While Apple seems intent on developing its M2 processor for a summer release, Qualcomm continues to build its own line of silicon for laptops. The latest effort, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 chipset, should find its way into entry-level computers and Chromebooks.

Announced today (May 24), the Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 follows the 7c entry-level processor that Qualcomm rolled out in late 2019. The chip is found in long-lived machines like the Acer Chromebook Spin 513, which costs less than $400; we can expect the second generation of the Snapdragon 7c to be found in similar devices.

Qualcomm has said that laptops powered by the Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 will start appearing in the summer. Lenovo has already committed to using the new chip in devices to be released later this year.

Laptops and Chromebooks powered by the Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 will offer LTE connectivity with a built-in X15 4G modem. Qualcomm also produces a laptop chip with 5G connectivity, but this is for the higher-end Snapdragon 8c Gen 2 platform.

The real value of the Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 is in battery life, and Qualcomm promises several days of battery life on laptops using this processor. This equates to twice the battery life of most competing platforms.

As for performance, Qualcomm says the Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 is 10% faster than competing platforms. The chipmaker also claims its latest silicon is 60% more power efficient than Intel's Celeron N4020 and Pentium Silver N5030. [The Snapdragon 7c Gen 2's Spectra 255 ISP supports up to 32MP single or 16MP dual cameras. Qualcomm's Aqstic audio technology provides echo cancellation and noise suppression for clear sound.

In addition, the Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 features Qualcomm's 5th generation AI engine, which performs over 5 trillion operations per second (TOPS). This allows it to support more accurate voice recognition and accelerated security features, according to Qualcomm.

In addition to the new chip announcement, Qualcomm also announced a Snapdragon Developer Kit for software makers to help test and optimize Windows applications on Snapdragon-powered laptops. Qualcomm hopes that the SDK will be available this summer, allowing more developers to fine-tune Windows 10 applications for Snapdragon-powered machines.