Snapdragon Summit 2025: Snapdragon Insider Sonya Reacts to Day 2 Announcements

Hey everyone! I’m Sonya (@PalmixArt on X, @palmix.reviews on Instagram), checking in from stunning Maui where Snapdragon Summit 2025 is in full swing. I am super honored to be invited to Snapdragon Summit representing the Nothing community and Snapdragon Insiders! It’s incredible to be surrounded by fellow tech enthusiasts, all here to celebrate the innovations we’re most passionate about.

Day 1’s kickoff already set the bar high with an amazing Snapdragon Celebration with Qualcomm CMO Don Macguire and Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon’s “The Rise of the Ecosystem of You” keynote. If you missed that, catch my fellow Snapdragon Insider Josh’s full recap here. 

Let’s dive into Day 2! The plans for today? Major product reveals, deep dives into AI, and hands-on demos that would make any tech lover’s heart race.

Conversations on Creativity

The day began with a fireside chat between Qualcomm Technologies’ CEO and President Cristiano Amon and Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen. It was an inspiring conversation about empowering creators, and the role technology plays in unlocking new possibilities. As a creative and a designer, I loved hearing both leaders’ vision of AI and hearing them talk about building tools that enable creativity - It’s not just about cool hardware; it’s about what we can create with it.

The Big Product Reveals

Next up, the moment I’d been looking forward to since the Snapdragon Summit 2025 was announced — the product keynotes. As a Snapdragon Insider, I’ve always been excited about Snapdragon product launches, but these totally blew me away.

First, Qualcomm Technologies’ Group GM for Mobile, Compute, and XR, Alex Katouzian, dropped a seriously exciting announcement for mobile – the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 mobile platform. 

It is Snapdragon’s most powerful mobile platform yet and features the 3rd gen Qualcomm Oryon CPU – the fastest mobile CPU in the world.  

This next-generation platform totally blew me away, with on-device AI plus console-level gaming performance and pro-grade photo and video that redefine what a phone can do. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted, and so much more.

Next, SVP and GM of Compute and Gaming, Kedar Kondap, revealed Snapdragon X2 Elite platform for PC. Consisting of the Snapdragon X2 Elite and Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme, it’s the latest generation of the groundbreaking Snapdragon X Series PC processors, and it’s the most powerful Snapdragon laptop processor yet. 

This is a huge leap forward with an 80 TOPS Qualcomm Hexagon NPU, lightning-fast 3rd generation Qualcomm Oryon CPU, and multi-day battery life for the best PC experiences possible.

Snapdragon X2 Elite includes the first ARM compatible CPU to break the 5 GHz barrier. What does that mean? Essentially, it’s built to give you accelerated performance, enabling more responsive agentic AI experiences with speed and power efficiency, enhancing demanding workloads like pro-level media editing. 

Being there for those groundbreaking announcements was pure adrenaline, and the buzz of possibility was contagious. I can say with confidence that this is one of those Snapdragon Summit moments I’ll be talking about for years to come.

After lunch, we all attended the Snapdragon Elite Experiences talks: “Filmmaking Masterclass” and “AI is the new UI”. 

First up was the Filmmaking Masterclass session. Watching a live demo of footage being edited and showing off 3D modeling capabilities in real time on devices powered by Snapdragon was incredible. The AI tools felt natural, almost like they were reading the colorist’s mind — suggesting edits, enhancing colors, and even generating background elements on the fly. This was amazing to see since I do a lot of my coloring formy YouTube videos and this could really simplify my creative process!  

The “AI is the New UI” segment really drove home how AI isn't just a feature anymore; AI is becoming how we interact with our devices. Some heavy-hitting partners demonstrated just some of the many ways AI is changing how we work, play, and create. 

Notably, AnythingLLM Founder Tim Carambat showed off some of the enterprise workflows that they developed, including AnythingLLM for mobile.  Microsoft showed how apps are accelerated on the NPU, which makes everything on the PC run better (not just AI). And this smaller developer showed their new app, called Paage.ai, which functions as a complete personal assistant and is available from the Google Play Store.

Hands-On with the Next Generation of Snapdragon Technology

After the Elite Experiences talks, we got to get hands-on with the tech during the Snapdragon Stories demos, each featuring an innovative application of Snapdragon technology in everyday life. These demos were one of the most exciting parts of Snapdragon Summit so far. 

I was especially impressed with Cafe demo, where I used AI smart glasses to order food in a language I don’t speak. The real‑time translation made the interaction smooth—and gave me the confidence to try it again on my own.  

Experiencing this technology up close is incredible, it’s like getting a glimpse of the future.

Snapdragon Insider Moments: Surfboards and Selfies

After the demos, it was time for one of the most unique traditions of the Summit: The Snapdragon Insiders Meet & Greet with Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon and surfboard signing. Imagine a surfboard covered in signatures from Snapdragon Insiders around the world, each one a small piece of a bigger story. Adding my name felt like leaving my mark on Snapdragon history.

Day 2 of Summit was coming to a close, but not before we hit the red carpet! My fellow Snapdragon Insiders and I were invited to an exclusive screening of Behind the SiliconS2 Ep 5: Next-Gen Oryon CPU in Action. 

The episode, which dropped just after the announcements were made onstage, featured Snapdragon Insiders Michael and Adam with host Lucy Hedges as they dive deeper into how the Qualcomm 3rd Gen Oryon CPU powers both mobile and compute with performance built for creators.  

As someone who is always seeking tools that enhance my workflow and creative output, this was a great watch. Dinner was a delightful extension of the NYC theme where we indulged in NYC-style food, played arcade games, and chatted about which new products we were most excited for, making it the perfect end to the day.

Looking Ahead

Day 2 delivered on every front, from next-level announcements to mind-blowing demos. 

Tomorrow will be another jam-packed day! Stay tuned for a Day 3 recap and get ready for whatever surprises tomorrow has in store. Because at Snapdragon Summit 2025, the future isn’t just coming — it’s already here.