Qualcomm promises $300 Windows laptops with new Snapdragon C | The VergeSkip to main contentThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.The VergeThe Verge logo.TechReviewsScienceEntertainmentAIPolicyNotificationsNotificationsHamburger Navigation ButtonThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.NotificationsNotificationsHamburger Navigation ButtonNavigation DrawerThe VergeThe Verge logo.Login / Sign UpcloseCloseSearchTechExpandAmazonAppleFacebookGoogleMicrosoftSamsungBusinessSee all techReviewsExpandSmart Home ReviewsPhone ReviewsTablet ReviewsHeadphone ReviewsSee all reviewsScienceExpandSpaceEnergyEnvironmentHealthSee all scienceEntertainmentExpandTV ShowsMoviesAudioSee all entertainmentAIExpandOpenAIAnthropicSee all AIPolicyExpandAntitrustPoliticsLawSecuritySee all policyGadgetsExpandLaptopsPhonesTVsHeadphonesSpeakersWearablesSee all gadgetsVerge ShoppingExpandBuying GuidesDealsGift GuidesSee all shoppingGamingExpandXboxPlayStationNintendoSee all gamingStreamingExpandDisneyHBONetflixYouTubeCreatorsSee all streamingTransportationExpandElectric CarsAutonomous CarsRide-sharingScootersSee all transportationFeaturesVerge VideoExpandTikTokYouTubeInstagramPodcastsExpandDecoderThe VergecastVersion HistoryNewslettersArchivesStoreVerge Product UpdatesSubscribeFacebookThreadsInstagramYoutubeRSSThe VergeThe Verge logo.Qualcomm promises $300 Windows laptops with new Snapdragon CNotificationsNotificationsComments DrawerNotificationsCommentsLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...TechCloseTechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TechGadgetsCloseGadgetsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GadgetsNewsCloseNewsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NewsQualcomm promises $300 Windows laptops with new Snapdragon CQualcomm says it’s ‘raising the bar’ for budget laptops.Qualcomm says it’s ‘raising the bar’ for budget laptops.by Sean HollisterCloseSean HollisterSenior EditorPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Sean HollisterMay 28, 2026, 1:00 PM UTCLinkShareGiftImage: QualcommSean HollisterCloseSean HollisterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Sean Hollister is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.They started at $1,000. Then $700. Then $600 budget machines. Now, Qualcomm says the price of its Arm-based Windows laptops will hit $300 this year.Even though RAMageddon has yet to subside and PC prices keep climbing, the company says it’s built a new budget laptop platform called Snapdragon C — “C” as in “Compute” — to keep entry-level laptops affordable.“With Snapdragon C, we are raising the bar for what budget-conscious laptop buyers should expect,” Qualcomm senior director of product management Mandar Deshpande told journalists on a conference call. “You get the benefits of a responsive system, lag-free performance, browsing, video calls, streaming, multitasking, everything.” Up until now, getting everything has been a tall order even at $600. Would these laptops really undercut the MacBook Neo by up to half?The new laptops should also have “all-day battery life,” “not a lot of fan noise,” and be “a laptop that just works,” added Deshpande.Qualcomm and partners are assuredly cutting some corners to get to $300. The new platform doesn’t use Qualcomm’s Oryon CPU cores that underpin all its latest Windows laptop and smartphone chips, for instance, but are instead based on the older Kryo cores found in older phones and Chromebooks.And while “even the slowest tier” will now have an NPU for local AI compute, they won’t meet Microsoft’s Copilot Plus PC requirements for its full suite of AI tools, the company admits.The Acer Aspire Go 15 AG15-Q31P, the first confirmed machine with Snapdragon C. Image: AcerAcer, HP, and Lenovo are the first partners. Acer is lightly announcing its system today: the Acer Aspire Go 15 AG15-Q31P. It’s a 15.6-inch 1080p laptop with “up to” 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, with two “full-function” USB-C ports, a USB-A port, an HDMI 1.4 port, Wi-Fi 6E, a 1080p webcam, and a 53Wh battery.Acer isn’t sharing more detailed specs, a release date, or price yet, and neither HP nor Lenovo had models to share today. But they should ship this year.Qualcomm isn’t sharing more about the Snapdragon C platform itself yet either, though Deshpande says the company will be ready to do so in a couple months. He says multiple laptops are in development. Currently, the company is only announcing Snapdragon C for Windows laptops, saying it’s not ready to talk about Googlebooks today.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Sean HollisterCloseSean HollisterSenior EditorPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Sean HollisterGadgetsCloseGadgetsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GadgetsLaptopsCloseLaptopsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All LaptopsNewsCloseNewsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NewsTechCloseTechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TechMost PopularMost PopularValve raises Steam Deck prices by more than $200Sony’s first RGB TV is a statement pieceSony is offering up to 50 percent off some of our favorite PS5 gamesHere’s how Google is responding to Fitbit users who don’t like the new Health appWin cool gadgets we can’t keep because The Verge has ethicsThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. 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Qualcomm has stated its intention to elevate the standards for budget laptops by promising that its Arm-based Windows laptops will be priced at $300 this year, leveraging the new Snapdragon C platform. This initiative is framed as raising the bar for budget-conscious laptop buyers, specifically targeting the provision of a responsive system, lag-free performance, seamless browsing, video calls, streaming, and multitasking capabilities, which Qualcomm senior director of product management Mandar Deshpande highlighted. Furthermore, the new laptops are expected to feature extended all-day battery life, reduced fan noise, and a general user experience characterized as a laptop that simply works.

To achieve this cost reduction, Qualcomm and its partners are implementing several compromises. The Snapdragon C platform does not utilize Qualcomm’s advanced Oryon CPU cores, which are found in their latest Windows laptops and smartphones, but instead relies on the older Kryo cores prevalent in previous phone and Chromebook devices. Although the platform incorporates a Neural Processing Unit for local artificial intelligence computation, the company acknowledges that these systems will not meet Microsoft’s full requirements for the Copilot Plus PC suite of AI tools.

The first confirmed device utilizing the Snapdragon C platform is the Acer Aspire Go 15 AG15-Q31P, which is the first confirmed machine to feature this technology. This initial offering is being developed in partnership with Acer, alongside HP and Lenovo. The Acer model boasts specifications including a 15.6-inch 1080p display, up to eight gigabytes of RAM, 512 gigabytes of storage, dual full-function USB-C ports, a USB-A port, an HDMI 1.4 port, Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, a 1080p webcam, and a 53 watt battery. While specific release dates and final pricing remain undisclosed for this machine, the partners are anticipated to release their models this year. Qualcomm indicated that while they are currently announcing Snapdragon C for Windows laptops, they are not yet ready to discuss its application in other product lines, such as Googlebooks. The company plans to provide further details regarding the Snapdragon C platform in the coming months, noting that multiple laptops are currently under development.