Samsung Electronics and Xiaomi have joined the bandwagon of Windows 10 ARM laptops powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processors. The two companies join HP, Asus and Lenovo, who are already working on Snapdragon-powered Windows PC.
Samsung mainly focuses on its smartphone lineups and is one of the largest mobile phone manufacturers in the world. The company is among the first to adopt the new high-end Snapdragon processors. The Snapdragon 835 is the best processor for mobiles in the current market, which is now being projected to power Windows 10 on ARM with some tweaks.
As far as Xiaomi is concerned, the company’s business is mainly focussed on India and China. Xiaomi’s smartphones are selling like hot cakes in these markets, especially in China. So its involvement in Windows PC is even more important for Microsoft. Nearly all foreign companies have struggled to win China. So by launching an always-connected PC, it helps Microsoft expand the Windows 10 on ARM. However, it remains to be seen whether Xiaomi launches those devices in Europe and US or not.
Performance
There aren’t any specifications available for the new devices as of now. However, it should not be wrong to assume that the new devices will follow the same strategy as the other models running Windows 10 on ARM. This essentially means they’ll be thin, light, and possibly fanless devices with instant-on functionality. 4G LTE support for always-connected capabilities is also something that can be expected since those are the primary strengths of the Windows on Snapdragon platform. While Intel-powered Windows 10 computers have always worked great, it’ll be very interesting to see how the new Snapdragon-powered devices perform.
Cost
The Snapdragon-powered devices are expected to have higher price tag compared to their Intel counterparts. The Asus NovaGO, for instance, a 13.3-inch laptop having FHD screen, has a starting price of $599. So the emphasis will be on the always-on, always-connected, ultra-portable features to make up for that extra price.
While there hasn’t been any official news or announcements by Samsung or Xiaomi on the plan to launch always-connected PCs, more news on this front should land in early 2018 when the first manufacturers start shipping their devices.
