Lenovo Puts Qualcomm To Work With ARM-Powered Windows 10 Notebooks

Just recently, before the holidays kicked off, Qualcomm, the creator of the venerable Snapdragon SoC found in nearly all flagship smartphones, officially announced its bright future inside Windows 10 notebooks and mobile devices. At the time, Lenovo had no product on hand, but was a listed partner. Here at CES 2018, we get to see its first new generation notebook, the Lenovo Miix 630.

The Miix 630 is a 2-in-1 detachable, like the familiar Surface range, but is powered by a Snapdragon 835 SoC to enable the new mantra of ‘always on, always connected’. To get a better idea of what these Snapdragon Windows machines are like, you can check back to our original press event notes. The short of it is 20 hours of use time, up to a month of standby, or about a week of general use, without the need to turn the device off, all built around ARM architecture instead of x86.

Updates and notifications are all run in the background like a smartphone, but with the added benefit of a larger and more productive device. Being 4G LTE and WiFi enabled means it’s always connected to the internet. Powered by Windows 10 means you also get the full wealth of software and the option to install whatever you want on the device – this even includes x86 applications, and not just those found in the Windows Store.

The Miix 630 comes with Windows 10 S, much like those from HP and ASUS, and this is the cut-back version of the OS that limits the types of apps that can be used, mostly for security. Lenovo is offering the same free update though, to Windows 10 Pro, so you can use it like any other PC. It’ll come with 256GB of storage, Cortana voice assist, Windows Hello security, Ink support, and all the fun features of a modern tablet. It’s fanless, under 16mm thick, and weighs just under 3lbs with a 12.3-inch display.

Lenovo will be offering the Miix 630 with digital stylus and detachable keyboard for about $800 and will be available some time in the 2nd half of this year.