Tired of the struggle of trying to find a cafe with reliable Wi-Fi, and bathrooms, and good coffee, and with employees who won’t hard side-eye you after you’ve been parked for two hours? We’ve seen the future, and it involves you, a laptop, and a beach somewhere. It’s going to be beautiful.
Word got out last year about a new wave of laptops and 2-in-1s running not on Intel CPUs, but Qualcomm chipsets — the same ones we find in most high-end Android phones! There are pros and cons. The Qualcomm-powered PCs will not only have LTE connectivity and better battery life, they’ll generally be available at a lower price. But, because those chips weren’t exactly made for PCs, they can’t run some Windows desktop programs — while they will be able to run anything from the Windows Store, any 64-bit Windows programs won’t work, and the 32-bit programs will be emulated. Microsoft is optimizing those 32-bit programs on a case-by-case basis, too, so while Photoshop is supposed to work well, others might not.
To be fair, we’ve been here before. Back in the days of Windows 8, Microsoft had an alternate, more tablet-oriented OS called Windows RT that ran on similar processors. It, uh, didn’t go too well. Windows RT devices were badly underpowered and unpopular when compared to Intel-powered laptops running Windows 8. Will things be different this time around? Maybe — if you’ve got the right expectations. Power will indeed still be a concern, but the hope is that they’ll be good enough for lighter users (the ones who only need web browsing and document editors). If so, that’ll let a lot of mobile workers operate from wherever, whenever. A few of these devices are at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas this week — here’s what to look out for.
Next page: HP
HP Envy x2
The HP Envy x2 is one of the better choices for remote workers. This is a 2-in-1 hybrid in the same vein as the Surface Pro. It’s a 12.3″ slate with a kickstand on the back and a soft, detachable keyboard. Aside from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset inside running the show, the specs look similar enough to other 2-in-1s — 8 GB of RAM, up to 256 GB of storage space, and a 1920 x 1200 resolution display. As per usual for HP, Bang & Olufsen is providing the audio processing for the device’s dual speakers. The Envy x2 will work with the HP Digital Pen, which is good news for artists!
The difference is in the LTE connectivity and the 22-hour battery life quote by HP. This first part is all fine and good, but we’re not as sure when it comes to battery life. Those estimates can often fail to reflect real world use, and with this being the first time Qualcomm 835 CPUs have been put into PCs, we don’t know what to expect. Also, keep in mind that the Envy x2 runs Windows 10 S, the version that can only use Windows Store apps (think similar to a Chromebook). You do have the option of upgrading to Windows 10, though.
Lenovo Miix 360
Being honest? The Lenovo Miix 630 is pretty much just like the HP Envy x2. The dimensions of the 12.3″ display are a little different at 1920 x 1280 resolution, which makes it exactly a 3:2 aspect ratio. Otherwise, same Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, same memory options, and of course the LTE connectivity and the super-long (20-hour) battery life. You can also expect pen support for Lenovo’s stylus, too. We haven’t been able to use either yet, but we get the feeling the Miix 630’s better display will be balanced out by the better audio on the Envy x2. You’ll also get Windows 10 S, with the same option to upgrade to Windows 10 if you want. And, the same caveats apply to battery life — we just don’t know if it’ll be that good from day to day. We know that the Miix 630 will start at $800, which will be for the 4 GM RAM/64 GB storage configuration.
Asus NovaGo
Asus does things a little differently with the NovaGo. It’s still a 2-in-1, but thanks to a 360-degree hinge instead of a detachable keyboard. It’s also a little bigger, with a 13.3″ 1920 x 1080 display. Like the others, you can get between 4 GB and 8 GB of RAM and between 64 GB and 256 GB of storage. It also runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, meaning it has LTE connectivity and that fabled 20-hour battery life.
Asus has also added stylus support — don’t let the more laptop-like appearance fool you, we’re still looking at a touchscreen and a strong tool for digital artists here. But, it runs Windows 10 S, and with the relative lack of power of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, it should be pointed out that more involved Photoshop tasks could run pretty slowly.
Asus has always excelled at offering up good specs at great prices, and the NovaGo is no exception. It’ll be just $600 for the 4 GB RAM/64 GB storage configuration, while the 8 GB RAM/256 GB storage configuration is just $800.
