Qualcomm Snapdragon X octa-core Arm SoC to power $600+ mainstream AI PCs with Copilot+ support

Qualcomm Snapragon X highlights

Qualcomm has unveiled the Snapdragon X octa-core Arm SoC at CES 2025 designed for mainstream AI PCs with Copilot+, which should start at $600 and up. This follows the announcements of the high-end 4.3GHz Snapdragon X Elite 12-core SoC in 2023, and the Snapdragon X Plus 10-/8-core processors last year, and should make AI PCs affordable to a wider range of consumers. The new Snapdragon X is clocked at up to 3.0 GHz, still features a 45 TOPS Hexagon NPU, supports NVMe storage, up to 64GB LPDDR5,  up to 2560 x 1440 built-in displays, up to three external displays at 4Kp60, and a single camera up to 36MP resolution. Systems based on the new octa-core processor can support WiFi 7, WiFi 6E, and/or 5G LTE connectivity. Qualcomm Snapdragon X (X1-26-100) specifications: CPU – Octa-core 64-bit Armv8 Oryon processor clocked at up to 3.0 GHz (2976 MHz) with 30MB cache GPU […]

MNT Reform Next is an open-source, RK3588-powered modular 12.5-inch laptop (Crowdfunding)

MNT Reform Next RK3588 modular laptop

The MNT Reform Next brings the Rockchip RK3588 processor to the modular laptop series. It retains the open-hardware nature of the older MNT Reform and introduces a lighter and more modular design, complete with a much faster processor. The MNT Reform Next separates the three port boards from the main motherboard, allowing for greater customization and modification than its predecessors. The standard processor module (RCORE) can be swapped with other modules such as the Raspberry Pi CM4, as well as NXP i.MX 8M Plus, NXP LayerScape 1028A, and AMD Kintex-7 FPGA modules. Like the classic MNT Reform and the MNT Pocket Reform, the enclosure for the Reform Next is milled from anodized, bead-blasted aluminum. Apart from being repairable and customizable, the RK3588 modular laptop is powerful enough to be a daily driver for browsing, writing, programming, gaming, graphics design, sound creation, and video editing. MNT Reform Next specifications: SoM SoC […]

Allwinner A733 octa-core Cortex-A76/A55 AI SoC supports up to 16GB RAM for Android 15 tablets and laptops

Allwinner A733

Allwinner A733 is an octa-core Cortex-A76/A55 processor with an optional 3 TOPS NPU and support for up to 16GB RAM designed for Android 15 tablets and laptops such as the Teclast P50Ai with a 10.92-inch touchscreen display. With two Cortex-A76 cores, six Cortex-A75 cores, an Imagination BXM-4-64 MC1 GPU, and an NPU, the Allwinner A733 looks very similar to the Allwinner A736 we noted in a roadmap last year. But there’s no news about the A736, so maybe the name was dropped and the Allwinner A733 was launched instead. Allwinner A733 specifications: CPU Dual-core Arm Cortex-A76 @ up to 2.00 GHz Hexa-core Arm Cortex-A55 @ up to 1.79 GHz Single-core RISC-V E902 real-time core GPU – Imagination Technologies BXM-4-64 MC1 VPU 8Kp24 H.265/VP9/AVS2 decoding (no mention of AV1) 4Kp30 H.265/H.264 encoding AI accelerator – Optional 3 TOPS NPU Memory 192 KB SRAM + 512 KB shared SRAM 32-bit LPDDR4/LPDDR4x/LPDDR5 interface […]

DC-ROMA RISC-V Mainboard is designed for the Framework Laptop 13 modular laptop

DeepComputing DC ROMA RISC V mainboard

DeepComputing’s DC-ROMA RISC-V Mainboard is designed for the modular Framework Laptop 13 and powered by a StarFive JH7110 quad-core RISC-V processor running either Ubuntu 24.04 Desktop or Fedora 41 Linux distribution. The Framework Laptop 13 was initially offered with Intel Core i5-1135G7, Core i7-1165G7, or Core i7-1185G7 processor, but the advantage of a modular laptop is that you can replace components, and that’s exactly what the “DC-ROMA RISC-V Mainboard” does by allowing users/developers to do by switching to a less powerful RISC-V processor for software development. Framework Laptop 13 specifications with DC-ROMA RISC-V Mainboard: SoC – StarFive JH7110 CPU Quad-core 64-bit RISC-V SiFive U74 (RV64GC) processor @ up to 1.5 GHz with 32KB D-Cache, 32KB I-cache Single-core 64-bit RISC-V SiFive S7 (RV64IMAC) monitor core with 16KB I-cache, 8KB DTIM Single-core 32-bit RISC-V SiFive E24 (RV32IMFC) real-time control core with 16KB I-cache Up to 2MB L2 cache GPU – Imagination BXE-4-32 […]

