Qualcomm’s big chip merger plan paves the way for – wait for it – the return of the Windows Phone
Well, the time has finally come. Qualcomm could merge its Snapdragon mobile and PC processors under one consolidated ‘Elite’ brand, bringing us one step closer to the product I’ve always wanted: the perfect combination of phone and PC.
Despite the sad demise of Windows Phonethe gap between phones and PCs has narrowed over the years, with the introduction of Windows and ChromeOS tablets further muddying things up. The smartphone in your pocket is almost certainly more powerful than a desktop PC from 20 or even 10 years ago, and today’s top-end mobile chips are even more impressive.
Many of us – myself included – have become more comfortable working from phones and tablets, and software has also evolved to meet these needs: When I was in school, the idea arose to create Microsoft Word documents being able to edit on my crappy flip phone It felt like a distant dream, but now I can work on my work in Google Docs Pixel8 with ease.
It makes me excited for a completely new type of product, something that doesn’t exist yet, but could: a device that I can carry with me and use as a phone, but then be placed in a monitor or keyboard and used as a full-fledged PC at home.
Strategy shifts
As reported by WccftechQualcomm apparently isn’t the only company working on this either – since splitting away from Intel CPUs for Mac devices, Apple has been hard at work behind the scenes unifying its M-series and A-series chips ( the latter of which is the power of the best iPhones). While Intel remains the dominant force in the PC processor market, it doesn’t make chips for phones, and Qualcomm is coming for Intel’s lunch – even if it I won’t be buying out Intel anytime soon.
Thanks to Qualcomm’s impressive Snapdragon X Elite chip, Microsoft has done just that Finally managed to get Windows on Arm based chips to workwith Prism emulation doing wonders for x86 app support (even if it’s not perfect yet). We mentioned the Snapdragon powered one Surface Pro 11 ‘the best Surface ever’ in our review, and I stand by that.
In fact, the recent successes of Microsoft and Qualcomm mean I’m taking my predictions about the future of phone/PC technology one step further: It’s time for Windows Phone to make a comeback, baby!
Rise from the grave, Windows Phone
Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon described the Snapdragon ‘the most disruptive thing in computing since Windows 95’ when he unveiled a new line of Windows laptops with Snapdragon chips Computerex 2024and I’m inclined to say he was absolutely right: being able to run Windows on Arm (actually, not the awful watered-down Windows RT you see on older Surface devices) is truly a game-changer.
That’s what I’m asking for, Microsoft: I want a phone with a sleek, tile-based Windows operating system, preferably with an app store that isn’t completely terrible this time, with the ability to connect it to any monitor ( or a specialized docking station) to turn it into a small desktop PC that can handle all my normal daily work tasks. Yes, you can probably do this already with some fiddling, but I want it to be a seamless, effortless transition.
I know that’s a big question. To start with, the app store is an immediate stumbling block; Asking Sundar Pichai and Satya Nadella to kiss and make up so I can have a full-fledged Google Play Store on a Windows device probably won’t happen anytime soon. We don’t plan to see Qualcomm put the X Elite chip in a smartphone either; the aforementioned merger is likely more of a branding maneuver and an attempt to bridge the gap between Qualcomm’s internal chip development teams, likely with the aim of bringing better AI performance to the upcoming Snapdragon phone processors.
Of course, Google has the opportunity to do something absolutely hilarious here and steal this concept right out from under Microsoft. Some of the best Chromebooks already use standard mobile chips; it’s quite excellent Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebookalthough now sadly discontinued, used a Snapdragon 7c chip – essentially a modified version of the Snapdragon 7 chip found in many smartphones released around the same time. ChromeOS is also already well-suited for lower-powered touchscreen devices, and accessing the Play Store shouldn’t be a problem.
So the ball is in your court, Google. I will wait…
