Lenovo’s ARM-Based Yoga C630 Laptop

Cherlynn Low, writing for Engadget:

The Yoga C630 is supposed to last about 25 hours of continuous local video playback, which should be enough to last through an entire day of running around attending business meetings. That endurance is thanks in large part to the Snapdragon 850, which promises not only 25 percent longer battery life than the 835 but also 30 percent faster performance. When I opened a slew of apps like Excel, PowerPoint, Maps and Edge on the Yoga C630’s desktop environment, I barely encountered any delay. Any interruptions I saw were related to WiFi troubles rather than actual performance.

I do not expect to see any ARM-based MacBooks from Apple this year. I think we might see them by the end of next year, and I’d be surprised if we don’t see them by the end of 2020. The battery life advantages are simply overwhelming, and the performance is as good or better than Intel’s offerings at the low-power end of the market. The only unknown is whether Apple’s chip team can compete with Intel at the high-performance end — can Apple make an ARM chip to power MacBook Pros and pro Mac desktops? I wouldn’t bet against them.

★ Tuesday, 4 September 2018