Smartphone, laptop and desktop systems are already starting to collide thanks to the likes of 2-in-1 tablets, Google Play apps in Chrome OS, and Microsoft rolling out new Android and iOS compatible features. Now, Qualcomm has taken the next step in that direction with the announcement that future “Mobile PCs” are going to be powered by the Snapdragon 835 chip.
The news comes straight from Computex 2017 in Taipei, where ASUS, HP, and Lenovo have all been confirmed to release Snapdragon-powered PC systems. We don’t know specifics about the upcoming devices just yet, but the Windows 10 machines are said to provide long-lasting battery life, LTE connectivity thanks to Qualcomm’s X16 LTE modem, and native support for the Windows suite of applications (with x86 emulation).
“With Gigabit LTE, imagine downloading a Full HD movie in a matter of seconds,” says Don McGuire, Vice President of Global Product Marketing at Qualcomm in the promo video above.
The Snapdragon 835 can currently be found in the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Edge, and is expected to appear in a number of other flagship phones before the end of the year. Bringing it to Windows systems (likely laptops) could provide an experience similar to smartphones — devices that are quieter (fanless), smaller, and lighter than traditional Windows computers. We’ve recently seen Huawei try something similar.
We don’t have an exact release date for the new products yet but they’re expected appear sometime in Q4. What are your thoughts on the prospects of Snapdragon 835-powered PCs? Could Android phones benefit from Qualcomm opening up its chips to other platforms? Give us your thoughts in the comments.