$899 mini PC puts Snapdragon X Elite into a mini desktop for developers

Microsoft and Qualcomm are both making a concerted effort to make Windows-on-Arm happen after years of slow progress and false starts. One thing the companies have done to get software developers on board is to offer mini PC developer kits, which can be connected to a software developer's normal multi-monitor setup and doesn't require the same cash outlay as an equivalently specced Surface tablet or laptop.

Qualcomm has announced the Snapdragon Dev Kit for Windows, a small black plastic mini PC with the same internal hardware as the new wave of Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon X Plus and Snapdragon X Elite processors in them. The box is fairly generously specced, with a slightly faster-than-normal version of the Snapdragon X Elite that can boost up to 4.3 GHz, 32GB of RAM, and a 512GB NVMe SSD.

Unlike the Windows Dev Kit 2023, which appeared to be a repurposed Surface Pro 9 motherboard thrown into a black plastic box, the Snapdragon Dev Kit appears to be purpose-built. It has a single USB-C port on the front and two USB-C ports, an HDMI port, two USB-A ports, a headphone/speaker jack, and an Ethernet port in the back. This isn't an overwhelming complement of ports, but it's in line with what Apple offers in the Mac mini.