ECS, known for its motherboards, just announced a 14-inch laptop powered by an unreleased AMD Krackan processor. According to the press release, the processor in this laptop called the ECS UP42KP, will feature eight Zen 5(c) CPU cores, RDNA 3.5 integrated graphics, and an NPU that delivers more than 40 TOPS of performance. The Krackan Point chips are AMD’s budget alternatives to the Strix Point processors it launched in mid-2024, and we expect laptops with these CPUs to start at $799 and have Copilot+ branding.
ECS said the UP42KP will have features including a TDP range of 15 to 45 watts, support for DDR5-5600 RAM, Wi-Fi 6, and USB 4.0. It will also have an IR camera compatible with Windows Hello, a privacy shutter, a backlit keyboard, and HDMI 2.1. All this is packed in a sleek metal chassis that’s just 16.9mm thick and has a 14-inch Full HD screen.
Unfortunately, ECS hasn’t released pricing for this new laptop model, especially since it’s primarily an OEM instead of a laptop retailer. That means we will probably see the ECS UP42KP on store shelves under a different brand name. Furthermore, the brands that eventually carry the UP42KP in their lineup could tweak the specifications to change its features and pricing. Nevertheless, since ECS is targeting this model for the mainstream mid-range market, we expect it to be priced somewhere between $700 and $1,000.
ECS is releasing Snapdragon X-powered laptops, too
In addition to the AMD Krackan-powered UP42KP, ECS will launch the UP42PW and UP52PW, a 14-inch and 15.3-inch laptop with a Snapdragon X Plus processor. Although the company didn’t mention which model these laptops featured, ECS said they could hit a maximum turbo frequency of 3.4 GHz. That means they’re likely powered by the base Snapdragon X Plus X1P-41-100, which has a 3.2 GHz Oryon 8-core CPU that can reach a maximum single-core boost of up to 3.4 GHz.
These laptops will have an NPU that could hit 45 TOPS, high-speed LPDDR5 memory, and enough battery life to last up to 12 hours. ECS also says these devices will have USB 4.0 and support Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC functionality. Again, the company did not release pricing as they will likely be sold under different brands. Nevertheless, these could be part of the more affordable Snapdragon X PCs that the Qualcomm CEO said will come out in early 2025.
