Also known by its internal model SC8480XP, this one looks set to outmuscle both the Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite with a hefty 18-core design and up to 64 GB of RAM support.

Officially, Qualcomm hasn’t said a word about this chip yet, but the Snapdragon Summit is scheduled for 23 September in Hawaii. That’s where the company is expected to roll out not just the Snapdragon X2 Elite, but also its next-gen Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 for premium smartphones.

Quandt previously spotted SC8480XP testing with 48 GB of RAM, already edging past the standard configurations. But now, he reckons Qualcomm is testing full-fat 64 GB setups, putting this chip in workstation and gaming laptop territory. That’s a decent leap from the current Snapdragon X Elite laptops, which max out at 64 GB but are rarely shipped with that much.

Even more intriguing is the CPU count. The X2 Elite is now said to have 18 cores, which would be a 50 per cent increase from the Snapdragon X Elite’s core count. Qualcomm appears to be aiming squarely at heavyweight productivity and AI workloads.

There’s no firm launch date yet, but if this thing hits as expected in autumn, it could be Qualcomm’s most aggressive laptop push.