Windows 10 devices based on Snapdragon SoCs are reportedly in development

The new Qualcomm Microsoft Alliance is rumored to be working diligently on Snapdragon 835-based Windows systems for a launch sometime in the second half of 2017.

Allen Ngo, 12/21/2016

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Microsoft's recent announcement at the WinHEC conference in Shenzhen about a Qualcomm alliance is purportedly receiving positive feedback from the industry. According to supplier sources close to DigiTimes, manufacturers are already hard at work on building smaller energy-saving PC designs with LTE connectivity for a launch in the latter half of 2017. These machines are expected to run on Snapdragon SoCs as opposed to "proper" x86-based processors.

Despite the high hopes for more ARM-based Windows products, we may not see any ARM-based Windows 10 systems on show at CES 2017. Nonetheless, the lower power consumption and cheaper manufacturing costs of ARM processors should lead to unique passively-cooled designs at more affordable prices.

Microsoft's previous attempt at an ARM-based Windows tablet failed as the Windows RT platform lacked lasting support from both manufacturers and developers. A return to ARM shows the company's insistence on expanding upon the "Internet of Things" concept and to increase the presence of Windows in a mobile market dominated by ARM, Android, and iOS.