First Snapdragon 7c PCs debut for education with affordable LTE

By Dan Thorp-Lancaster
published

LTE in a PC without paying an arm and a leg.

JP.IK Turn T101
JP.IK Turn T101 (Image credit: Microsoft)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft debuted the first two PCs to sport Snapdragon 7c chips this week.
  • The JP.IK Turn T1010 and Positivo Wise N1212S are both targeted at the education market.
  • Pricing starts at $299, which is the most affordable we've seen a PC with LTE on board.

Along with a slew of education news Microsoft announced this week, the company also debuted the first two PCs to be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 7c platform. Both PCs are targeted at the education market, and the focus is on delivering durable PCs equipped with LTE connectivity at an affordable price.

The first PC is the JP.IK Turn T101, which as a 2-in-1 with a 360-degree rotating screen that starts at $299. The Positivo Wise N1212S focuses on inking with an included stylus, and it starts at $575. These two devices launched as part of a larger group of 14 PCs Microsoft announced for the education market.

"These new devices, which will ship this summer, are our most affordable Connected PCs yet, with all the capabilities of Windows and Office and can be used anywhere there is cellular service," Microsoft said in a post announcing its education initiatives (opens in new tab). "These devices will save schools thousands of dollars in server infrastructure and startup time and help the more than 1.15 billion students in rural and emerging markets around the world connect to the internet for the first time or dramatically improve their current connection."

The Snapdragon 7c platform was announced in December as Qualcomm's bid for entry-level PCs, bringing a built-in X15 modem for LTE connectivity. At the time, Qualcomm promised the 7c would bring a "20 percent boost in system performance and up to twice the battery life" when compared to competing Intel chips. Qualcomm also launched the Snapdragon 8c, which is targeted at mid-range PCs, sitting under the Snapdragon 8cx, Qualcomm's flagship ARM chip for PCs.

While these Snapdragon 7c PCs will be limited to the education market, their pricing gives hope for more affordable PCs with LTE connectivity in the future. One interesting possibility is a Surface Go successor that could leverage a Snapdragon 7c or 8c to keep pricing low while added always-on connectivity.

Dan Thorp-Lancaster
Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl. 

11 Comments
  • Yes, I am hoping for an ARM-based Surface Go upgrade this summer; it would be the perfect PC for me, especially if Microsoft compiles the Office Suite for ARM64.
  • Surface Go X? Sweeeeet.
  • Oh, ****. This is an ugly looking device but an amazing price. This is the first time I've thought Snapdragon on Windows is viable for low-cost devices. Just $100 more with a metal chassis and it would be a perfect Surface Go. Nobody expects amazing performance from Surface Go anyway. 7c would make perfect sense. Bonus? LTE.
  • Honestly, I switched to the Surface Go as a daily driver due to its portability and LTE connectivity and for productivity, the performance is decent. Yeah it can slow down at times but I just love the thinness and portability.. I could go back to my ryzen 2500 U laptop with far better performance but not as portable. One day we'll hit that sweet spot though...
  • I started using my Surface Go while commuting because my partner started using my Surface Pro all the time when her laptop died. I didn't really notice the performance dip doe the things I was doing and the Go was much easier to use on a train than the Pro. We got her a Surface Laptop but I'm still using the Go a lot of the time because, as convenient as the Pro form factor is, the Go is even more so.
  • Not pretty but I'm guessing that the target market don't treat there devices too carefully so the added durability will be a selling point. Presumably they are aimed at the same users as Chromebooks - not the highend PixelBook style either - so I guess they need to not be too much uglier than those.
  • Yeah, these things are built tough to last years when being used by kids, they all kind of look like this.
  • Right, so the low end and midrange AMD ACPC's are on their way. Why was it so hard for some to believe this was happening? Just because MS made the high end version of this doesn't mean cheaper options weren't forthcoming.
  • I would love to see more AMD in the low-end range (Surface Go with a low-watt Ryzen 3 with Vega graphics would be amazing.)
  • These are the prices we have been waiting for!
  • Any images of the Positivo Wise N1212S?