In a fascinating development shared on Reddit, user anh0l showcased an intriguing experiment: running Windows 11 on Arm from his Xiaomi Poco X3 smartphone. This innovative setup retains a split partition for the original Android operating system and boasts a functioning UEFI, highlighting the potential for cross-platform functionality.
Challenges and Performance Insights
However, the journey into this uncharted territory is not without its hurdles. Users have reported significant issues, particularly with touchscreen controls, where the right side exhibits inverted functionality. Additionally, the device experiences concerning temperature spikes, reaching approximately 48 degrees Celsius (about 118 degrees Fahrenheit) during testing. Such temperatures raise alarms not only for the smartphone’s battery health but also suggest broader implications for device performance.
This situation is not unique to anh0l’s device; other Android smartphones have also been noted to reach similar temperature levels, even without the added strain of booting into Windows. This phenomenon may reflect a growing trend in mobile device thermal management.
While the Xiaomi Poco X3 can run Valve’s retired Source engine at a modest 30 FPS, it struggles to deliver a playable experience with the more demanding Source 2-based Counter-Strike 2. The underlying reason for this compatibility lies in the focus of Windows on Arm development, which has primarily centered around Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips. Devices equipped with Snapdragon 800 Series or newer CPUs appear to be the most compatible for this ambitious hack, while older models fall short.
The shared architecture between Snapdragon CPUs used in both Windows Arm laptops and Android devices facilitates this crossover, although driver support remains incomplete. The high temperatures observed in the Snapdragon 860 of anh0l’s Xiaomi Poco X3 prompted a humorous remark about avoiding airport travel with the device.
Despite these challenges, anh0l maintains that the overall experience “runs flawlessly,” providing a glimpse into the potential of this unconventional setup. He has shared additional screenshots in the discussion thread, showcasing the capabilities of Windows 11 on his smartphone. While virtualization features, such as VM applications and the Windows Subsystem for Linux, seem to falter, essential functions like web browsing and even basic Blender animations operate smoothly at a refreshing 120 Hz—albeit at the cost of battery life and device temperature.
