- Laptops packing Nvidia’s N1X set to arrive in Q1 2026, rumor claims
- That means these notebooks should debut within the next two months
- Additional models will follow in Q2 2026, and the next-generation N2 range should launch later in 2027
Nvidia’s major consumer chips for PCs, the Arm-based N1 and N1X, may finally be arriving if a new rumor is correct.
A report from DigiTimes (hat tip to VideoCardz) claims that laptops with Nvidia’s N1X chip inside will launch in the first quarter of 2026. So within the next two months.
These will target the consumer market, and three other variants will go on sale in Q2, we’re told. Presumably that includes the base N1 chip, which is less powerful but still intended to produce ‘advanced AI computing platforms’ – the N1X being the more efficient CPU which will be aimed at laptops for professionals, the report notes.
There is still some confusion about the naming and where exactly the N1 and N1X will fit into the CPU landscape, with some guessing that the N1 will be a desktop chip and the N1X a mobile (laptop) chip. However, DigiTimes makes it clear that both the N1 and N1X will appear on laptops (add your own spice, of course). However, that doesn’t mean there couldn’t also be a desktop variant of one of these chips, and that might still be planned.
After the N1 series, the next-generation N2 silicon will take over for Nvidia in the third quarter of 2027, the report claims.
Of course, be skeptical of this time frame, because even if Nvidia has plans for these N2 chips, that schedule could end up going awry (what with the silicon still being relatively early in development).
Analysis: a chip to worry AMD, Intel, Qualcomm and even Apple?
The rumor comes from supply chain sources, we’re informed, and the delay of the N1 series – which was supposed to arrive in late 2025 according to the original speculation about Nvidia’s Arm CPU – is due to Team Green fine-tuning those chips and “Microsoft OS timelines,” the report said.
The latter presumably refers to Windows 11 26H1, which is a new spin on the OS specifically for Snapdragon X2 chips – and apparently also Nvidia’s N1 silicon, as it’s Arm-based and a direct rival to Qualcomm’s processors powering Windows 11 laptops. So the launch of the N1 and N1X being pushed back to wait for this 26H1 update – which won’t ship to non-Arm Windows PCs (AMD and Intel) – makes sense.
Still, we must be careful because, as already mentioned. I don’t rank DigiTimes as one of the most reliable sources out there, but it can occasionally dig up useful and accurate rumors from the supply chain. The alleged launch timing seems credible enough given what I’ve just outlined, and we’ve also heard rumors suggesting similar plans in the past – such as an Alienware laptop with an Nvidia CPU targeting a Q1 2026 launch.
These earlier rumors indicate why the N1X is also a chip to get excited about, and why not only Qualcomm, but Intel and AMD (as well as Apple) may be very worried here. Keep in mind that grapevine reckons that the N1X’s integrated graphics, in terms of raw core count, is equivalent to the RTX 5070 GPU. If you’re expecting RTX 5070-level performance in a laptop, think again – I’ve previously discussed why (it’s down to the power envelope and thermals, and also memory issues). But nonetheless, the N1X is still shaping up to be a highly efficient chip for notebook gaming (or creative use), make no mistake.
Back to the rumor from DigiTimes itself, and if you want to argue a case against this report, you might point out that this is a difficult climate to launch fresh laptop silicon, given the predictions of declining PC sales due to high notebook prices wrapped up in the current RAM (and storage) crisis. But if Nvidia made the decision to wait, the question is how long will the company hang on? The RAM crisis isn’t going anywhere for the foreseeable future — potentially on until 2028 — so Nvidia biding its time until it all blows over isn’t realistically an option.
A better question is, if these laptops are so close, why didn’t Nvidia show the N1X at CES 2026 recently? I haven’t gotten an answer to that, except that Team Green might want to do a stand-alone launch that focuses entirely on this new arm-based silicon to make a big splash at the entry level of these laptops.
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