Select AMD Mobile Platforms to Include Qualcomm-Powered LTE Capabilities

[Raevenlord]

At the Qualcomm Technology Summit, AMD made a surprise appearance to shed some light on their partnership in Qualcomm. The objective: to integrate Qualcomm's LTE modems in AMD-powered mobile platforms, offering always connected capabilities to laptops and convertibles. AMD's Kevin Lensing took to the stage to talk about how AMD's reference designs for the Ryzen Mobile platform (which includes deployment of the company's Ryzen 5 2500U and Ryzen 7 2700U APUs, for instance) shipped to OEMs with an integrated Qualcomm LTE modem - a clear nod at another design point OEMs could look towards integration on their products. These should allow for online connectivity on the go, offering users more ways to keep connected, whether for work or play.

Of course, this is hardly the first time mobile PC form-factors have had this kind of modem integration; Intel has done it for quite some time on their products, with the XMM7260 and XMM7360 that it has applied to more business-oriented devices or Chromebooks. However, adding LTE enablement as an option for AMD-based platforms at this scale is actually a first for AMD. Naturally, the integration of yet another piece of silicon to a mobile device will undoubtedly add to cost and battery consumption, besides adding some more question that end-users have to answer: which carrier option are available, which of those to go with... But having more options is usually better than the alternative, is it not?



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[Chaitanya]

Just when MS announced Windows for ARM.

 

[dj-electric]

For me, not having LTE in any mobile device is dumbfounding. How has most of the market skipped this important feature.

Luckily, i have a latitude.

 

[TheGuruStud]

For me, not having LTE in any mobile device is dumbfounding. How has most of the market skipped this important feature.

Luckily, i have a latitude.

B/c no one is going to pay for another data plan, especially the uneducated populace that are already broke from contract pricing. Hell, they only have it on tablets, b/c it's like 5 or 10 extra and the kids are screaming for it.

Also, many places have open wifi, now. I assume that even in the markets where LTE is affordable that wifi is available in most locations (except Geneva, b/c it's a shithole).

 

[medi01]

I thought OEMs could do that, without AMD's involvement.

Anyhow, don't see me using LTE with my notebook.

 

[Konceptz]

For me, not having LTE in any mobile device is dumbfounding. How has most of the market skipped this important feature.

Luckily, i have a latitude.

Unlimited data, plus free hot spot or USB tethering?

 

[Durvelle27]

I never saw the need for LTE in Tablets or Laptops

For my iPad Pro I just hotspot off my phone since I have 10GB Hotspot Data included with my plan, no need to pay for another plan

 

[silentbogo]

Just when MS announced Windows for ARM.

But the purpose is different, though. With Win10 for Snapdragon it was a light and noiseless device with 10h of battery life, while this combo just gives you LTE on a normal laptop. Pretty sure it's just another marketing stunt to push for Giga-LTE, just because there is no real competition in this segment yet... Otherwise cheap Mediatek and Intel offerings are still the best way to go (given that you have a nice 4G coverage in your area).

B/c no one is going to pay for another data plan, especially the uneducated populace that are already broke from contract pricing. Hell, they only have it on tablets, b/c it's like 5 or 10 extra and the kids are screaming for it.

That's only applicable to US and other 1st world countries where everything is over-overpriced. For example, in Eastern Europe and Asia it's very affordable. When I had no internet in my office, I've been using an unlimited 3G plan for tablets for almost 6 months. Just installed a SIM in my Vostro V131 and dutifully paid my $7/mo on a prepaid plan. It's actually pretty good even for general consumer. If you don't play online games and have a good coverage, all you need is one smartphone with one plan, which you can use as a modem/hotspot for all of your other devices. 3G/CDMA routers are also quite common in my area. Just last week I was setting up my friend's office in the middle of nowhere. Gave him an old D-Link router w/ PCMCIA card, which was gathering dust in my closet. They have no fiber, copper, or cable in that area at all. Even 9-10Mbit/s they get now is still better than what they used to have....

 

[plåtburken]

This sounds nice, I use frequently my 4G module on my laptop. Having unlimited data and a price that is so cheap compared to most regular network options out there in the world. I am more than happy for this.
Would be awesome with a thin and portable AMD Ryzen laptop with this!

 

[BrainCruser]

Just when MS announced Windows for ARM.

They were announced on the same qualcom event.

 

[BrainCruser]

I thought OEMs could do that, without AMD's involvement.

Anyhow, don't see me using LTE with my notebook.

Actually its very useful. Sometimes you are stuck with crappy wifi, or you are in a bus.
I started using my phone data for it pretty regularly and its very convenient.(Plus 4g is better than my cable internet at home, i get latencies in the 30ms on 4g, on cable I'm lucky if it gets below 120ms)

 

[medi01]

Actually its very useful. Sometimes you are stuck with crappy wifi, or you are in a bus.
I started using my phone data for it pretty regularly and its very convenient.(Plus 4g is better than my cable internet at home, i get latencies in the 30ms on 4g, on cable I'm lucky if it gets below 120ms)

It's too expensive for my "sometime" use and even when that happens I get away with tethering over my mobile phone.
Not saying there are no uses for it, just that it ain't for me.

Still curious why AMD's involvement is needed to slap an LTE chip into a notebook.