Qualcomm has introduced the Snapdragon Dev Kit for Windows mini-PCs. This is to help developers create more Arm-native apps for Windows 11. Recently, several laptop manufacturers released Windows 11 laptops with Snapdragon X chips.
These chips provide better performance and longer battery life compared to top Intel and AMD processors. However, Snapdragon X chips use Arm architecture, so they need emulation to run many x86 apps used by Windows PCs.
According to Qualcomm’s product brief, the Snapdragon X Elite SoC powers this mini-PC. It features a 12-core 3.8-GHz Oryon CPU, an Adreno GPU, and a Hexagon NPU capable of up to 4.5 TOPS. It comes with 32GB of LPDDR5x RAM and a 512GB NVMe SSD.
This compact computer measures 8 x 7 x 1.3 inches, similar to the size of a Mac mini. It includes a 3.5mm audio jack, three USB 4 Type-C ports, two USB 3.2 Type-A ports, an RJ45 ethernet port, and an HDMI port, similar to the Apple M2 Mac mini.
This isn’t the first Arm-powered Windows dev kit we’ve seen. Last year, Microsoft launched Project Volterra, a developer box with the Snapdragon 8 cx Gen 3 compute platform. In 2021, Qualcomm released a Snapdragon Development Kit to encourage developers to create apps for Windows 10 on Arm.
Despite these efforts, Arm-powered Windows PCs have not yet achieved mainstream success. Apple fully switched to its own silicon in 2023. The limited options from laptop makers might be a reason for this. However, this could change this year.
Many brands like Acer, Dell, HP, and Lenovo have launched several models at the same time. An early review of Microsoft’s Snapdragon X Elite-powered Surface laptop by Signal65 shows it has exceptional power and efficiency.
Signal65’s review highlighted significant improvements with Microsoft’s new Prism translation layer. However, performance still drops if apps aren’t run natively.
If the new Snapdragon X-powered devices are as successful as Apple’s silicon laptops and desktops, many developers might create native versions of their x86 apps for these systems or even design programs exclusively for Arm.
You don’t have to be a programmer to buy the Snapdragon Dev Kit for Windows mini-PC. If you want a compact desktop PC and like the latest technology, you can purchase this device.
According to Videocardz, the Qualcomm mini-PC will be available on June 18 for $899. This is a great price compared to other recently launched Snapdragon X-powered laptops, which start at $1,099.
What we think?
I think the new Snapdragon X Elite Dev Kit will help make more Arm-native apps for Windows. With its powerful CPU and long battery life, it could be a game-changer.
More developers will likely start creating apps for it. The price is good too. If it works well, it might help Arm-powered Windows PCs become popular. I am excited to see how it performs and changes the market.
