According to a new report from Ming-Chi Kuo, Qualcomm plans to introduce a more affordable Snapdragon chip for Windows machines while also significantly raising the price of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4.
Snapdragon chips are known for powering flagship Android devices, but their prices have been steadily increasing. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is expected to see a substantial price hike as Qualcomm transitions to newer TSMC nodes and integrates the Oryon CPU into its mobile chips. Kuo reports that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 will be approximately 25-30% more expensive than its predecessor, with a cost of around $190-200 per chip. This price increase is attributed to the use of TSMC’s advanced and costly N3E node, a 3nm process. This makes it one of the first 3nm chips available for Android devices, following Apple’s adoption of a 3nm process for the iPhone 15 Pro.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is set to launch in October, and the higher chip price could lead to more expensive Android devices utilizing this new technology.
In contrast, Qualcomm is also working on a cheaper chip for Windows laptops. The current Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus, which start at $999, are now shipping in laptops from brands like Microsoft, Dell, and Lenovo. Qualcomm’s “Canim” initiative aims to produce a chip with the same AI capabilities (40 TOPs) as the Snapdragon X Elite but at a lower cost, making it suitable for laptops priced as low as $599. However, this new, budget-friendly chip is not expected to be available until the end of 2025.
