Rumors of Nvidia's new Arm-based processors have been swirling around the web for years now, but a new report from DigiTimes suggests the debut of these gaming laptop SoCs could be just around the corner.
Suggested to land inside a currently unnamed Dell machine, Nvidia N1 and N1X machines would seek to compete with the best gaming laptops from an efficiency perspective, while still offering solid discrete graphics power.
The DigiTimes Taiwan report states that "the Windows on Arm (WoA) platform NB model using N1X will debut in the first quarter of 2026," with N1X machines set to hit retail shelves in Q2. If they do so, they'll be the brand's first Arm-based rigs, looking to take on Intel's Panther Lake and AMD's Strix Halo systems.
The latter proved the potency of Arm-flavored laptops in the Asus ROG Flow Z13 earlier last year, but with the Nvidia N1X reportedly offering the power of an RTX 5070, Nvidia has its sights set on far greater performance.
A full-fat RTX 5070 threw down a 3D Mark Steel Nomad score of 3,135 in my Razer Blade 14 testing, whereas the AMD Ryzen AI Max 390 inside the ROG Flow tapped out at 1,694.
The news comes just as Windows starts taking its own steps to welcome Arm-based gaming laptops into the fold. The Xbox app is now fully compatible with these systems, with over 85% of games running on the architecture.
Currently, only a Dell machine has been spotted with the Nvidia N1 / N1X chip inside and even that's still but a rumor. Still, the brand announced its new super slimline Alienware laptops at CES (with a promise of more information along the same timescale).
Call me optimistic, call me a dreamer, but Razer was also suspiciously silent on the topic of new Blade laptops at CES as well. Fine, you caught me - I have zero evidence for that, it's just a mustache-twirling coincidence so far.
What will Nvidia N1 / N1X chips mean for your next gaming laptop?
It's likely that Nvidia's arm-processors will take slow steps at the start, rolling out in a handful of slimline machines over the course of 2026. The new systems aren't going to impact those hunting down rip-roaring 18-inchers any time soon, but if you prefer a compact, portable machine that can be used for both work and play it's well worth keeping an eye on how these models perform.
If you're not quite caught up, Arm-based systems keep everything (CPU, GPU etc.) on one 'piece', like the SoCs you'll find in most smartphones and tablets.
That means they can drastically reduce the number of instructions the processor needs to run through, therefore making for a more power efficient system overall. Now they've grown powerful enough to move beyond mobile devices and into gaming laptops and the best gaming handhelds.
For you, though, it means a slimmer and lighter gaming laptop. It's unlikely we'll see too many battery advantages, as Nvidia could well opt instead to push as much power as it can (rather than leaning into the natural efficiency benefits). Essentially, your next gaming laptop could be thinner than a Razer Blade and more powerful than Asus's tablet.
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