Qualcomm promises $300 Windows laptops with new Snapdragon C

Qualcomm is targeting entry-level Arm-based Windows laptops with a new Snapdragon C platform, aiming for prices around $300 this year. The platform is positioned to provide responsive, lag-free performance for browsing, video calls, streaming, and multitasking. Qualcomm also targets all-day battery life and minimal fan noise, aiming for laptops that “just work.” To reach the lower price point, Snapdragon C does not use Qualcomm’s newer Oryon CPU cores and instead relies on older Kryo cores. The platform includes an NPU for local AI compute even in the slowest tier, but it does not meet Microsoft Copilot Plus PC requirements for the full AI feature set.

"“With Snapdragon C, we are raising the bar for what budget-conscious laptop buyers should expect,” Qualcomm senior director of product management Mandar Deshpande told journalists on a conference call. “You get the benefits of a responsive system, lag-free performance, browsing, video calls, streaming, multitasking, everything.” Up until now, getting everything has been a tall order even at $600."

"The new laptops should also have “all-day battery life,” “not a lot of fan noise,” and be “a laptop that just works,” added Deshpande. Qualcomm and partners are assuredly cutting some corners to get to $300. The new platform doesn't use Qualcomm's Oryon CPU cores that underpin all its latest Windows laptop and smartphone chips, for instance, but are instead based on the older Kryo cores found in older phones and Chromebooks."

"Even though RAMageddon has yet to subside and PC prices keep climbing, the company says it's built a new budget laptop platform called Snapdragon C - “C” as in “Compute” - to keep entry-level laptops affordable. Now, Qualcomm says the price of its Arm-based Windows laptops will hit $300 this year."

Read at The Verge