Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered computers didn’t exactly take off this year, but the smartphone processor maker hopes to turn things around with its new Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 processor designed specifically for always-connected PCs.
At Computex 2018, Qualcomm claimed that its new processor will bring 30% improved performance alongside 20% improved battery life compared to the previous Snapdragon 835 chip that made its way into devices like the Asus NovaGo, Lenovo Miix 630 and HP Envy x2.
These performance increases come thanks to Qualcomm tuning its 2nd-generation 10nm process specifically for computing and making improvements to power delivery. As in smartphones, Qualcomm says its Snapdragon processor on PCs offloads many of the maintenance-based functions to low-energy cores to improve power efficiency.
Beyond core performance, the Snapdragon 850 also comes with a new Snapdragon x20 LTE modem, allowing PCs to tap into the 10MHz Licensed LTE band for greater international connectivity. Qualcomm also claims its next-generation PCs will offer 20% or faster LTE modem speeds.
Ultra HD or 4K playback and capture are both now enabled thanks to the new Qualcomm Adreno 630 visual processing engine. Meanwhile, we could soon see virtual surround sound, as the new chip supports Qualcomm’s Aqstic & aptX audio standard.
While no new devices were announced at Qualcomm’s press event, Samsung appeared on stage to say we can expect a Snapdragon-powered PC from it later this year.
