Snapdragon X Elite processors Archives

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

February 25, 2025

Windows AI Laptops For Under Rs 70,000 Are Here In India And This What You Get

Qualcomm has unveiled the Snapdragon X processor in India, which enables affordable AI laptops priced under Rs 70,000. Asus is the first brand to utilize this processor, which features eight cores and focuses on enhancing AI processes and battery life. The launch coincides with the end of support for Windows 10, prompting users to consider new laptops. The Snapdragon X processor aims to provide a reliable option for AI Windows PCs, with the Asus Vivobook 16 expected to compete in this market. There is optimism about Qualcomm's innovations improving performance and efficiency in the affordable Windows segment.

Winsage

December 6, 2024

Phi Silica, small but mighty on-device SLM

The Applied Sciences team has developed the small language model (SLM) Phi Silica, which enhances power efficiency, inference speed, and memory efficiency for Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs using Snapdragon X Series NPUs. Phi Silica is designed for on-device use and supports multiple languages, featuring a 4k context length. Microsoft announced that developers will have access to the Phi Silica API starting January 2025. The Copilot+ PCs can perform over 40 trillion operations per second, achieving significant performance improvements when connected to the cloud. Phi Silica utilizes a Cyber-EO compliant derivative of Phi-3.5-mini, and its architecture includes components such as a tokenizer, detokenizer, embedding model, transformer block, and language model head. The model's context processing consumes only 4.8mWh of energy on the NPU, with a 56% improvement in power consumption compared to CPU operation. Phi Silica features 4-bit weight quantization for efficiency, rapid time to first token, and high accuracy across languages. The model was developed using QuaRot for low-precision inference, achieving 4-bit quantization with minimal accuracy loss. Techniques like weight sharing and memory-mapped embeddings were employed to optimize memory usage, resulting in a ~60% reduction in memory consumption. Innovations such as a sliding window for context processing and a dynamic KV cache were introduced to expand context length. The model has undergone safety alignment and is subject to Responsible AI assessments and content moderation measures.

Winsage

November 27, 2024

16 Best AI PC deals for Black Friday: Save up to $400 off a new AI-ready laptop

AI PCs are gaining attention during the 2024 holiday shopping season, with significant Black Friday deals available. Key processors featured include AMD Ryzen AI, Apple M3 and M4, Intel Core Ultra 200V, and Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite. Current notable AI PC deals include: - Apple M3 MacBook Air: ,099 now 4 at Amazon. - HP OmniBook X: ,199 now 9 at Best Buy. - Dell XPS 13: ,399 now ,099 at Dell. Best AMD AI PC deals: - HP OmniBook Ultra (AMD Ryzen AI): ,379 now 9 at HP. - Asus Vivobook S 14 (AMD Ryzen AI): ,199 now ,013 at Amazon. Best Apple AI PC deals: - Apple M3 MacBook Air 15: ,299 now 9 at Amazon. - Apple M3 MacBook Air (16GB/512GB): ,499 now ,199 at Amazon. - Apple M4 MacBook Pro 14: ,599 now ,399 at Amazon. - Apple M4 MacBook Pro 16 (32GB/1TB): ,999 now ,799 at Best Buy. Best Intel-powered AI PC deals: - Asus ExpertBook P5 (Intel Core Ultra 200V): ,099 now 9 at Asus. - Asus Vivobook S14 (Intel Core Ultra 200V): ,199 now 9 at Walmart. - Dell XPS 13 (Intel Core Ultra 200V): ,399 now ,099 at Dell. - Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition (Intel Core Ultra 200V): ,299 now 9 at Best Buy. Best Qualcomm Snapdragon X Copilot+ AI PC deals: - HP OmniBook X (Qualcomm Snapdragon): ,199 now 9 at Best Buy. - Dell XPS 13 (Qualcomm Snapdragon): ,199 now 9 at Dell. - Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x (Qualcomm Snapdragon): ,289 now 9 at Lenovo.

