Linux PC maker TUXEDO has scrapped plans to launch a Snapdragon X Elite-powered notebook, citing issues with development and support with Qualcomm's chip.
If you were hoping to get your hands on a Linux-based Snapdragon PC, you'll have to keep waiting.
PC maker TUXEDO has announced that its upcoming Snapdragon X Elite powered Linux notebook has been canceled. The company says it found development to be too challenging, noting that the Snapdragon X Elite SoC was "less suitable for Linux than expected."
TUXEDO is a brand that specialized in Linux PCs. The company makes both laptops and desktop PCs that are fully compatible with Linux, and its planned Snapdragon X Elite notebook was supposed to be the company's first ARM-based Linux device.
Unfortunately, the device has now been put on hold. "Development turned out to be challenging due to the different architecture, and in the end, the first-generation X1E proved to be less suitable for Linux than expected," the company says. "In particular, the long battery runtimes—usually one of the strong arguments for ARM devices—were not achieved under Linux. A viable approach for BIOS updates under Linux is also missing at this stage, as is fan control. Virtualization with KVM is not foreseeable on our model, nor are the high USB4 transfer rates. Video hardware decoding is technically possible, but most applications lack the necessary support."
The laptop was in development for a little over 18 months, but the company says pouring anymore time into the project makes little sense given how old the Snapdragon X Elite now is. "We would be offering you a device with what would then be a more than two-year-old Snapdragon X Elite (X1E)."
The company says it will evaluate the viability of a Linux-based laptop with Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon X2 Elite SoC, but hasn't made any firm commitments. "If it meets expectations and we can reuse a significant portion of our work on the X1E, we may resume development. How much of our groundwork can be transferred to the X2E can only be assessed after a detailed evaluation of the chip."
It's an unfortunate development for Linux fans who were hoping to see a Snapdragon X Elite-powered laptop from TUXEDO. It's unclear if or when development on such a device will resume, but given how difficult TUXEDO has found it to bring up support so far, it's unlikely to be anytime soon.
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Qualcomm has since announced the Snapdragon X2 Elite, which is the successor to the company's first-gen PC chips. These chips will be more powerful, with better GPU performance and more cores to boot.
Zac Bowden is a Senior Editor at Windows Central and has been with the site since 2016. Bringing you exclusive coverage into the world of Windows, Surface, and hardware. He's also an avid collector of rare Microsoft prototype devices! Keep in touch on Twitter and Threads
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