One of only two Qualcomm Snapdragon 835-powered Always Connected PCs, shown off at the recent 2nd annual Snapdragon Technology Summit in Hawaii, was the Asus NovaGo (TP370) Gigabit LTE-capable laptop. Further details about this ultrathin and light "new breed of laptop" with always on connectivityhave since been shared in an email to HEXUS.
Highlighting the importance of this release to Asus, company CEO Jerry Shen took time out to go to Hawaii and participate in the Qualcomm keynote. Referring specifically to the Asus NovaGo, Shen summed up the new PC as "a convertible laptop with leading Gigabit LTE connectivity and battery life that revolutionizes what the personal PC can be for consumers". Additionally, product highlights shared with HEXUS were as follows:
- Asus NovaGo is the world's first Gigabit LTE laptop, with superfast download speeds allowing users to download a 2-hour movie in just 10 seconds
- Always on, always connected: 22 hours of battery life & over 30 days of modern standby; connected standby provides a constant connection even in sleep mode
- Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Mobile PC platform (fanless) with X16 LTE
- With up to 8GB RAM; features 256GB UFS 2.0 storage and two USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports
On the topic of connectivity, the NovaGo leverages a Snapdragon X16 LTE modem for download speeds of up to 1Gbps, 3x to 7x faster than average broadband speeds, according to Asus. The X16 should be usable worldwide with its broad support for cellular bands. It boasts four antennas ensure ultrafast connectivity through LTE Advanced Cat 16 cellular networking, plus dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi and MU-MIMO technology. Interestingly the NovaGo supports Embedded SIM (eSIM) and Nano SIM. eSIM is said to offer the convenience of activating a local data plan "the moment you step off the plane" via the Windows Store.
Other key specs Asus wishes us to draw your attention to, and are closely watched by any prospective laptop buyer, are as follows:
- Screen: 13.3-inch NanoEdge display (78 per cent screen-to-body ratio, screen has 8.9mm bezel) with 1920 x 1080 pixels, 178° wide-view technology, 100 per cent sRGB colour gamut, 10-point multi-touch with pen support
- Physical properties: 1.39kg in weight, thin 14.9mm profile, durable 360° multi-gear hinge
- Memory: up to 8GB RAM
- Storage: up to 256GB of Universal Flash Storage 2.0 with speeds of up to 1400Mbps
- Ports: two USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports, HDMI, audio combi, microSD card reader
- Additional: Asus Pen support with 1024-level pressure-sensitivity
- OS: Windows 10 S (Asus said that it will offer the 10 S to Pro upgrade for free until September 2018, according to ZDNet)
If you are interested in the Asus NovaGo, yesterday we revealed the pricing would be in the region of US$599 with 4GB RAM / 64GB UFS2.0 storage (or an 8GB RAM / 256GB storage model at US$799). From its email to HEXUS it looks like Asus will be selling many devices via mobile telecoms companies in addition to more traditional PC hardware outlets. The first machines will arrive on the shores of the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, mainland China, and Taiwan. For the UK we are looking at an "early spring" retail release.
