New Qualcomm Chip Could Make Your Next Windows Laptop Cheaper Than A MacBook Neo

Hardware prices are in a really weird place right now. Thanks to the ongoing surge in demand for RAM and other components due to the growth of AI, many manufacturers have begun raising prices dramatically. We've already seen price hikes come to the Steam Deck, as well as some other areas of the industry like smartphones. However, Qualcomm has unveiled a new chip that could finally turn things around, at least for more budget-friendly options.

According to a news release, Qualcomm's new Snapdragon C platform should allow for Windows ARM laptops to reach prices as low as $300. That would put the Windows equivalent of the MacBook Neo at an even more affordable price, though this is just the starting point and prices could go higher.

"As costs rise and customer expectations evolve, Snapdragon C brings together value oriented computing, all-day battery life, AI capabilities, and responsive performance in cool-quiet devices for expanded platform choice," a senior vice president at Qualcomm shared in the announcement. Devices running Snapdragon C are expected to hit shelves later this year, and the first of those are already starting to pop up as Computex 2026 approaches.

Acer, HP, and Lenovo are all set to be some of the first to include the Snapdragon C in their laptops, but Acer is the first we've officially seen actually make it out the gate. The new Acer Aspire Go 15, which Acer debuted at the end of May, is one of the company's newest laptops. It sports the Snapdragon C, and Acer claims that it will provide long-lasting battery life for users, as well as solid performance and cooling for an undisclosed "entry-tier price point."

While we don't have any exact details on the price yet, or any precise benchmark figures for the new Snapdragon C, reports suggest that it uses the company's Kryo CPU cores, which powered older phones and Chromebooks, instead of its newer, more powerful Oryon CPU cores, which are part of the current leading flagship chipsets found in the Samsung Galaxy S26 lineup such as the Snapdragon 8 Elite. Exactly how that will translate when it comes to performance is unclear, but we do know that the MacBook Neo performed great, despite using a down-binned version of Apple's A-series mobile chips instead of the company's M-series desktop-class silicon.

Ultimately, having a price point that potentially starts at $300 will be a huge boon for consumers. However, the actual prices that we see could differ based on what kind of other hardware and software laptop manufacturers combine with it. The Acer Aspire Go 15, for example, will ship with a 512 GB storage drive and 8 GB of RAM, as well as a 1920 x 1080 display and support for Windows 11 Home. This should put it on par with the specs of the MacBook Neo, at least on paper. 

However, we'll still need to see actual performance benchmarks and the price tags that Acer classifies as "entry-tier" before it's possible to properly compare the new Snapdragon C-powered laptops to the MacBook Neo and its value proposition. But, from the sound of everything Qualcomm has shared so far — which isn't much — the Snapdragon C platform could be the foundation of a proper Windows-based MacBook Neo competitor. At least based on the potential price entry point.