The idea of an “always-on”, “always connected” computer has been around for a while. Unfortunately, the available technology wasn’t quite ready to make such computers possible. Thanks to the just-announced new Qualcomm Snapdragon Compute platform portfolio, the “always computer” may finally be at hand. Long battery life, AI, and cellular connectivity are just the beginning of this revolution.
The long battery life, cellular connectivity, and AI accelerated the performance of the new Qualcomm Snapdragon Compute platform will pave the way to a new generation of fanless, thin and light computers. Development of the new platform focused on the needs of those who are on the go while also recognizes just how quickly the demands and expectations of mobile consumers have evolved.
The Snapdragon 7c and 8c now join the previously announced Snapdragon 8cx, delivering lightning-fast cellular connectivity to premium, mainstream, and entry-level notebook PCs. The portfolio is available in various price points allowing partners to design always on, always connected PCs for a wide array of consumers. In addition, the Snapdragon 8cx enterprise computer platform brings connected security software and secured-core PC support for modern enterprises looking to bring mobility to their workers.
The Octa-core Qualcomm Kryo 468 CPU and Qualcomm Adreno 618 GPU deliver responsive performance AND impressive battery life in the entry-tier. The numbers are impressive. For example:
- The Snapdragon 7c computer platform delivers a 25% boost in system performance and up to twice the battery life vs. competing platforms plus lightning-fast connectivity via the Snapdragon X15 LTE modem.
- The Qualcomm AI Engine delivers over five trillion operations per second (TOPS) of performance for the latest AI accelerated experiences offered by Windows 10.
- The advanced 7nm Snapdragon 8c Compute Platform boosts performance up to 30% over
the Snapdragon 850.
The platform intentionally bridges the gap between smartphones and computers through its focus on instant-on responsiveness and multi-day battery life. It not only delivers amazing battery life but the integrated Snapdragon X24 LTE modem also enables multi-gigabit connectivity speeds so access to the cloud simply happens. Moreover, thanks to the Qualcomm AI Engine which dedicates six TOPS to accelerate machine learning applications, the platform will make mainstream devices with an ultra-thin, fan-less design that is optimized for mainstream use possible.
As Alex Katouzian, senior vice president and general manager, mobile, Qualcomm Technologies,
Inc. observes,
Qualcomm Technologies’ innovation in smartphones and connectivity placed the power of your desktop PC in your phone, now the phone is returning the favor by bringing thin, light, always-on, always-connected, all-day battery life experiences to your PC. The mobile-first consumer wants an experience on par with a smartphone, and we have the innovation, the inventions and the technology to enable this experience for customers across price points.
The full Snapdragon Mobile Compute portfolio promises to give Qualcomm’s partners greater flexibility to create products that meet the ever-changing demands of their customers.
Here are some highlights …
It’s #ACPC time 🙂 @donnymac on stage to introduce Miguel Nunes. #SnapdragonSummit ? #Pixel4XL #telephoto pic.twitter.com/k9jTi4sgbn
— Myriam Joire (@tnkgrl) December 5, 2019
Miguel Nunes is going to present the Snapdragon compute session. Ah, it appears that the Project Limitless PC from Lenovo will be 5G enabled. See the far right. #Snapdragon #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/QjyLlRJnHh
— Mark Hachman (@markhachman) December 5, 2019
In case anyone watching the #SnapdragonSummit livestream is wondering about the fans that Miguel was referring to https://t.co/l9w7Evzm7V
— Bryan Ma (@bryanbma) December 5, 2019
Now this is why the Snapdragon 7c is exciting #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/xyC2plifKf
— Rich Woods (@TheRichWoods) December 5, 2019
Here’s how you’d use a dedicated AI core in a Windows PC #snapdragonsummit pic.twitter.com/OjuUp6xMpC
— Sascha 5Gan (@saschasegan) December 5, 2019
All tiers of the @Qualcomm Snapdragon compute platform bring all these modern features to the #PC #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/xsblJFt4Rr
— Anshel Sag (@anshelsag) December 5, 2019
Most talked yet nothing done about issue.. #security and #privacy rightly addressed by #acpc #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/34ZWGbsQHh
— Prakash Sangam @Qualcomm #SnapdragonSummit (@MyTechMusings) December 5, 2019
Qualcomm is closing out the #SnapdragonSummit with new processors -the 8c and 7c- for more affordable Always Connected PCs.
I continue to find the ACPC one of the more promising developments in laptops. Always-on LTE, long battery life, no fans … the highs are compelling. pic.twitter.com/wsW7FJmSlE
— Michael Fisher (@theMrMobile) December 5, 2019
Qualcomm is closing out the #SnapdragonSummit with new processors -the 8c and 7c- for more affordable Always Connected PCs.
