Qualcomm has unveiled the Snapdragon C as the basis for low-cost Windows laptops and a potential Microsoft ecosystem answer to the MacBook Neo. But a fresh leak calls into question whether the new chip can compete with Apple's affordable laptop based on the A18 Pro.
Leaker @lafaiel reports that Snapdragon C could feature an octa-core CPU with tweaked Kryo 670 cores. These cores previously appeared in mid-range mobile platforms like the Snapdragon 778G and Snapdragon 780G. That architecture works fine for phones and basic tasks, but it may not cut it for a full Windows 11 laptop.
The most worrying part of the rumor is about performance. The claim is that Snapdragon C's single-core Geekbench score may not top 1,200 points. If that holds true, the MacBook Neo's A18 Pro would be much faster — the source estimates Apple's chip could be nearly three times as fast in single-threaded tests. What's more, the multi-core score of all eight Snapdragon C cores is said to be lower than the A18 Pro's single-core score.
Some speculate that Snapdragon C isn't a brand-new platform but a rebadged or adapted version of Qualcomm's Dragonwing chips for edge AI and IoT. That hasn't been tested yet, so it's too early for final conclusions. But if the rumors about the cores and weak performance turn out to be correct, calling Snapdragon C the foundation of modern budget laptops would be a stretch.
The Acer Aspire Go 15, one of the first Snapdragon C laptops, only adds to the skepticism. It will ship with just up to 4GB of RAM, which seems extremely low for a Windows laptop in 2026. That spec puts it squarely in the ultra-budget category, not in serious competition with the MacBook Neo.
In the end, Snapdragon C might help OEMs build cheap Windows laptops, but that doesn't automatically make them a real alternative to Apple. If Qualcomm can't prove otherwise with real-world benchmarks, the MacBook Neo could remain almost unchallenged in the market for affordable, power-efficient, and snappy laptops.