Cheza Chromebook With Snapdragon 845 To Rival Always-On PCs

From Windows S to the new, somewhat disappointing first generation of always-on Windows 10 on ARM PCs, it is clear that Microsoft is worried. Its once unchallenged kingdom in the education and enterprise markets have been chipped away first by Apple and now by Google and its Chromebooks. The Windows maker is fighting back by trying to combine Windows 10 with hardware that makes mobile devices so useful: always-on connectivity and battery life. But even before Redmond can regain its foothold, it seems that Google will be fighting back with a Chromebook codenamed "Cheza", powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845.

Chromebooks have traditionally run on two kinds of processors, low-power ARM chips from the likes of Rockchip or MediaTek, and Intel Atom or Celeron processors. It's only recently that we're seeing more powerful Chromebooks with Core m or Core i CPUs. It's not surprising, then, that Google will also do the same on the ARM side.

This would make this "Cheza" the most powerful ARM-based Chromebook when it comes out. The Snapdragon 845 is still Qualcomm's current champion and the newly announced Snapdragon 850 is reserved for Windows 10 devices only anyway. But that's hardly the only thing Cheza has.

Based on source code commits scoured by About Chromebooks, this Chromebook could also be a detachable one, just like the HP Chromebook x2 pictured above. It's USB-C port also supports DisplayPort video out. There might be two USB-C ports but only one will have that feature. The Chromebook could have a 2560x1440 WQHD screen though it will most likely be more than that since the Snapdragon 845 can support all the way up to 4K UHD. And, most importantly, given the chipset, this Chromebook will have built-in LTE support thanks to the X20 modem.

Google has recently been beefing up its Chromebook selection in response to Apple's and Microsoft's attempts to reclaim their territory. From the first detachable Chromebook to the first Chromebook tablet, the search giant is moving to replace its Android tablets with Chrome OS devices. And by adding Linux support and maybe even Windows 10 certification, these devices might be the all in one computer you'll ever need.