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Chromebooks are on the cusp of a significant performance boost, potentially powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Plus chips. Recent activity within the Chromium project suggests that ChromeOS is being optimized for the X Plus, a move that could redefine the Chromebook landscape. A commit message spotted by Chrome Unboxed reveals the inclusion of the Qualcomm X1P42100 (Snapdragon X Plus) SoCID in the Chromium repository, signaling active development of Chromebooks featuring this processor.

Although not Qualcomm’s flagship ‘Elite’ processor, the Snapdragon X Plus boasts impressive AI processing capabilities, mirroring its high-end counterpart with a 45 TOPS Neural Processing Unit (NPU). This is particularly exciting, as previous Qualcomm-powered Chromebooks have often faced performance limitations. The Acer Chromebook Spin 513 (2021), for instance, delivered strong battery life but suffered from a sluggish Snapdragon 7c chip. While the 7c Gen 2 offered improvements, Qualcomm opted not to release a Gen 3 version for Chromebooks.

Currently, Chromebook manufacturers primarily rely on MediaTek and Intel for their processors. While Intel provides respectable performance, battery efficiency has been a consistent concern. The Snapdragon X Plus, with its promise of balanced performance and battery life, could offer a compelling alternative, potentially ushering in a new era of Chromebooks that excel in both areas.