Qualcomm shows off coaster-sized mini PC. Meet the ‘UFO.’
At the Snapdragon Summit this year, Qualcomm presented a new generation of its flagship computer processor – the Snapdragon X2 Elite chip. It is a monster power station which can withstand the powerful Apple M4 processor. During the event, Qualcomm brought reference devices to show what these chips could really do, and a mini PC immediately caught my attention.
Affectionately called “UFO”, it is a circular mini PC of about five inches in diameter, and it captured my heart as I saw it. I have never seen anything like this before.
What is the purpose of reference devices like this? They allowed Qualcomm to show what his new chipsets can do.
A chip, like the engine of a car, goes only so far. Without the rest of the vehicle – the wheels, the doors and the seats – you are not going to go very far. But while the new flagship tokens were supposed to be the main event, I was attracted to the unique design of the UFO.
Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable
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The Snapdragon logo at the top acts even as a power button, which is a nice little touch. Aside from the Elite Snapdragon X2 processor inside, the reference design also has 16 or 32 GB of RAM, three USB-C ports around the periphery, an electric port for a barrel socket (Boo to not load with USB-C) and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. There is no word on storage, but 256 GB would be a safe hypothesis.
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The mini PCs are ideal for keeping minimal things on your desk and staying away. And this mini PC is definitively qualified. You can pick up this PC and slip it into a backpack, or even a moderate banana bag, but that’s not really what it is. Its design allows you to keep your desk almost completely free.
Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable
The round plate, for lack of a better word, is very thin. It has the shape of a large load or wireless washer. Including the feet that prevent it from lying on the table on the table, it measures approximately 14 mm in height, about the height of eight American districts, which is fun. You could also say that it is about as thick as a folded Samsung Galaxy Z. Anyway, it’s tiny and I love the shape factor.
Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable
Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable
Of course, this is a reference device that will never see store shelves, but that shows you what is possible with the latest generation of processors. I can only hope that a computers manufacturer will collect this concept of design and execute it with it.
What I think is even more exciting is the idea of ​​performing snapdragon fleas on wired equipment. Until now, PCs fed by Snapdragon have been exclusively laptops and laptops, which has been great. But working with a wired concept like a mini PC will allow qualcomm and computer manufacturers to push the equipment even more, without having to worry about the battery life.
But in the meantime, this “UFO” is the mini PC of my dreams, and I would like to see a business make it reality.
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