Snapdragon chips Archives

Winsage

December 29, 2025

Windows on Arm had another good year

The tech landscape is expected to see significant advancements in chips and software by 2026, particularly with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X series enhancing Arm-based Windows laptops. The Snapdragon X chips improved performance and battery life, making Windows on Arm laptops more viable, especially in Microsoft’s Surface Laptop and Surface Pro lines. However, challenges with app compatibility persisted, limiting users to simplified versions of software like Adobe Lightroom. In 2025, software enhancements allowed more creative applications to run natively or through improved emulation, including Adobe Premiere Pro and a functioning version of Lightroom Classic on lower-end Snapdragon X Plus chips. Gaming options improved with advancements in emulator technology, and compatibility for Epic's Easy Anti-Cheat was established. The Xbox game launcher expanded to support local installations on Arm devices. Despite the growing appeal of Windows on Arm laptops, traditional x86 options remain dominant for gaming. The first generation of Snapdragon X chips set new benchmarks for battery life, but competition from Intel’s Lunar Lake and AMD’s Strix Point chips is emerging. Nvidia is rumored to be developing an Arm-based chip for Alienware laptops, indicating a competitive landscape. The gap between x86 and Arm Windows laptops is narrowing, with Arm laptops becoming more accessible, though x86 systems are likely to remain preferred for gamers. Microsoft’s evolution of Windows into an “agentic OS” raises questions about the future of Windows laptops.

Winsage

November 21, 2025

Qualcomm refines Windows on Arm gaming with broad feature release — platform gets Snapdragon Control Panel, AVX2 emulation, improved anti-cheat support

Qualcomm is enhancing its Snapdragon X and upcoming X2 series chips with new gaming features, including a control panel with four sub-menus for graphics, software, system info, and preferences, allowing customization of driver settings for individual games. The update expands anti-cheat support to include Tencent's Anti-Cheat Expert, Roblox's Hyperion, Denuvo, InProtect GameGuard, BattleEye, and Uncheater, with Epic Games improving its Easy Anti-Cheat software for Snapdragon. Additionally, Qualcomm is integrating AVX2 emulation into its Snapdragon Windows-compatible chips, with the Snapdragon X2 Elite already supporting this feature, enabling better compatibility with AVX2 applications on Windows.

Winsage

November 17, 2025

I tried 3 Windows laptops with Qualcomm chipsets this year – and found 3 glaring issues

Last year, Microsoft introduced Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, prompting the purchase of a Surface Pro 11, which became essential for daily tasks. This led to acquiring additional devices, including a Surface Laptop and a Dell XPS 13, both with Snapdragon X Elite chips. Despite effective marketing, businesses remain cautious about these devices. Windows on Arm has improved for Office applications and web services, with devices maintaining cool temperatures and long battery life. However, there are limitations: backup software may not work effectively on Arm devices, as external drives are inaccessible during recovery, necessitating workarounds like network or cloud storage. Installing Linux on Snapdragon-powered PCs is challenging due to a lack of compatible installation images, making Intel-based PCs more practical for work tasks. Additionally, Arm-based devices have performance constraints for gaming, with Snapdragon processors unable to compete with dedicated GPUs, making high-performance gaming unfeasible.

BetaBeacon

July 30, 2025

Ayaneo just announced the “world’s first flip dual-screen Android handheld” for 3DS games, and I’m more excited about it than the Windows version

Ayaneo has unveiled a new gaming handheld called the Ayaneo Pocket DS, which is the world's first Android clamshell portable for 3DS games.

Winsage

July 12, 2025

A new Windows feature could allow your PC to fix itself

Microsoft is introducing a feature called "quick machine recovery" for Windows users, currently available in Windows 11 Build 26100.4762. This feature allows PCs to autonomously troubleshoot and fix issues after a crash, such as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), by booting into the Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE). Quick machine recovery can connect to Microsoft’s servers to send crash data for analysis, eliminating the need for users to interpret error codes. It employs cloud remediation and auto remediation methods, though auto remediation is disabled by default on home PCs. The existing Startup Repair tool will still be available as a fallback option, and users can disable quick machine recovery if desired. Additionally, the build includes a refined "semantic search" capability in Settings, integration of Microsoft’s Reading Coach app, and the ability to export Recall snapshots to third-party applications in Europe.

