Android PCs may be coming, but not so soon

[phillynews215]

TL;DR

• Qualcomm is rumored to have added Android 16 support for its Snapdragon X PC chips.
• While it sparks hopes about Android-based PCs, there’s not enough evidence or clarity yet.
• One of the biggest roadblocks is the absence of proper software support, as Android still lacks a fully functional desktop mode.

Google’s Chrome OS has aged better than most PC users would have anticipated, but its long run is nearing its end. Google has already confirmed its plans to merge Chrome OS with Android, and the driver behind this shift is the need to manage engineering resources more effectively and compete with Apple. While this is expected to be a multi-year transition, we may see actual laptops — not flagship tablets capable of serving as laptop replacements — running Android soon.

Tech analyst known as @Jukanlosreve on X recently shared a rumor about Qualcomm testing Android 16 for its Snapdragon X series chips. What makes the development interesting is that while the Snapdragon X, X Plus, and X Elite chipsets feature an Arm64 architecture, similar to those found in phone chips, Qualcomm specifically designates them for thin and light laptops. In simpler terms, Android 16 may be being tested to run on PC hardware, which could be an addition to the wide range of devices that already support the operating system.




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