German Linux PC maker Tuxedo Computers has paused development of its planned ARM notebook based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite chip. The decision follows eighteen months of work hampered by technical limitations in Linux support. The company cites the processor as less suitable for Linux than expected.
Tuxedo Computers announced on November 21, 2025, that it is halting its project to develop a Linux-based laptop powered by Qualcomm's first-generation Snapdragon X Elite system-on-chip. The initiative, teased in June 2024 and showcased as the Elite 14 Gen1 prototype at Computex 2024, aimed to deliver a high-performance device with a 14-inch display and up to 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM, running Tuxedo OS, a customized Ubuntu derivative.
Development challenges proved insurmountable for a commercial release. Key issues included poor power behavior under Linux, resulting in battery life well below typical ARM notebook standards despite tuning efforts. Core functions like BIOS updates directly from Linux were unavailable, fan control could not be managed through standard Linux interfaces, and KVM-based virtualization was not supported. USB4 performance failed to achieve expected high transfer rates, and while hardware video decoding was possible, most applications lacked necessary support.
Tuxedo stated that resolving these would require several more months of engineering with no guarantee of success, leading to a product launching with a two-year-old processor. The company noted the imminent arrival of Qualcomm's next-generation Snapdragon X2 Elite, expected to ship in the first half of 2026.
Despite the pause, Tuxedo has not ruled out future ARM hardware efforts. It plans to assess the Snapdragon X2 Elite's Linux suitability once hardware and documentation are available. Collaborations with organizations like Linaro contributed to kernel patches, but full stability remained elusive. This decision underscores ongoing challenges in adapting Windows-focused ARM chips to Linux ecosystems.
