Arm-based Windows machines

Winsage
December 28, 2024
The author has been using Arm-based computers, specifically an M1 Mac Mini and a Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered Windows two-in-one PC, and has found Apple's silicon consistently impressive while Microsoft's offerings have lagged. In April 2024, Microsoft introduced the Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus chipsets, enhancing the compatibility layer for applications on Windows on Arm through a new emulator called Prism, which matches the efficiency of Apple's Rosetta 2. Testing the Honor MagicBook 14 Art, powered by the Snapdragon X Elite, revealed significant improvements, including native support for previously struggling applications like Google Drive and ExpressVPN. The MagicBook features a 12-core Snapdragon X Elite, offering seamless application launch and multitasking without the random freezes seen in earlier models. Its thermal performance is commendable, achieving around ten hours of usage in "Balanced" mode. The device also includes a Neural Processing Unit for enhanced AI capabilities. Compatibility advancements allow mainstream applications to run natively, and upcoming Windows updates promise to expand this further. The MagicBook 14 Art is priced at approximately ,750, featuring 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a detachable webcam for privacy. Despite the progress, the market for Snapdragon X computers remains niche, and Qualcomm's disputes with Arm could impact future sales.
Winsage
November 8, 2024
Qualcomm's CEO Cristiano R. Amon announced a significant increase in design wins for the Snapdragon X Plus eight-core platform, rising from 20 to 58 in six months. This reflects growing interest among OEMs in Arm-based Windows laptops. However, Qualcomm faces challenges in converting these design wins into consumer sales due to compatibility issues and performance concerns. Intel and AMD continue to dominate the market with hundreds of design wins annually. Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Plus platform offers AI capabilities, 5G connectivity, and improved battery life, but software compatibility remains a challenge. In Q4 2024, Qualcomm reported revenue of .2 billion, a 19% year-on-year increase, and a net income of .92 billion, a 96% rise. Over the fiscal year, revenue increased 9% to .9 billion, and net profit surged 40% to .14 billion.
Winsage
June 30, 2024
Arm-based Windows machines require emulation to run x86/x64 apps because they use different instruction sets. Microsoft has improved the Arm emulation with Windows 11 24H2, called Prism, to enhance performance. Despite growing support for Arm-native applications, many apps still require emulation. Testing showed performance improvements in software applications after the Prism update on existing hardware. Microsoft claims that emulated apps on Snapdragon X Elite PCs are more than two times faster than previous-generation Windows Arm devices.
Search