Microsoft took the first step towards Windows on ARM by launching Copilot Plus PCs during the Surface event yesterday. Qualcomm has launched its own Snapdragon Dev Kit with the top-of-the-line X Elite processor at the Microsoft Build event. Here's everything you need to know.
Snapdragon X Elite Review after 2 months: Laptop Revolution!
Qualcomm says the Snapdragon Dev Kit's processor is a special edition X Elite chip. It will have a 12-core 3.8 GHz Oryon CPU and a Dual Core Boost up to 4.3 GHz. The kit will run Windows 11 on a 32GB LPDDR5X RAM along with a 512GB Fast NVMe Storage. The Qualcomm Hexagon NPU with up to 45 TOPS should help developers leverage AI and build powerful AI apps.
In terms of I/O, there are 3 x USB-C, 2 x USB-A, 1 x Ethernet and 1 x 3.5mm headphone jack. In terms of connectivity, the kit comes with Qualcomm's FastConnect 7800 Mobile Connectivity System with support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. The device weighs just 970 grams, measures 199mm x 175mm x 35mm, and it will be powered by a 180W AC adapter.
This is not the first time Qualcomm has launched a Snapdragon Dev kit. The silicon giant did it back when it launched the Snapdragon 8cx and 7cx platforms. For those unaware of the potential use cases for development kits. They are devices available to developers to help them push the hardware through its limits and test their apps.
