First 5G laptop: Lenovo and Qualcomm showcase always-on PC due in early 2020
As Lenovo and Qualcomm promised they would earlier this year, the pair have unveiled the world's first 5G laptop that runs on the mobile chipmaker's new 7nm Snapdragon 8cx processor.
With Intel's recent withdrawal from the 5G chip business, Qualcomm alone is spearheading the slowly emerging market for always-connected Windows 10 mobile laptops.
SEE: IT pro's guide to the evolution and impact of 5G technology (free PDF)
Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon 8cx in December as a dedicated processor for computer makers to sell devices for super-fast 5G networks that are launching around the world this year and in 2020.
Lenovo's new 5G PC is called Project Limitless and was unveiled at the annual Computex tech conference in Taipei, Taiwan.
The computer maker reckons consumers are willing to pay for a 5G computer and ditch smartphone tethering or using a public wifi hotspot.
Qualcomm's 7nm Snapdragon 8cx compute platform consists of an Adreno 680 GPU, a Hexagon 690 DSP, a Kryo 495 CPU, the Snapdragon X55 5G modem, and Wi-Fi support.
Lenovo hasn't revealed pricing, availability and details about specifications yet but says Project Limitless devices will arrive in early 2020. They are set to be the first laptops with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X55 5G modem.
Anandtech's review suggests this prototype 5G laptop is a 13-inch display device with a Full HD resolution that looks similar to the slim and light Lenovo Yoga 630.
Lenovo says its new 5G laptops will be available with up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage.
"With real 5G in a PC, it's all about satisfying users' need for speed: faster file transfers and streaming in 4K, 8K and even AR/VR; faster and higher quality video chats on-the-go; even faster screen refreshes for mobile gaming," said Johnson Jia, Lenovo's senior vice president and general manager of Consumer Business of Intelligent Devices Group.