Here comes the phoneputer

Smartphones, laptops, tablets, smart TVs and smart watches have a lot in common. They're all screens with processing power and storage behind them. Ultimately, they're all just computers, albeit in different forms. Traditionally, though, they've all fulfilled slightly different roles, but that may be about to change.

Last week Qualcomm, a San Diego-based maker of microchips, hosted its second annual Tech Summit in Hawaii. You may never have heard of the company, but you've almost certainly used its products.

Qualcomm's most famous product is its Snapdragon range of processors, the best known of which is the Snapdragon 835, which powered this year's leading Android smartphones from big names like Samsung and LG to those from smaller players like OnePlus and Xiaomi.

Qualcomm has released the follow-up chip, the 845, which will start appearing in handsets, virtual reality headsets and other consumer gadgets early in 2018, but it's the "other" gadgets that are really interesting.

The company has partnered with a number of PC hardware manufacturers to put its chips in laptops, in addition to phones. Given that most smartphones are as potent as mid-range laptops, the only question is why this hasn't happened sooner.

HP used the event to show off a two-in-one tablet-and-laptop called the Envy x2, while Asus unveiled a more conventional laptop it calls the NovaGo. Both devices promise smartphone-like all-day battery life (upwards of 20 hours, depending on usage), both are incredibly slim and lightweight and both are only going to get better when they incorporate the updated 845 chips.

The world Qualcomm envisions is one where users can leave their chargers at home and go away for a weekend. And it's not just the boosted energy efficiency that makes this possible, it's the SIM slot on these new laptops that means one needn't rely on Wi-Fi for connectivity.

The laptops it hopes we'll be buying get internet access like smartphones do: using mobile networks, which is great for countries, such as South Africa, where fibre and ADSL remain the preserve of the well-heeled.

One of the perks of being always connected is it means one needn't store as many things
on the device. Document storage can be outsourced to cloud-based services like
Dropbox and OneDrive. Entertainment can come from streaming services like Netflix, Showmax and Deezer.

Of course, Qualcomm's vision of an always-connected tomorrow relies on mobile operators not only offering ubiquitous coverage, but making access to that coverage affordable, and that's something that's out of its hands. Nonetheless, it's betting that if it builds the right devices the operators will come. Let's hope it's right.

• Craig Wilson is the editor of consumer technology publication Stuff magazine and a speaker and industry commentator.

• This article was originally published in The Times