Dell’s upcoming Snapdragon Chromebook could have support for multiple pen input types

We reported just last week on a new device on the way from Dell that will equip the Snapdragon 7c SoC like the new Acer Chromebook Spin 513 we just got a hands-on with last month. While there’s a chance this device could end up being marketed to the enterprise sector, we’re hoping Dell treats this new Chromebook similar to the way Acer is treating their first Snapdragon-powered Chromebook, aiming for both the consumer and enterprise markets at once.

Until we have more verification on that front, it is impossible to tell, but if this Chromebook ends up becoming available for everyone in the coming months, it will come bearing one of my favorite features for thin, light Chromebooks: a stowable stylus. While we can know for sure that ‘Pompom’ (the code name for this new Chromebook) will come bearing a pen that can be stored internally in the device, there are still a few questions we aren’t sure on.

CHROMIUM: arm64: dts: qcom: trogdor: Only wakeup from pen eject

Configure the pen to be a wakeup source only when the pen is ejected instead of both when the pen is ejected and inserted. This corresponds to wake source requirements.

via the Chromium Respositories

Some questions remain

First up, we aren’t for sure that this pen is USI. Make no mistake: Chromebooks launching in 2020 are required to include the USI standard, but it doesn’t mean they need to include it as the only pen tech. For instance, a Chromebook is free to launch with a screen that handles EMR and USI at once and ship with an EMR stylus. As long as the USI pen I have in my bag works with it, too, then they are in good shape. Thus, the included pen for ‘Pompom’ could actually be something like EMR that Dell has used in Chromebooks prior to now.

Second, there’s no indication that this stylus will be recharging while stowed inside the Chromebook. While the stowable, recharching USI pen we’re seeing for the Lenovo Thinkpad C13 Yoga Chromebook brings a few firsts to the party for Chromebooks, ‘Pompom’ may not be so cutting-edge. If this pen ends up being a simple EMR pen as mentioned above, there is no need for a battery and no need to recharge anything. Instead, we’d simply be looking at a fairly-standard, stowed stylus like we see in most of Samsung’s Chromebooks and in Dell’s Inspiron Chromebook 14.

Either way, I’m excited for another Snapdragon Chromebook on the way and always excited to see a pen in the box that has a place to be put away when not in use. If this ends up being a combo of included EMR pen for safe keeping with the ability to upgrade to a nicer USI pen for those that want it, I think that decision is a good one that will work very well for many consumers and will mark the first Chromebook to actually ship with this setup. Now, we just need to get these new Snapdragon devices cleaned up and out the door.