Article by Ayman Alheraki on January 11 2026 10:36 AM
As Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite makes its way into high-performance Windows 11 ARM laptops, a growing number of developers and tech enthusiasts are asking:
The Adreno GPU is Qualcomm’s custom-designed graphics processor, originally built for Android smartphones. But in the Snapdragon X Elite, Adreno gets a serious upgrade — now powerful enough to compete in the laptop arena.
This GPU is designed to deliver:
4K display output
DirectX 12 Ultimate compatibility
Advanced AI acceleration
Power-efficient graphics performance
Support for Vulkan (on Android), OpenCL, and more
However, Windows driver maturity and SDK support are still evolving — especially for Vulkan and OpenCL on Windows 11 ARM.
| Feature | Adreno (Snapdragon X Elite) | Intel Iris Xe |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Custom Qualcomm GPU (Adreno) | Intel Gen 12 Graphics |
| API Support | DirectX 12, OpenCL, Vulkan (Android) | DirectX 12, Vulkan, OpenCL (mature) |
| AI Acceleration | Advanced shader & AI cores | Limited |
| Performance Estimate | ~3.5–4.5 TFLOPS | ~2–2.5 TFLOPS |
| Ray Tracing | Not supported | Not supported |
| Driver Maturity (Windows) | In development (especially Vulkan) | Stable and widely tested |
| Power Consumption | Very efficient (ARM design) | Moderate (x86 power profile) |
Snapdragon X Elite’s Adreno delivers strong GPU compute and AI performance with excellent power efficiency. Intel Iris Xe, while less power-efficient, provides superior compatibility with modern Windows apps, games, and desktop graphics engines — especially with Vulkan and DirectX.
On Windows 11, Adreno’s driver limitations can hold it back from fully leveraging its hardware capabilities — at least for now.
| Use Case | Best Option |
|---|---|
| Gaming on Windows | Intel Iris Xe |
| AI inference, vision tasks (on-device) | Adreno |
| Vulkan/DirectX graphics development | Intel Iris Xe |
| General web, video, productivity | Both are solid |
| Battery-sensitive devices | Adreno |
If you're a developer building for Windows 11 ARM with Snapdragon X Elite:
Stick with DirectX 12 for maximum compatibility.
Avoid relying heavily on Vulkan, unless Qualcomm releases full driver support.
On Android, Adreno is a Vulkan powerhouse — but on Windows, it’s still catching up.
If you're targeting cross-platform apps, consider tools like ANGLE (to translate OpenGL/Vulkan to DirectX) or engines that abstract APIs cleanly.
The Adreno GPU in Snapdragon X Elite is a major leap forward for ARM-based Windows laptops — capable, efficient, and optimized for the mobile-first future. But for now, Intel Iris Xe remains more developer-friendly in the Windows ecosystem thanks to its mature driver stack and robust graphics API support.
As Qualcomm refines its drivers and Windows ARM adoption grows, this balance may shift — and we may see Adreno rise as a serious graphics competitor in the Windows space.