The world of laptops based on ARM chips is getting livelier. Qualcomm and Samsung are preparing chips in this direction, and even Microsoft and Google also seem to be aiming at equipment based on this type of processor.
Huawei has beaten them all to the punch by launching its first ARM chip-based laptop in China. This is the Huawei Qingyun L410, a laptop based on a Kirin 990 (the same SoC as the P40 Pro) and which is governed by a Linux distribution called Unity OS.
Huawei Qingyun L410 Specifications
| Huawei Qingyun L410 | |
|---|---|
| Screen | 14 inches, 3: 2, 2,160 x 1,440 px, 300 nits, 1000: 1 contrast |
| Processor | Hisilicon Kirin 990 (2 x Cortex-A76 at 2.86GHz, 2 x Cortex-A76 at 2.09GHz, 4 x Cortex A55 at 1.86GHz)ARM Mali-G76MP16 700MHz GPUDaVinci NPU |
| RAM | 8 GB LPDDR4-4266 |
| Storage | Up to 512GB SSD |
| Camera | Webcam hidden under the keyboard |
| Battery | 56 Wh |
| Connectivity | Hisilicon 1103 chip (Wi-Fi 5) |
| Dimensions | 15.9mm thick |
| Weight | 1.49 kg |
| Operating System | Unity OS (Linux) |
| Price | From 7,499 Yuan |
Governed by Unity OS, but Harmony OS is an option for the future
Although some of its specifications remain a mystery, it seems that Huawei wanted to take advantage of the chassis of the well-known MateBook D 14 and apply it to this new and unique laptop.
Those lines make it possible to have a device with a 14-inch screen, 2,160 x 1,440-pixel resolution, and 300 nits brightness, although what stands out most in it is that Kirin 990 SoC that integrates eight cores and also has a neural processor and the Mali-G76MP16 integrated graphics chip.
Accompanying that SoC is 8 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of capacity on its SSD. The webcam is hidden under one of the keyboard keys.Â
The WiFi chip seems to be the HiSilicon 1103 with support for Wi-Fi 5 networks, something curious considering that the Kirin 990 SoC should already integrate this type of support and also others such as Bluetooth or even 5G connectivity, which is not yet confirmed in this model.
Another surprise is its operating system, which is neither Windows 10 for ARM nor any of the best-known Linux distributions such as Ubuntu.
Instead, Huawei is using Unity OS, based on Deepin Linux, and developed by a company called UnionTech to minimize dependence on Windows, driven by the Chinese government.
CNX-Software claims that the laptop will also be able to support Harmony OS in the future, which would confirm that Huawei’s alternative will not only be powering its mobiles but also its laptops.
Pricing and availability of the Huawei Qingyun L410
The news is certainly eye-catching, but the truth is that Huawei has not officially announced the product and it is not available outside China.
As far as we know, it is currently only available to Chinese companies and government agencies, which can be bought in stores like Sigmall at a price starting at 7,499 yuan (about €961/$1,160).
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