Snapdragon X Elite Laptop Performance on Linux: A Disappointing End to 2025
The Snapdragon X Elite laptop, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X1E processor, has been a topic of interest for Linux users, but the latest developments have left some disappointed. In this article, we delve into the performance of the X Elite laptop running Ubuntu 25.10 with the latest X1E Concept packages, including the X1 Elite optimized kernel and Linux 6.18 stable series.
Despite the initial excitement, recent benchmarks reveal significant performance regressions compared to earlier versions. This has led to a shift in the Linux laptop market, with AMD Ryzen AI and Intel Core Ultra laptops emerging as more attractive options for users. The situation is further complicated by TUXEDO Computers' decision to drop their X1 Elite Linux laptop plans, announced in late November.
Qualcomm engineers have been working on upstreaming X2 Elite support for the Linux kernel, Mesa, and related components, with the hope of improving performance in 2026. However, as of now, the Linux support and performance for the X Elite laptops are still outshined by AMD Ryzen AI and Intel Core Ultra options. The situation is somewhat better than the Asahi Linux / Apple Silicon Linux support, which is still primarily focused on M1 / M2 Mac support.
Earlier this year, I purchased an Acer Swift 14 AI laptop for Linux testing. While the Ubuntu 'X1E Concept' ISOs made setup easy, subsequent releases introduced regressions and breakage. My most recent Snapdragon X Elite benchmarks were conducted in September, following an X1E Concept ISO update that restored Swift 14 AI support. Although performance improved compared to earlier tests, it still fell short of the competition.
For this year-end benchmarking, I tested the Snapdragon X Elite with Ubuntu 25.10 and the Linux 6.18 kernel. The ARM64 desktop ISO installation and booting on the Acer Swift 14 AI were successful, addressing previous issues with generic ARM64 desktop ISOs. However, manual installation and execution of the qcom-firmware-extract tool were necessary to extract firmware blobs from the Windows 11 on ARM partition, enabling Linux drivers to utilize them.
Lenovo ThinkPad laptops are an exception, freely distributing their firmware via linux-firmware.git. Without firmware support, users lose Adreno GPU acceleration and other functionalities. To address this, the ubuntu/x1e PPA can be manually enabled for the latest Snapdragon Elite laptop improvements, including the latest ubuntu-x1e-settings.
The Acer Swift 14 AI testing utilized Ubuntu 25.10, Linux 6.18 kernel, GNOME Shell 43 desktop on Wayland, Mesa 25.2.3 graphics drivers, and GCC 15.2 compiler. While the setup was smooth, performance regressions were observed compared to previous tests, with the laptop frequently shutting down due to power/thermal thresholds, a problem that persisted throughout the year.