GenBook RK3588 modular Linux laptop features an octa-core Arm CPU module with 32GB RAM (Crowdfunding)

GenBook RK3588 Ubuntu Laptop

GenBook RK3588 is a modular Linux (and Android) laptop powered by a Rockchip RK3588 Arm system-on-module (SoM), and easily serviceable by the user who can add M.2 MVMe SSD storage, switch wireless module, and eventually update to a more powerful SoM, or even change the display. It looks very similar to the Cool Pi Arm Linux laptop, and it’s indeed made by the same company, but a representative told CNX Software that the GenBook RK3588 was an upgrade of the Cool Pi without further details. So let’s have a closer look. GenBook RK3588 laptop specifications: System-on-Module – GenM5 (same as Cool Pi CM5 except for the move from LPDDR4/4X to LPDDR5) SoC – Rockchip RK3588 octa-core processor with 4x CortexA76 cores, 4x CortexA55 cores Arm Mali-G610 MP4 GPU Video decoder – 8Kp60 H.265, VP9, AVS2, 8Kp30 H.264 AVC/MVC, 4Kp60 AV1, 1080p60 MPEG-2/-1, VC-1, VP8 Video encoder – 8Kp30 H.265/H.264 video […]

Thunderbolt 5 devices are starting to show up with OWC portable SSD and Kensington docking station

Kensington SD5000T5 EQ Thunderbolt 5 Triple 4K Docking Station

Thunderbolt 5 was first unveiled last year with promises of 120 Gbps bandwidth and support for multiple 8K monitors. The good news is that the first Thunderbolt 5-compliant devices are now coming to market. There’s not too much to choose from for now, but we need to start somewhere, and the OWC Envoy Ultra portable SSD ($299.99 and up) and the Kensington SD5000T5 EQ Thunderbolt™ 5 Triple 4K Docking Station with 140W PD  ($399.99) – also found on Amazon –  are some of the first Thunderbolt 5 devices to make it to market. OWC Enjoy Ultra Thunderbolt 5 portable SSD Key features: Speed over 6000MB/sm or up to twice faster than Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 Capacity – 2TB or 4TB Compatibility – Macs, PCs, iPad Pros, Chromebooks, and Surface devices with a Thunderbolt 3 to 5 port, or USB4 port Rugged design – Waterproof, dustproof, and crushproof Power Supply – […]

11.6-inch touchscreen display with In-Cell technology packs IPS panel and 10-point touch into a single layer

11.6-inch 1768x828 LCD Panel

Waveshare has introduced an 11.6-inch touchscreen LCD with in-cell technology and 1768 × 828 resolution. The display comes with an IPS panel, a 10-point capacitive touchscreen, and supports HDMI and Type-C interfaces. It includes brightness control through the OSD menu and DDC/CI software. The screen offers a 178° viewing angle and 72% NTSC color gamut, delivering 300cd/m² brightness. While we haven’t yet covered such a large screen with in-cell technology, we previously reviewed the Elecrow CrowVi VF156T, a 15.6-inch ultra-thin IPS touchscreen display. This portable display features mini HDMI and USB-C input ports, making it compatible with various devices, including Windows 11 and Linux mini PCs, laptops, SBCs like the Raspberry Pi 5, and smartphones that support USB-C with DisplayPort Alt mode. Other touchscreen displays with HDMI and/or USB-C input include Desklab ultrathin 15.6-inch display, DFRobot 7-inch display, and many others. Waveshare 11.6-inch touchscreen display specifications: Display Display Size – […]

Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus 8-core – A 4 GHz octa-core processor for entry-level Copilot+ PCs and laptops

Snapdragon X Plus

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X line of ARM-based processors is designed for Windows laptops, offering CPUs capable of competing with Intel and AMD processors. The Snapdragon X Plus (10 core) and Snapdragon X Elite, announced last year, include high-performance NPUs for AI processing. Qualcomm has now introduced the entry-level Snapdragon X Plus 8-core processor, targeting the $700 to $900 laptop market instead of the ~$1,300+ asked for something like the Microsoft Surface Laptop 15. It reduces CPU and graphics performance while maintaining the same AI features as the higher-end models. The Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus lineup includes two octa-core processors: the X1P-46-100 and X1P-42-100, both built on a 4nm process. These processors come with eight Oryon CPU cores, clocked at 4GHz and 3.4GHz respectively, and are equipped with the Qualcomm Hexagon NPU, delivering 45 TOPS for AI tasks like Copilot+ PC. They also integrate Qualcomm Adreno GPUs offering 2.1 TFLOPS for the […]

UP 7000 x86 SBC