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What just happened? A new contender is shaking things up by introducing Qualcomm’s powerful Snapdragon chips to the mini desktop PC market. Geekom, a company renowned for its compact PCs, is gearing up to launch the “world’s first” consumer mini PC powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon X Elite processor.
The leaked image from Weibo doesn’t reveal much, showing only a sleek aluminum chassis with USB-A ports, an audio jack, and a front-facing power button. However, the fact that Geekom is venturing into Arm-based mini PCs is significant news for Qualcomm’s mobile platform.
Qualcomm had previously unveiled its own Snapdragon X Elite developer kit in May, featuring an 8-inch x 7-inch x 1.3-inch design. That product, however, was targeted at developers for app optimization and never made it to a consumer release (it was ultimately canceled).
While Geekom’s machine isn’t the first to use this silicon, it would be the first Arm-based mini PC with Snapdragon X Elite technology available for purchase.
That said, Geekom has yet to announce a launch date or even confirm the device’s existence. As a result, details about the specs – and especially pricing – remain unknown. However, given Geekom’s reputation for producing affordable, compact PCs, this new model will likely follow a similar trend.
Even if Geekom’s Snapdragon X Elite mini PC is priced at a premium, there’s speculation that a lower-cost Snapdragon X Plus variant could be in the works. The leaked screenshot mentions the “QS Series,” hinting at a broader lineup that could compete directly with Apple’s Arm-powered Mac minis.
The bigger question is whether consumers will embrace Arm-based PCs over the more established x86 architecture in this form factor. While Windows on Arm has historically struggled with app compatibility, recent developer optimizations are slowly making Snapdragon laptops a more viable option.
Early reviews of Qualcomm’s “Copilot+” PCs have praised their efficiency and performance, which highlight Arm’s advantages over Intel and AMD in ultra-portable laptops.
Still, the Arm PC movement has yet to gain significant traction. Market data from Q3 2024 revealed Qualcomm capturing less than one percent of total PC shipments, meaning that for every 120 computers sold, only one runs on a Snapdragon chip.
