AMD teams up with Qualcomm to bring Snapdragon LTE to Ryzen mobile laptops

While Qualcomm might be losing Apple's business next year while their legal quarrel rages on, the chip maker has found a new customer to sell its LTE modems to. This week, AMD announced that it is working with Qualcomm Technologies to get Snapdragon LTE modems working with AMD Ryzen mobile processors, paving the way for super fast, always connected laptops.

We already know that AMD's Ryzen mobile processor will deliver up to four cores and eight threads, with up to 2.7 times more CPU performance, 2.2X more GPU performance and better battery life compared to previous generations of AMD mobile CPUs. When you throw a Qualcomm Snapdragon LTE modem into the mix, users will also get super fast LTE speeds of up to 1Gbps while on the move.

Of course, it will be up to OEMs to offer laptops with both an AMD Ryzen mobile processor and a Snapdragon LTE modem. You will also need a data plan for your laptop to get it connected up to a 4G network. It won't mean much for gamers, but for businesses and self-employed folk, taking a powerful Ryzen-powered system on the move with the option for 4G connectivity straight to the laptop seems like an attractive option.

Alex Katouzian, senior vice president and general manager of mobile at Qualcomm says that the company “believes that the Always Connected PC is the future of personal computing”, and clearly AMD shares that vision. This partnership in particular helps pave the way for a “mobile-first future”.

KitGuru Says: Having an LTE modem directly integrated in a laptop sounds like a great idea. There are other ways to get a 4G connection on the move, but they often involve tethering to a smartphone, which can pose its own problems. I'll be looking forward to seeing the first wave of laptops that come from this partnership.

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