Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme shows strong initial Linux benchmark results

Michael Larabel at Phoronix ran the first Linux benchmarks of the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme X2E96100, an 18-core SoC with up to 5.0GHz single-core boost, inside an ASUS Zenbook A16 with 48GB LPDDR5-9523 memory. The testing used Ubuntu 26.10's new X1E Concept ISO running Linux 7.3. Notably, Adreno graphics worked out of the box with the open-source Qualcomm driver stack—an improvement over the author's Snapdragon X1 Elite laptop which still fell back to LLVMpipe on the same image. WiFi, audio, and webcam remain unsupported. No power or performance-per-watt data was collected due to remote testing limitations and lack of Linux power reporting for Snapdragon X.

What the initial X2 Linux benchmarks cover

• SoC: Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme X2E96100, 18 çekirdek, 5.0GHz single-core / 4.4GHz multi-core max, 20-40W TDP (65W sustained peak)
• System: ASUS Zenbook A16 UX3607OA with 48GB LPDDR5-9523 MT/s
• OS: Ubuntu 26.10 X1E Concept ISO, Linux 7.3 kernel
• Graphics: Adreno GPU functional with open-source Qualcomm drivers (improvement over X1 Elite on same image)
• Non-functional: WiFi, audio, webcam
• Missing data: No power metrics due to lack of PowerCap/RAPL support and no external power meter during remote testing
• Comparisons: Core Ultra 9 285H, Core Ultra X9 388H, Ryzen AI 9 365, Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, Snapdragon X1 Elite

Why it matters

The working Adreno graphics on X2 with open-source drivers, where X1 still fails, suggests Qualcomm's upstream Linux support is maturing between generations. However, missing WiFi, audio, and power metrics indicate Snapdragon X2 laptops remain early-adopter hardware for Linux users.