Qualcomm unveiled its latest entry-level compute platform chip designed to push always connected Windows and ChromeOS powered devices.
The new Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 chip was touted as a boost in power efficiency and battery performance during Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Compute: Scaling the Mobile Compute Ecosystem Virtual Announcement.
Aside from its improvements in battery efficiency and power the 7c Gen chip also looks to democratize the use of LTE, AI acceleration enterprise-grade security as well as address audio and image capabilities of “affordable” devices.
“Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 brings the leading innovations of our compute portfolio to the next generation of entry-tier and affordable devices. Laptops powered by this platform will redefine mobile computing for education users, first line workers, and everyday light consumers, enabling reliable and powerful devices that feature advanced AI, and support for multi-day battery life,” said Miguel Nunes, Senior Director, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “We are excited to bring this next generation upgrade to our entry level platform, for the very best mobile PC experiences.”
As has been the dream, Qualcomm emphasized its Snapdragon 7c platform would help to usher in the age of seamless wireless connectivity for laptops which includes, “The ability to seamlessly switch between trusted Wi-Fi and cellular networks to keep connections highly secure – whether for work, school, or entertainment – is a leading feature among competitive solutions.”
In addition to its Always-On engineering, the 7c platform houses another equally interesting feature in its revamped connected-standby technology which can help devices stay powered for weeks at a time according to Qualcomm.
Digging a little deeper into Qualcomm’s announcement, we also find that the 7c Gen 2 will support virtual sound, echo cancellation, noise suppression technology, 4K HDR streaming and up to 32-megapixel cameras.
Qualcomm mentioned that the first devices with the new 7c Gen 2 chips should be up for retail summer 2021. The summer target feels optimistic amid several other competing companies reducing chip shipments due to an increasing global chip shortage.
The 7c Gen 2 also comes at an odd time as two of Qaulcomm’s most significant partners are rumored to be testing their own ARM reference designed chips. Judging from the specs and naming convention however, it appears Qualcomm may be able to undercut any potential Microsoft or Google experiments based mostly on the price of their new low-end chip.
