Skip to main content

Best Qualcomm-powered laptops of CES 2018

Lenovo Miix 630 Review
Matt Smith/Digital Trends
A new breed of laptop debuted just before CES 2018, powered not by Intel or AMD, but Qualcomm. These new ultra-mobile laptops are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors, and that means they’re engineered for longevity, reliability, and mobility. At CES 2018, we’re all getting a closer look at this new breed of laptop, and here are some of our favorites.

HP Envy X2

Lenovo Miix 630 vs HP Envy x2

The HP Envy X2 is a luxurious little 2-in-1 with one of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processors purring away inside a slick glass and aluminum chassis. The body itself immediately dispels fears that these Qualcomm laptops would just be a new type of Chromebook — inexpensive devices designed for expedience rather than experience. The HP Envy X2, wrapped in a blue leather case that doubles as a stand and a keyboard, certainly lives up to its name. It features a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution display, LTE connectivity, 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of SSD storage space.

Recommended Videos

Asus NovaGo

asus novago
Matt Smith/Digital Trends
Matt Smith/Digital Trends

Don’t you hate when a laptop can’t see you through an entire workday? When you have to go dig out your charger and hang out near an outlet for the last few hours of your day? Well, the Asus NovaGo might change that for you. This thing is designed, like the other Qualcomm-powered laptops, to be a mobile workhorse, but this one takes mobility to the extreme. This thing is designed to keep you going for 22 hours on a single charge, with 30 days of standby time. Naturally these are manufacturer estimates so they might be a bit inflated, but still, if you get even half that out of the NovaGo that would place it among the best in its class. The NovaGo will start at $600 for the model with 4GB of RAM and a 64GB SSD, while the $800 model will feature 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage space.

Lenovo Miix 630

Lenovo Miix 630 Review
Matt Smith/Digital Trends
Matt Smith/Digital Trends

What about 20 hours of battery life and internet access no matter where you are? That’s what you get out of the Lenovo Miix 630, according to Lenovo that is. The Miix builds on the example set by the Surface Pro, delivering 2-in-1 functionality with a soft-touch case and integrated keyboard. It features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and comes in a few different flavors, depending on your needs: It can feature 4GB of RAM or 8GB, and between 64GB and 256GB of SSD storage space.

Jayce Wagner
Former Digital Trends Contributor
A staff writer for the Computing section, Jayce covers a little bit of everything -- hardware, gaming, and occasionally VR.
HP’s new Envy x360 14 looks like a killer value for what you get
HP Envy x360 15.6 media mode showing display and pen.

HP's Envy line is an interesting mix of midrange pricing and premium design. It sits between the budget-oriented Pavilion and the ultra-premium Spectre, offering some of the best attributes of both. This year's upgrades introduced to the Envy x360 convertible 2-in-1 lineup include a very affordable Envy x360 14 and an Envy x360 15.6 that offers the first IMAX-certified multimedia experience.

Starting at just $850, the Envy x360 14 might be the most interesting of the three new machines, which also include the Envy x360 17.3. Its combination of design, components, and likely build quality make it a compelling budget option. And media consumers will appreciate the upgraded experience offered by the Envy x360 15.6.
Envy x360 14

Read more
Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio 2 might get a massive performance boost
The new Bing preview screen appears on a Surface Laptop Studio.

A mysterious laptop was spotted in an impressive Geekbench 5 benchmark, and many signs point to it being the next-gen Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2.

The test gives us the first bits of insight into the laptop's specifications. If everything checks out, we're going to see a huge performance jump in this upcoming generation.

Read more
The Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is Samsung’s most powerful laptop ever
Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra laptop.

Samsung has announced updates to its flagship Galaxy Book laptops for 2023, including a new addition called the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra. This one is Samsung's answer to the 16-inch MacBook Pro -- a maxed-out beast of a laptop with up to an Nvidia RTX 4070 and an Intel 13th-gen Core i9 processor.

Samsung has shied away from tackling a larger, more powerful laptop, making the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra particularly noteworthy. It's not small though. The 16-inch laptop is 0.65 inches thick and weighs 3.9 pounds. That's large for a Samsung laptop, but it's actually over a pound lighter than the 16-inch MacBook Pro -- to put things in perspective.

Read more