I continue to find the ACPC one of the more promising developments in laptops. Always-on LTE, long battery life, no fans … the highs are compelling. pic.twitter.com/wsW7FJmSlE
— Michael Fisher (@theMrMobile) December 5, 2019
. @Qualcomm wants a Snapdragon for everyone in the mobile ACPC market. The Snapdragon 7c and 8c now join Snapdragon 8cx. These slides show what the #Snapdragon compute platform brings.#SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/Ke1VJ9XAwY
— Nathan Kirsch (@LegitReviews) December 5, 2019
Today’s announcement will lead some people to position the addition of the #Snapdragon7c as a retreat into the low-end but this is actually about looking at the market opportunity and the market segment that could do with embracing a modern computing experience #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/Ntjms9Zw3x
— Carolina Milanesi (@caro_milanesi) December 5, 2019
Qualcomm claims that gaze detection (which matches your eyes to the screen) consumes a ton less power. Some basic specs of the 7c:#Snapdragon #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/zGrkCibx0L
— Mark Hachman (@markhachman) December 5, 2019
So @Microsoft says more demand for ARM PCs will drive more support from Developers for the platform and highlights Adobe’s commitment to bring Creative Cloud to ARM #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/anJZjmerNN
— Varun Krishnan (@varunkrish) December 5, 2019
.@Qualcomm‘s always-connected mobile PC platform is coming to a lower price-point with the introduction of Snapdragon 7c. It’s not the top-end part, but the 7c feature-set (especially AI) gives the impression that this tier holds little back. #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/GuE00tXqX6
— Techgage (@Techgage) December 5, 2019
Here is a #5G stat for you.
With 5G a movie that takes 6 minutes to download today, will take 3 seconds! #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/OxxJCgj7W1— Daniel Newman (@danielnewmanUV) December 5, 2019
Microsoft says 5G will power superior experiences with Windows Virtual Desktop, OneDrive, and Project xCloud – wall through architectural sites under construction. xCloud will come to @Qualcomm Snapdragon Windows PCs next year, and will “rock” with 5G. #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/lejd5Hh57j
— Jeremy Horwitz (@horwitz) December 5, 2019
. @Qualcomm says 7c compute platform offers 25% better performance than Snapdragon 850. The 8c compute platfrom bumps that up to 30%. Impressive and can’t wait to learn the price points for new this 3 tier ACPC approach!
#SnapdragonSummit #acpc pic.twitter.com/MU0i4Htfjq
— Nathan Kirsch (@LegitReviews) December 5, 2019
What to expect from @Microsoft + @Qualcomm this year 🙂 #ACPC #SnapdragonSummit ? #Pixel4XL #telephoto pic.twitter.com/2k3Hgg7lm0
— Myriam Joire (@tnkgrl) December 5, 2019
Microsoft: Project xCloud will be ported to Qualcomm PCs in 2020. Well, that was unexpected. #Snapdragon #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/ivFLJISViw
— Mark Hachman (@markhachman) December 5, 2019
Zoom video conferencing coming native to ARM PCs. #snapdragonsummit pic.twitter.com/Wjw8J4S1MC
— Sascha 5Gan (@saschasegan) December 5, 2019
Super proud to announce our new Premium Quality XR platform – the amazing #Snapdragon XR2! At #SnapdragonSummit today! pic.twitter.com/15ojvJ2PDc
— Hugo Swart (@HugoSwart_QCOM) December 5, 2019
Microsoft sure does sound like it is banking on Always Connected PCs to drive it’s SaaS product lines:
-Microsoft 365
-OneDrive
-Project xCloud#Snapdragonsummit pic.twitter.com/4EBHj4z5m2— Patrick Moorhead @ #reInvent and #SnapDragonSummit (@PatrickMoorhead) December 5, 2019
Confirmed: #Qualcomm is partnering with #Microsoft to bring the #xCloud gaming experience to mobile with the best #5g connection speeds the world has ever seen. #E32020 will be epic this year. Can’t wait!!! #SnapdragonSummit #Xbox #MicrosoftXbox pic.twitter.com/LnV5qOPC6P
— Jace Sparks (@creativejace) December 5, 2019
Qualcomm 8cx Enterprise platform is actually a notch above the 8cx. This is getting very segmented. #snapdragonsummit pic.twitter.com/1FGgW5visI
— Sascha 5Gan (@saschasegan) December 5, 2019
Disclosure: I am at the Snapdragon Tech Summit as Qualcomm’s guest; they paid for my travel, room, and meals, but there were no conditions or expectations made regarding what I chose to write about regarding my experience.