Lenovo claims its new $850 laptop runs for 25 hours without charging
- Lenovo's Yoga C630 can run for 25 hours without charging, the company claims.
- It runs on a mobile-style chip from Qualcomm, which makes chips for Android devices.
- That means it comes with support for mobile LTE networks, much like smartphones.
- But is also means it might not be powerful for some people, and there's no telling yet if it'll run the apps you want.
Lenovo announced its new Yoga C630 laptop on Thursday that the company claims has a whopping 25 hours of battery life.
Lenovo's claim is based on a test that involved playing a video stored in the device itself. That means there isn't data streaming or much power being used, apart from the screen itself. Still, many companies use similar testing for making battery claims, and none have come close to a 25-hour claim.
To achieve such an incredible battery life, the Yoga C630 runs on a Snapdragon 850 mobile-style chip from Qualcomm that has amazing power efficiency. That also means it can connect to a carrier's mobile LTE network, much like a smartphone can. For reference, the Snapdragon 850 is built on the ARM architecture of chips that's designed for low-power ultra-mobile uses.
There is a potential catch. Lenovo's C630 running on a Snapdragon 850 chip might not run all the apps you want.
The limitations of running on a mobile chips were clear in the Miix 630, a previous Lenovo laptop that ran on the same chip in high-end Android phones in 2017 - the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835. Reviews pointed out that the Miix 630 lacked compatibility with certain apps that were available outside of the Windows Store.
Also, with that power efficiency comes limited power, at least compared to computer chips from Intel and AMD. The Yoga C630 could be great for writing emails and using the web, but it's unlikely to run more power-hungry apps.
It's still unclear whether the Snapdragon 850 from Qualcomm will remedy complaints from the Miix 630. If it does, the Yoga C630 could be the laptop of choice for people who need portability and incredible battery life over anything else.
The Yoga C630 will be available to buy in November for $850.