Windows 10 ARM devices expected to have unbelievable battery life

Microsoft and its OEM partners are expected to launch new Windows 10 devices powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon ARM processors later this year. Windows 10 devices powered by ARM processors are known as Always Connected PCs and they offer an always-connected experience on modern hardware.

Microsoft has been talking a lot about Windows 10 on ARM processors and showcasing some of its features over the past year, and it’s now getting ready to release the first set of such PCs this year.

At its annual 5G Summit, Qualcomm revealed some new details on Always Connected PCs and its partnership with Microsoft. Firstly, Don McGuire, the VP of Global Product Marketing at Qualcomm revealed that the Always Connected PCs will have multi-day battery life. In fact, McGuire claimed that the battery life of the Always Connected PCs are actually beyond their expectations, where users would only need to charge their device “every couple of days or so.”

“To be frank, it’s actually beyond our expectations. We set a high bar for [our developers], and we’re now beyond that. It’s the kind of battery life where I use it on a daily basis. I don’t take my charger with me. I may charge it every couple of days or so. It’s that kind of battery life.”

In another interview, Windows group program manager Pete Bernard, shared an interesting story about the battery life of some of the Always Connected PCs which demonstrated the platform’s potentially incredible battery life:

“One of the funny anecdotes is we handed out these devices to all of our dev directors and leaders across the Windows org, and we started getting all these bug reports back… saying ‘the battery meter’s not working, it says I still have a full charge.

It turned out not to be a bug; it just has a great battery life. So people are getting used to this concept of having a device that you don’t have to charge, and at the same time people are getting used to this notion of being always connected and having a device with that LTE connectivity built in. It’s really starting to resonate even amongst our own developers.”

While the first set of Always Connected PCs from Asus, HP, and Lenovo aren’t expected to be cheap, Qualcomm says we’ll eventually get affordable Windows 10 Always Connected PCs powered by the company’s ARM processors once the portfolio expands. Microsoft and Qualcomm are already testing lots of Always Connected PCs internally, and they are expecting to start shipping the first Always Connected PCs just in time for the holidays this December. Notably, Lenovo won’t be able to get its Always Connected PC ready in time for the holidays.

Source: ZDNet, TrustedReviews | Image by Anshel Sag