Ours is a multi-device reality. The phones may be Android and PCs running Windows. While solutions do exist, devices don't work as seamlessly across these different operating systems as they should. Qualcomm wants to do something about that which is why it has introduced Snapdragon Seamless at the Snapdragon Summit 2023 in Hawaii today.
Snapdragon Seamless is a cross-platform solution that enables Snapdragon-powered devices across different operating systems, such as Android and Windows, to find each other and work together seamlessly. This should help eliminate some of the envy that Android and Windows users feel against how seamlessly all of Apple's devices work together, but that's only possible because Apple is the only sheriff in town on that ecosystem.
This could be Android's best shot yet at a seamless user experience that rivals Apple
Qualcomm's idea behind creating Snapdragon Seamless was to improve multi-device experiences across different manufacturers and platforms so that customers have more choice in the devices they want to use. Snapdragon Seamless will make it possible to share mice and keyboards across PCs, smartphones, and tablets, drag and drop files across devices, intelligently switch earbuds based on the priority of the audio source, and further extend the capabilities of smartphones using extended reality (XR).
The company's latest mobile platform, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, features Snapdragon Seamless, so this functionality will be available on next year's flagship phones as well. It's also incorporated into the new Snapdragon X Elite PC platform. Qualcomm is going to extend Seamless to Auto, IoT, and XR platforms in the future as well.
Several companies have already signed on to support Snapdragon Seamless in their new devices. These include the likes of Microsoft, Opposite, Xiaomi, Lenovo, and others. Samsung is missing from this list, likely because of what's already possible with the Phone Link app on Windows 11. The Korean giant also provides its own Galaxy ecosystem features that work on Windows-powered Galaxy Book notebooks such as Quick Share, Multi Control, Second Screen, and more.
It remains to be seen if the company decides to expand on this when the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy is possibly unveiled early next year, since Qualcomm's vision for Snapdragon Seamless extends beyond PC and notebook to other platforms as well.
Disclaimer: Qualcomm is hosting a large group of international media for the Snapdragon Summit 2023 from October 24-26 in Hawaii, including SamMobile. All opinions and analyses remain our own with Qualcomm receiving no advance preview or exercising any control over our coverage.