Qualcomm's PC platforms have been generally so-so in terms of performance and user experience so far - but the chip giant hopes this is set to change with the early testing of the next-gen WoS (Windows on Snapdragon platform) for what Qualcomm refers to as ACPCs - Always Connected PCs with 5G.

Part of the performance issues of Qualcomm's older platforms have been to do with the patchy app support from Windows 10 on Snapdragon, but with Apple's M1 chips having shown incredible performance from similar ARM-based silicon, Qualcomm will know it needs to up its game. 

We've known for a little while that the next-gen Snapdragon PC platform is known as SC8280 internally, but now new details have emerged via WinFuture's reliable Richard Quandt that suggests the platform is designed for out-and-out performance and will be available in two versions. 

One version - presumably the upper one - of the new platform seems to have four so-called 'gold+' cores clocked at 2.7Ghz and four 'gold' cores clocked at 2.43Ghz. All are designed for performance over power efficiency (so no power-saving cores).

With Apple's M1 laptops having battery life in the 15-20 hour segment, perhaps Qualcomm is willing to drop some battery life from its 20-25 hour previous efforts in order to compete on the performance front. 

The new platform could use the existing Adreno 690 graphics from the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2, the current high-end Snapdragon PC chip. 

There are no details of when we might get PCs based on the new platform, but surely they will emerge later in 2021 - 8cx Gen 2 appeared in September last year