Qualcomm and Microsoft have been in talks about a Windows 10 PC with ARM for some time now. At IFA 2017, Qualcomm has confirmed this partnership. We will soon see an ARM based PC running Windows 10 on a Snapdragon 835 processor.
It will be a thin, lightweight device with LTE capabilities to become truly portable and connected. However, it has not not announced whether this will be a tablet PC or a 2-in-1. In Qualcomm’s earlier blog posts, we can see some of the features that will come on this laptop.
About Qualcomm + Windows laptop
This will be a lightweight and compact device running Windows 10, backed by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, 4G connectivity, Stylus support, and Windows Hello. This laptop will be coming in quarter 4 this year.
In terms of specifications, not even the form factor of this device is known. However we can discuss the highlights of Snapdragon 835 processor that is being used here. The processor comes with a maximum clock speed of 2.45GHz and powers some of the best flagship devices out there.
Coupled with an Adreno 540 GPU in its mobile counterparts, the Snapdragon 835 delivers a lag-free gaming and battery efficient experience. Also, citing an earlier blog post from Qualcomm, we may also see this PC equipped with Qualcomm X20 LTE modem for 4G connectivity.
Talking about the OS on this laptop, it will run on Windows 10. Last time Microsoft tried their hands with Windows RT, it did not go very well for the company.
Conclusion
This partnership of Qualcomm with Microsoft is looking in the direction of dethroning Intel from their dominance on the PC chipset market. If done right, Microsoft and Qualcomm will be able to tap into a growing ARM based laptops segment. Nothing about ODM partnerships is revealed yet, but we will slowly get to know all about it.
