Qualcomm invades Intel’s turf with Snapdragon PCs that push battery life over performance

Look out: Qualcomm is invading Intel’s turf, announcing Windows PCs that use the same Snapdragon chips as your phone, with battery life that can last well into a second day of use.

At its recent Snapdragon Technology Forum, Qualcomm showed off its Snapdragon 835 Mobile PC Platform on an HP Envy x2 tablet and an Asus NovaGo ultrabook. (A third PC, from Lenovo, will be announced at CES in Las Vegas.) Both run on the company’s Snapdragon 835—yes, the same processor (and cellular modem) inside popular phones like the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. Qualcomm uses its success with smartphones to justify its foray into PCs. You demand all-day performance from your phone, while it’s constantly connected to the Internet. Why shouldn’t your PC deliver the same?

Let’s clear up one concern right away: Qualcomm’s Windows PCs are running Windows 10, not the abandoned Windows RT variant that only ran Microsoft’s UWP apps. However, these PCs emulate non-UWP apps, slowing performance. Qualcomm hopes you’ll be willing to trade