Developers, traditionally, have had considerably restricted choices in the case of testing apps for Windows on Arm. They’ve generally wanted to buy pricey Arm units just like the Surface Pro X, which starts at $899.99. Microsoft and Qualcomm goal to decrease that barrier to entry with the brand new ECS Liva Mini Box QC710 Desktop, a tiny Snapdragon-based PC that’s now out there for $219 on the Microsoft Store.

The QC710 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7c Compute SC7180 (the first-generation Snapdragon 7c, slightly than the second-generation chip that Qualcomm introduced earlier this yr). It additionally comes with 4GB of reminiscence and 64GB of storage, in addition to numerous growth ports together with USB 2.0 Type-A, HDMI, USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, USB Type-C, and a microSD slot.

In different phrases, this isn’t a high-end rig that may exchange a Mac Mini or different totally fledged desktop. It’s particularly meant for builders to check Arm64 apps at an inexpensive worth level (apps which shoppers might then, after all, run on fancier units just like the Surface Pro X). It’s additionally one thing you could possibly feasibly carry backwards and forwards to the workplace, weighing simply over half a pound.

There are solely a handful of Arm-based Windows PCs and Chromebooks out there at present, as high-profile releases progressively trickle into the buyer house. Qualcomm’s second-generation Snapdragon 7c, introduced in May, at present powers Lenovo’s $429 Duet 5 Chromebook and Samsung’s $349 Galaxy Book Go. But app compatibility continues to be a bet, which is a barrier for a lot of potential consumers. Microsoft and Qualcomm are little question hoping that the provision of a $219 developer package will assist construct out the ecosystem of Arm64-compatible apps — although whether or not that may come to fruition stays to be seen.