC market, but failed pretty miserably.

Granted, they're not the same company they were back then, but their success certainly isn't guaranteed. Qualcomm has been having enough trouble breaking into the laptop market, even though it's been hugely successful in the phone and tablet markets. If anyone from the Arm camp can make the leap, it ought to be Qualcomm.