Snapdragon’s potent chipsets dominate flagship mobile devices. Google, Samsung, HTC, OnePlus, LG, and Sony all rely on Snapdragon SoCs for their top-tier smartphones, excluding Apple and Huawei. Now, Snapdragon partners with Microsoft to extend this power to Windows PCs.
While initially seeming counter-intuitive, employing a mobile SoC in a Windows PC offers numerous advantages.
Don McGuire, Qualcomm’s vice president of global product marketing, succinctly outlined the advantages of using Snapdragon SoC for PC, stating that the next generation of the PC should be fast, easy to use, portable, convenient, and connected like a smartphone.
Qualcomm formulated these basic principles: the next-gen PC should be ultrafast, user-friendly, portable, convenient, and smartphone-connected.
Asus NovaGo and HP Envy X2
At the Snapdragon Technology Summit in Hawaii, Qualcomm unveiled the first batch of Snapdragon 835-powered laptops, including models from Asus and HP. The use of Snapdragon SoC enables a slim, light, and fan-less design, enhancing portability and convenience.
- Instant On: One major benefit of using a mobile SoC is that your PC will never hibernate. It will turn on instantly even after being on standby for hours.
- 20-Hour Battery Life: Snapdragon SoCs are highly power-efficient, ensuring a 20-hour battery life for laptops. You can now travel without a charger.
- Always Connected: PCs will remain connected with integrated LTE bands in the Snapdragon 835 SoC. No need to hunt for open Wi-Fi networks on the go. Your PC will behave like a smartphone, staying connected even when sleeping, receiving notifications and updates in the background.
Pricing & Availability
The Asus NovaGo starts at $599 for the entry level variant with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage, and reaches $799 for the version with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Unfortunately, no pricing details have been released for the HP Envy X2. Additionally, there are no clear dates for the release, but we can expect them in early 2018.
As seen, Snapdragon 835-powered PCs offer numerous advantages. They are compact, possess long battery life, remain always connected, and are inexpensive. However, there’s one sacrifice: users must accept Windows 10 S, limiting program installations to the Windows Store. Despite this, these laptops suit students or anyone needing basic functionality without power-hungry programs.
In conclusion, the benefits outweigh Windows 10 S restrictions, indicating a promising future for Snapdragon SoC-powered PCs. Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Pritam Chopra is a seasoned IT professional and a passionate blogger hailing from the dynamic realm of technology. With an insatiable curiosity for all things tech-related, Pritam has dedicated himself to exploring and unraveling the intricacies of the digital world.
