Qualcomm has just announced the Snapdragon 7c Gen2, a new entry-level ARM chipset designed for PCs. You may recall that Qualcomm first introduced the Snapdragon 7c back in 2019, and it was the most affordable entry point into Windows on ARM devices, and it also eventually allowed Qualcomm to be in the Chromebook market.
The Snapdragon 7c Gen2 is a minor refresh of the original chipset, similar to the upgraded Snapdragon 8cx Gen2. It comes with an upgraded clock speed up to 2.55GHz, up from the maximum 2.4GHz of the original chipset, and Qualcomm promises over 19 hours of battery life on a single charge, as well as 10% more performance over competing systems.
These are some of the big advantages of ARM processors over most x86-based laptops in the same price range, but there's another one - always-on connectivity. PCs with the Snapdragon 7c Gen2 have a built-in 4G mode, the Snapdragon X15, meaning they can always have access to the internet, even when no Wi-Fi is in range, or if a Wi-Fi network is overloaded.
Qualcomm is also touting AI performance with the fifth-generation Qualcomm AI Engine, though that isn't new. There's also support for cameras up to 32MP (which you're unlikely to find on a PC), 4K HDR video streaming, and more. It comes with "enterprise-grade security"as well, with the chipset being supported on Microsoft's Secured-Core PCs.
PCs with the Snapdragon 7c Gen2 Compute Platform will be available this summer. This includes a new Snapdragon Developer Kit for Windows developers, which was also announced today.
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