BetaBeacon

April 18, 2025

The AYANEO Pocket Micro Classic is everything I wanted the Game Boy Micro to be

The AYANEO Pocket Micro Classic is a modern handheld device inspired by the Game Boy Micro, featuring a premium metal body, large shoulder buttons, and a 3.5-inch IPS display perfect for GBA emulation. It runs on Android 13 and is powered by a Helio G99 SoC, allowing it to emulate some PS2 titles. The device is designed for discerning gamers and is priced starting at 9.

Winsage

April 9, 2025

Microsoft squashes one of File Explorer’s strangest UI bugs in April’s Patch Tuesday

Microsoft released its Patch Tuesday updates on the second Tuesday of April, including the KB5055523 patch for Windows 11 24H2, which addresses a File Explorer menu issue and includes security enhancements. This patch encompasses improvements from the previous KB5053656 build. The update resolves a glitch with the three dots menu in File Explorer, fixes a critical issue causing a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) when waking from sleep, and upgrades Task Manager to display standardized CPU usage metrics. For Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon chips, it introduces AI-driven Windows Search capabilities and improves Live Captions for real-time translation in over 44 languages. New features include an enhanced search functionality, a Gamepad keyboard layout for touch, and a new system tray icon for emoji. The update also provides a quick overview of key specifications in the Settings menu and resolves issues with Credential Roaming. KB5055523 is a mandatory security update, and older versions of Windows 10 have also received updates.

Winsage

April 2, 2025

Finally! Microsoft brings most Copilot+ AI features to AMD, Intel PCs

Microsoft has announced that all Copilot+ PCs, including those with AMD Ryzen AI 300 series and Intel Core Ultra 200V processors, will now have access to AI-driven features, previously limited to Snapdragon devices. Features available include Live Captions, Cocreator, Restyle Image, and Image Creator, though some functionalities, like photo resizing, remain exclusive to Snapdragon-powered PCs. The Voice Access feature is currently limited to Snapdragon devices, with plans for AMD and Intel compatibility later this year. Upcoming features will be available through the March 2025 Windows non-security preview update, following the November 2024 update, and will be rolled out gradually via Windows controlled feature rollout. Users can access updates by navigating to Settings > Windows Update.

Winsage

March 25, 2025

Windows-on-Arm woes: Amazon warns customers about Surface laptop returns

Qualcomm and Microsoft are enhancing the Windows-on-Arm ecosystem, highlighted during the Microsoft Build event in May 2024. The Surface brand laptops with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite processors received positive feedback for performance and battery life. However, the Microsoft Surface Laptop (7th Edition) has been flagged by Amazon as a "frequently returned item," prompting buyers to check reviews. Customer feedback indicates that app compatibility issues are a primary reason for the returns. Intel's interim Co-CEO suggested that devices with Snapdragon chips are returned at higher rates due to unmet functionality expectations. Despite this, the market for Windows-on-Arm systems remains strong, with major manufacturers adopting Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors. Other Snapdragon-powered devices, like the Microsoft Surface Pro 11, have not faced similar return warnings. The Surface Laptop may have higher return rates due to its popularity and specific shortcomings noted in reviews, such as display quality and keyboard comfort. Microsoft also offers Intel versions of the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro, which may confuse consumers. Qualcomm and Microsoft are working with developers to improve software support for Windows-on-Arm, with notable applications like DaVinci Resolve and Adobe Photoshop now available. Challenges remain, including Qualcomm's discontinuation of its Snapdragon Developer Kit for Windows and limited native support for some applications. Users with specialized needs may prefer traditional x86 Windows versions. Qualcomm plans to unveil its second generation of Snapdragon X processors in late 2025.

Winsage

March 14, 2025

Fortnite is coming to Windows on Arm

Epic Games and Qualcomm are collaborating to enhance gaming on Windows devices with Snapdragon chips by integrating support for Easy Anti-Cheat. This partnership addresses the challenge of adapting anti-cheat software, which is primarily designed for x64 architecture, to work with Snapdragon devices. Epic aims to test and refine this support through Fortnite, which could improve anti-cheat measures for a wider range of multiplayer games on Snapdragon-powered devices.