Qualcomm has announced that it is entering the laptop market, with manufacturing partners soon to release superthin, fanless MacBook competitors powered by the Snapdragon 835 mobile chipset.

This allows them to take on Apple's hugely successful, light MacBook, offering "all-day" battery life.

They will even take the concept of thin, instant-on notebook further with LTE connectivity - something Apple doesn't currently offer in its 12-inch MacBook range.

The Snapdragon 835 System-on-Chip (SoC) comprises the Qualcomm Kryo 280 CPU, Adreno 540 GPU and Hexagon 682 DSP.

The mobile laptops will be powered by Windows 10. They won't exactly be gaming powerhouses, but should run quickly and provide plenty of usability options on the fly.

Qualcomm has also revealed which companies have signed up to produce machines sporting the same processor as current flagship Android phones.

Asus, HP and Lenovo are all committed to making Qualcomm-powered laptops.

We don't know yet which devices will be appearing and when. We're also yet to find out pricing, but we'd be surprised if the cost of a Snapdragon notebook is as high as a 12-inch MacBook.

It certainly opens up an all-new option for those looking for a thin, light device with excellent battery life.

"Today's consumers experience mobility in nearly every aspect of their lives and they've come to expect more from their PCs than legacy computing models are able to provide," said Qualcomm Technologies' executive vice president, Cristiano Amon.