Winsage

November 20, 2024

This one Google app is finally here for Qualcomm Snapdragon Arm-based Windows 11 PCs

Google has announced Drive for Desktop ARM64 support, currently in open beta without the Outlook Meet plugin. The app is designed for Qualcomm Snapdragon X processors and mirrors the functionality of its x86-64 version. Users can download the setup package directly from Google. This release addresses compatibility issues for users of Qualcomm-based Windows laptops, as Google Drive was previously unable to function in compatibility or emulation mode. Microsoft has also released an ISO package for Windows 11 tailored for ARM64-based PCs, and Google plans to extend its Quick Share file-sharing app to Windows on ARM.

Winsage

November 15, 2024

Microsoft releases official Windows 11 ISO for Arm devices — Extending support for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite processors

Microsoft has introduced a Windows 11 ISO specifically for Arm-based systems, following the launch of the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite. This official release aims to provide a seamless experience for users, moving beyond previous workarounds. The ISO file is slightly over 5GB and includes a guide for creating Arm64 Virtual Machines (VMs) using Hyper-V, although these VMs are not compatible with x86-64 hardware. Installation procedures are similar to those for x86 systems, with options to mount the ISO or create a bootable USB drive. The build is optimized for Snapdragon X Elite systems, but older Snapdragon devices may require OEM drivers to avoid installation issues. An attempt to install the ISO on a Raspberry Pi 5 was unsuccessful, but further exploration by the Raspberry Pi community is expected.

Winsage

November 9, 2024

Telegram is the latest of my daily Windows apps to enjoy native ARM support on Snapdragon X and even my ancient Surface

Telegram is a leading messaging application available on Windows, Android, and Apple devices. The latest version 5.7.2 includes integrated native ARM64 support. Users can download Telegram for Windows on ARM from GitHub, where it is offered as a full installation or a portable application. Previously, Telegram operated under Microsoft's Prism emulation layer on ARM devices, but now it runs natively on ARM64, providing a faster and more efficient experience. Users can download the app via an executable installer or as a portable option from the 'telegramdesktop' GitHub page.

Winsage

November 7, 2024

New Windows Build Brings AVX Support To Snapdragon X For Gaming And More

Recent evaluations of laptops with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite processors have praised their performance and battery life, but issues arose with the high-end Snapdragon X Elite X1E-84-100 chip in the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge, where certain applications were found incompatible due to limitations in emulation capabilities. The Windows operating system uses an emulation layer called Prism to run x86-64 applications on Arm architecture, but it initially lacked support for essential SIMD instructions like AVX2 and AVX. Microsoft announced an update in Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27744 that enhances Prism by adding support for AVX, AVX2, and other instructions, allowing Snapdragon-based Windows machines to run x86 software requiring these instruction sets. However, only x64 applications will benefit from this update, leaving legacy 32-bit x86 applications unaffected. This is significant for gaming, as many recent titles utilize AVX for improved processing speeds, potentially increasing compatibility for previously unplayable games on Snapdragon devices. Despite these advancements, Microsoft has not addressed the potential performance implications of the emulation process. Initial observations suggest that while performance degradation from Prism emulation is less severe than expected, it still does not match that of native Arm applications. Qualcomm is tasked with improving Snapdragon X Elite gaming capabilities, facing challenges with Windows graphics drivers, particularly the Adreno graphics drivers, which may hinder its competitiveness against AMD and Intel in the Windows laptop market.

Winsage

August 29, 2024

Vivaldi is officially optimized for Windows on Arm PCs and supports tab renaming

Vivaldi has released an update to version 6.9, introducing features such as tab renaming, drag-and-drop file handling, and an improved overview of synced tabs. Enhancements to Vivaldi Mail focus on stability and performance. The platform is now optimized for Windows on Arm, supporting Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite processors, which are being integrated into new devices. This optimization aims to improve performance and efficiency on Arm-powered devices, promising faster load times, smoother scrolling, and better responsiveness. Vivaldi offers an intuitive interface with extensive customization options for users.

Winsage

July 24, 2024

Asus Vivobook S 15 Shows Windows AI PC Is Slowly Closing The Gap On Macs – News18

The Asus Vivobook S 15 is the first laptop in the Indian market to feature the Snapdragon X Elite processor, offering impressive performance and long battery life.