Russian company Prombit has unveiled the BITBLAZE Titan BM15 Arm Linux Laptop equipped with Baikal-M1 octa-core Arm Cortex-A57 processor manufactured by TSMC, up to 128GB RAM, SSD storage, and a 15.6-inch Full HD display.
Baikal-M1, also called Baikal-M, was already found in desktop PCs and All-in-One Arm Linux computers launched last year for the Russian government and businesses, but I think it’s the first time it shows up in a laptop.
BITBLAZE Titan BM15 specifications:
- SoC – Baikal M1 ((BE-M1000) octa-core Cortex-A57 processor @ up to 1.5 GHz with Arm Mali-T628 GPU; 28nm manufacturing process
- System Memory – 16GB RAM, upgradeable up to 128 GB thanks to the two SO-DIMM DDR4 sockets [Update: Our previous article about Baikal M1 only showed the processor to support up to 32GB RAM, and 64GB DDR4 SO-DIMM modules don’t seem to exist, so the 128GB claim appears to be an error]
- Storage – 250 to 512GB M.2 SSD
- Display – 15.6-inch IPS touchscreen display with 1920×1080 resolution
- Video Output – 1x HDMI port
- Audio – 3.5mm audio jack, and I’d assume speakers and a microphone
- Camera – Front-facing webcam
- Networking
- Ethernet RJ45 port
- WiFi and Bluetooth
- USB – 4x USB 3.0 ports, 1x USB Type-C port
- Battery – 6,000 mAh good for about 5 hours
- Weight – 2.2kg for the pre-production model, but the production model might be lighter
There’s no mention of the operating system used on the product page, but the laptop most certainly runs the same Astra Linux distribution as the Baikal M hardware launched last year with the Russian office application package, and other programs all approved by the “Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media”.
However, the laptop may end up being a collector item, as Tom’s Hardware reports TSMC will not manufacture chips for Russian companies due to current sanctions. But we’ll have to see, as Chinese companies such as SMIC should still be able to manufacture processors on a 28nm process despite (again) more sanctions. Tom’s Hardware further mentions that the laptop is expected to cost between 100,000 and 120,000 rubles (or about $1,600 – $1,930 at current exchange rates), so the price/performance ratio is less than impressive, but that may be the cost of independence. Productions samples, scheduled “earlier than November” may cost less.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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