Microsoft Calls ARM-Powered Snapdragon Laptop a 'Game Changer' in Terms of Battery Life
Microsoft has been planning to put out laptops powered by ARM chips, the same family of processors that power mobile devices, since last year. With the first models coming out, it looks like the new design will give a massive boost to battery life that's beyond even the company's own optimistic estimates.
Qualcomm's annual 5G summit is in full swing, with many industry giants in attendance. That includes Microsoft, who showcased their first line of Snapdragon-powered laptops running Windows 10. This looks like the next logical step to their Redstone 3 project that aims to run Windows on mobile chips.
These laptops were first announced back in December last year, according to Trusted Reviews. Almost a year later, the first models are now on display running on the Snapdragon 835 chipset.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
These models, apart from the already impressive achievement of running Windows 10 on a mobile chip, are expected to have a battery life several times longer than laptops out in the market today. The new laptops can run on battery for a couple of days or more, a charge life that's been described as "really, really good."
"To be frank, it's actually beyond our expectations," he said. "We set a high bar for [our developers], and we're now beyond that," Pete Bernard, Program Manager for Connectivity Partners, said.
"It's the kind of battery life where I use it on a daily basis. I don't take my charger with me. I may charge it every couple of days or so. It's that kind of battery life," he added.
It's the kind of battery life that people have come to expect to only come from older phones or from models with particularly large batteries. "I would consider it a game-changer in terms of the way people have experienced PCs in the past," Bernard noted.
Microsoft is in the middle of testing "hundreds" of these Qualcomm-based devices back at the Microsoft Headquarters in Redmond. The new laptops will be out this December, based on last year's announcement, according to The Verge.
