Laptops utilizing nan processor will get later this twelvemonth from Lenovo, Acer, HP and others.
Qualcomm
Apple's $599 ($499 for students) MacBook Neo changed people's expectations for fund laptops, and now we're seeing nan PC industry's response. Qualcomm is launching nan Snapdragon C processor designed for fund Windows laptops, nan institution announced astatine Computex. It's promising "responsive performance, cool, quiet designs and... all-day artillery life successful entry-tier laptops targeting $300 and up."
The Snapdragon C isn't designed for 3D rendering aliases 8K video editing, but it tin do "smooth web browsing, video streaming and productivity," Qualcomm said. It moreover includes an integrated NPU for AI capabilities, thing mostly missing from entry-level laptops. Overall, it's designed to beryllium cool and quiet and connection accordant capacity for emblematic workloads, nan institution said.
Performance and ratio person ne'er been nan hallmarks of inexpensive Windows Intel-based laptops. By ditching Intel successful favour of its acold much power-efficient ARM-based chips, it became feasible for Apple to build a merchandise for illustration nan Neo. It makes sense, then, for Windows manufacturers to do nan aforesaid — and Qualcomm is giving them that anticipation pinch its caller system-on-chip.
Laptops utilizing nan Snapdragon C are expected to deed shelves "later this year," Qualcomm said, from manufacturers including Acer, HP and Lenovo. If they execute arsenic Qualcomm boasts and travel adjacent that $300 value point, those products could make a large effect successful nan entry-level laptop marketplace and thief Windows PC makers triumph customers who want an replacement to nan MacBook Neo.