Snapdragon X Elite Laptop Performance on Linux: A Disappointing End to 2025
The Snapdragon X Elite laptop, a powerful device from Qualcomm, has been a subject of interest for Linux users, but recent developments have left some users disappointed. This year, I decided to benchmark the performance of the Snapdragon X Elite with Ubuntu 25.10 and the latest X1E Concept packages, including the optimized X1 Elite kernel for Linux 6.18. Unfortunately, the results were not as expected.
The X1 Elite laptop's Linux experience has been a rollercoaster. While Qualcomm engineers have been working on upstreaming X2 Elite support, the current state of Linux support and performance is underwhelming. The best Linux experience for X Elite laptops remains on Ubuntu Linux, but even then, results vary depending on the model. The situation is further complicated by the fact that TUXEDO Computers recently dropped their X1 Elite Linux laptop plans, leaving users with limited options.
Earlier this year, I purchased an Acer Swift 14 AI laptop for Linux testing. The Ubuntu 'X1E Concept' ISOs made setup a breeze, but subsequent releases introduced regressions and breakage. My most recent benchmarks were in September, and the performance had improved compared to earlier tests, but it still fell short of the competition from AMD Ryzen and Intel Core laptops. This year, I decided to test the Snapdragon X Elite with Ubuntu 25.10 and ARM64 desktop ISO improvements.
The Ubuntu 25.10 ARM64 on the Snapdragon X Elite worked well, but users still need to manually install the 'qcom-firmware-extract' tool to extract firmware blobs from the Windows 11 on ARM partition. This is a common issue with many Snapdragon X Elite laptops, as only the Lenovo ThinkPad freely distributes its firmware via the linux-firmware.git repository. Without this firmware support, users lose out on Adreno GPU acceleration and other features.
During testing, the Acer Swift 14 AI with the Snapdragon X1 Elite was configured with 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, the performance showed regressions compared to previous tests. The laptop frequently turned off due to power/thermal thresholds, a problem that was more prevalent than in prior rounds of testing.
