Over at the Snapdragon Technology Summit in Hawaii, Qualcomm has revealed the full details on the much-talked-about (see here, and here) Windows 10 laptops driven by Snapdragon 835 chips, and laid out the specs of the first machines from HP and Asus.
These so-called ‘always connected’ PCs have an integrated LTE radio integrated in the Snapdragon 835, meaning you’re not reliant on having to hunt for Wi-Fi when you’re out and about. Plus this built-in connectivity will give users up to Gigabit LTE speeds on any Qualcomm-powered device.
The power-efficiency of the Snapdragon 835 also means superb battery life – we are talking a claimed 20 hours of longevity. The use of Qualcomm’s chip also means these notebooks can run cool and are fan-less, and can therefore be thinner and lighter.
HP’s Snapdragon 835-driven ‘mobile PC’, the other moniker Qualcomm has been bandying around for these devices, is a new take on the firm’s Envy x2 detachable. It boasts a 12.3-inch WUXGA+ display (with Corning Gorilla Glass 4), 8GB of system memory and 256GB of storage.
The tablet portion of the device weighs a touch less than 700g, and is only 6.9mm thick, certainly fulfilling those promises in the portability category.
There’s an integrated Snapdragon X16 LTE modem, as well as a built-in stand which can be adjusted between 110 and 150-degrees. The keyboard is backlit and you also get a Windows Ink certified pen. HP also claims up to 20 hours of battery life.
As for the operating system, HP’s Envy x2 comes with Windows 10 S installed, with a ‘one-time option’ to switch to Windows 10 Pro. These devices all run Microsoft’s desktop operating system natively, as we’ve previously discussed. And as you’ve doubtless noticed, the Envy bears more than a passing resemblance to a certain other Microsoft product.
Super NovaGo?
The Asus NovaGo was also revealed, a ZenBook-ish affair built around the Snapdragon 835. This is a traditional laptop with a 13.3-inch Full HD touchscreen, again with stylus support, and the same 8GB/256GB of system memory and storage.
The NovaGo weighs in at 1.39kg and is 14.9mm thick, and in terms of connectivity offers a pair of USB 3.1 (Gen 1 Type-A) ports, an HDMI connector, and a microSD card slot. We didn’t get the battery life estimation for this model, but presumably it’s up there with Qualcomm’s (and HP’s) claimed 20-hour longevity.
Like the HP convertible, this Asus laptop will also come running Windows 10 S by default with the option of an one-time, free upgrade to Windows 10 Pro.
The NovaGo starts at $599 (about £445, AU$787) for the variant loaded with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage and works up to $799 (about £595, AU$1,050) for a model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
Unfortunately, no pricing has yet been revealed for the Envy x2, so we’re still waiting on that. As for availability, we haven’t heard on the Asus machine, but HP says that the Envy will be out in the spring of 2018.
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