The Asus laptop boasts 22 hours of battery life or 30 days of standby, along with LTE that can run at gigabit speeds. HP's tablet offers a 12.3 inch, 1920×1280 screen, 20 hours of battery life or 29 days of standby, and a removable keyboard-cover and stylus. Both systems use the Snapdragon 835 processor and X16 LTE modem.
Both systems also ship with Windows 10 S, the version of Windows 10 that's only able to install and run apps from the Microsoft Store. As with other Windows 10 S systems, including the Surface Laptop, the systems will be freely upgradable to Windows 10 Pro, at least initially.
Microsoft has natively compiled Windows 10 to run on ARM chipsets, so all Windows processes, Edge, and the shell all run natively without emulation. Microsoft has also looked at the top third-party desktop applications and natively recompiled a set of system DLLs that they rely on to ensure performance is solid.
Microsoft’s emulation work does mean that you’ll be able to download most 32-bit exe files from the web and install them on ARM-powered laptops. There are a few exceptions, though. 64-bit Windows apps aren’t supported yet (developers will be able to recompile them in the future), and Microsoft isn’t supporting apps that use kernel mode drivers. That means most third-party antivirus software won’t be compatible, and the vast majority of games that use anti-cheat software will also not work correctly.
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HP’s Envy x2 device
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Asus’ NovaGo 2-in-1 device.
Asus’ NovaGo 2-in-1 includes a 13.3-inch HD display, up to 8GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of storage. There’s even stylus support, and two USB 3.1 ports, a HDMI port, and a microSD reader. Asus’ NovaGo will be priced starting at $599 for 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. A $799 model will include 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. HP’s Envy x2 is a slightly smaller 2-in-1 with a 12.3-inch display, up to 8GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of storage. HP’s device also supports a stylus, and both of these will come with LTE connectivity. That should be something we’ll see on most, if not all, ARM-powered Windows 10 laptops, enabling connectivity away from Wi-Fi hot spots. HP’s Envy x2 will be available in Spring next year.
Microsoft launches ARM-powered Windows 10 PCs with ‘all-day’ battery life
Both systems also ship with Windows 10 S, the version of Windows 10 that's only able to install and run apps from the Microsoft Store. As with other Windows 10 S systems, including the Surface Laptop, the systems will be freely upgradable to Windows 10 Pro, at least initially.
Microsoft has natively compiled Windows 10 to run on ARM chipsets, so all Windows processes, Edge, and the shell all run natively without emulation. Microsoft has also looked at the top third-party desktop applications and natively recompiled a set of system DLLs that they rely on to ensure performance is solid.
Microsoft’s emulation work does mean that you’ll be able to download most 32-bit exe files from the web and install them on ARM-powered laptops. There are a few exceptions, though. 64-bit Windows apps aren’t supported yet (developers will be able to recompile them in the future), and Microsoft isn’t supporting apps that use kernel mode drivers. That means most third-party antivirus software won’t be compatible, and the vast majority of games that use anti-cheat software will also not work correctly.
HP’s Envy x2 device
Asus’ NovaGo 2-in-1 device.
Asus’ NovaGo 2-in-1 includes a 13.3-inch HD display, up to 8GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of storage. There’s even stylus support, and two USB 3.1 ports, a HDMI port, and a microSD reader. Asus’ NovaGo will be priced starting at $599 for 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. A $799 model will include 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. HP’s Envy x2 is a slightly smaller 2-in-1 with a 12.3-inch display, up to 8GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of storage. HP’s device also supports a stylus, and both of these will come with LTE connectivity. That should be something we’ll see on most, if not all, ARM-powered Windows 10 laptops, enabling connectivity away from Wi-Fi hot spots. HP’s Envy x2 will be available in Spring next year.
Microsoft launches ARM-powered Windows 10 PCs with ‘all-day’ battery life
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