Looking ahead: Google and Qualcomm have teased the development of a PC running on Android, marking what could be a significant shift for both companies. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon described the mysterious device as "incredible" and admitted he "cannot wait to have one," though concrete details remain scarce.
Speaking during the opening keynote at Qualcomm's Snapdragon Summit 2025, Amon and Google's SVP of Devices and Services, Rick Osterloh, spoke about what the future of computing could hold.
Osterloh said that in the past, Google has always had very different systems for what it's building for PCs and smartphones. But the company has embarked on a project to combine the two. "We are building together a common technical foundation for our products on PCs and desktop computing systems," the exec said.
Being Google, there was the obligatory mention of how AI will integrate into this project. Osterloh said Google plans to build on its existing AI stack, integrating Gemini models, the Google Assistant, and its broader suite of apps and developer tools into the PC ecosystem.
Osterloh is undoubtedly referring to the merger of ChromeOS and Android that Sameer Samat, President of the Android Ecosystem, spoke about in an interview in July.
Amon seemed particularly excited about the project. "I've seen it, it is incredible. It delivers on the vision of convergence of mobile and PC. I cannot wait to have one," he gushed.
Google has been blending elements of ChromeOS and Android for a while now. For example, Android 16 now includes a much-improved desktop mode that allows multiple apps to be used on external displays.
In June, Google announced plans to integrate the Android Linux Kernel, Android frameworks, and other Android stack features into the core of ChromeOS.
There were no other details about a potential Android-powered PC or its release date. Whether consumers share Amon's enthusiasm for such a device remains to be seen.
Qualcomm unveiled its first wave of Windows 10 on Arm laptops back in 2017. They failed to capture the public's imagination, but that didn't stop the release of the Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus PCs in 2024. The devices have received plenty of praise, especially for their battery life, but their overall share in the PC/laptop market is still under 1% – though Qualcomm claims around 10% of laptops over $800 sold in the US are powered by its chips.