Tested: The first ARM Windows notebooks with Snapdragon X Elite and Plus
Some of the new Windows-on-ARM notebooks with Copilot+ have been in the c't lab since they went on sale. We describe our first impressions.
Notebooks with Snapdragon X
(Image: c't / mue)
- Florian Müssig
Since Tuesday of this week (June 18, 2024), retailers have been allowed to sell laptops with Qualcomm's ARM processors Snapdragon X Elite (12 cores) and Snapdragon X Plus (10 cores). However, while press representatives are usually able to hold devices in their hands and test them in advance one to two weeks before the sales launch, everything was much more hectic here. This is largely due to Microsoft: the unveiling of the new notebooks and the associated Copilot+ device class on May 20 was so secretive that there wasn't even a typical livestream of the event (neither for the press, interested customers nor employees). Even the notebook manufacturers only found out all the details a few days before the event, and some local subsidiaries only after the event.
Microsoft went into overdrive to announce AI functions for notebooks before Apple's WWDC and to be able to deliver them well before Apple. As is always the case when things are knitted with a hot needle, not everything runs smoothly: although the latest Windows 11 version 24H2 has only been launched on devices with Copilot+ and Snapdragon X processors, i.e. is not yet running on most PCs, completion schedules have been torn up: According to reports, the Windows version was supposed to be ready on June 11 and then on June 13; however, it actually ended up being June 15. And the original main feature Recall was first switched to opt-in after opt-out and then removed completely due to security concerns – without a binding release date for beta testers (Windows Insiders), let alone regular users.
At c't, the first notebooks are currently trickling in at roughly daily intervals: By Wednesday, the Asus Vivobook S 15 and all three Microsoft newcomers Surface Laptop 7 13.8", Surface Laptop 7 15" and Surface Pro 11 (OLED) had arrived. We expect more devices from Lenovo and Samsung soon. Dell, HP and Medion are expected to start shipping in July, Acer not until August.
(Image: c't / mue)
Update orgy
After unpacking, online updates were first on the agenda everywhere. The Microsoft devices had Windows 11 24H2 with build number 26100.1 pre-installed, Asus (and others) delivered with 26100.2. Windows Update found the KB5039239 package on all of them, which raises the build to 26100.863. However, the process did not run smoothly for Asus: We first had to fix the pre-installation via online repair before the update would install.
In addition, all systems found driver and BIOS updates. At Microsoft, these date back to the beginning of June, while Asus added another update in the night from June 17 to 18. Various test reports from other media on the Asus notebook, which went online in time for the sales launch, were therefore not created with the final BIOS version. We would not be surprised to see further updates in the near future.
Once the updates had been installed, all notebooks have so far been pleasantly unexciting: in testing, we have not encountered any crashes, graphics errors or other annoying hiccups that would spoil the fun of a new device. This was very different with Snapdragon devices in the past.
(Image: c't / mue)
As usual in our tests, we set up all devices offline with local user accounts, i.e. without a Microsoft account. However, this is necessary in order to use the Cocreator AI function in the new Paint, for example. We have not yet seen the Copilot app promised for Europe on June 18 –, which is currently only available automatically on devices that go through the initial setup online with a Microsoft account.
Performance ...
In any case, we are first interested in classic tests. The Vivobook contains the Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100, the smallest Elite model without Turbo clock frequencies. Nevertheless, it achieves high values that significantly exceed those from our preliminary test. Background: Asus doesn't run the CPU at around 20 watts, as it does there, but at 35 watts as standard. This flows 1:1 into higher benchmark figures: In Cinebench 2024, which is available as a native ARM version, we measured 950 points when including all 12 cores. The chip can also be supplied with even more energy (45 watts, 50 watts) via the pre-installed MyAsus utility program. However, we have limited ourselves to the factory settings for the time being.
This classification is important: According to the data sheet, our Surface Laptop 7 15" and Surface Pro 11 models are equipped with the X1E-80-100, which can nominally accelerate from 3.4 to 4.0 GHz under single-threaded load using Turbo. In factory settings, however, the CPUs do not achieve higher single-core values in Cinebench 2024 than the X1E-78-100 at Asus; in multi-core mode, the result is even lower.
... vs. volume
The explanation: Microsoft has made a completely different choice than Asus for the factory profile "Recommended" (and which one should you use if not this one?). The Vivobook controls its fans in the same way as many AMD and Intel notebooks: sometimes even short load peaks are enough to generate audible noise; under continuous load, you can clearly hear the CPU working.
The Surface devices are completely different, because even under continuous load you can't hear anything at first. The fans only come on when the metal housing has already warmed up noticeably (but not unpleasantly). And then only briefly, in order to eliminate an acute heat build-up; after that, silence returns – even if the CPU is still under full steam. This setup is very reminiscent of Apple's MacBook Pros, which behave in exactly the same way: They are simply quiet most of the time despite high computing power, which makes working on them very pleasant.
(Image: c't / mue)
The fact that these different tunings from Asus and Microsoft are intentional and not a mistake can be seen from the power supply units included: The Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7 13.8" come with rather meager 39-watt power supplies in the box, while the Vivobook is powered by a whopping 90 watts.
The Surface Laptop 7 13.8" is equipped with Qualcomm's current entry-level Snapdragon X Plus X1P-64-100 model with only ten instead of twelve cores. In single-threading, it achieves the same 106 points in Cinebench 2024 as the more powerful models. Under load on all cores, the 781 points correspond almost exactly to ten twelfths of the X1E-80-100 in the larger Surface Laptop 7 15". No surprise so far.
Battery life
We cannot yet make any binding statements about battery life. Qualcomm promises several days of power supply independence, but not enough time has passed since the sales launch to carry out our usual series of measurements and repeat measurements in case of doubt. In addition, Microsoft's Surface devices with 39-watt power supply units naturally don't recharge their empty batteries too quickly.
The promise of "multi-day battery runtimes" may be a little overstated and raises the question of whether we are talking about full days (24 hours) or working days (8 hours). Either way, as long as you don't turn the screen brightness all the way up, all the candidates so far have runtimes that will certainly get you through a working day, even with a mixed load, so you don't have to lug the power adapter around.
For devices with OLED screens (VivoBook S 15, Surface Pro 11), there is, as always, the personal uncertainty factor of whether you tend to use light apps and websites or those with dark mode, which noticeably extends the battery life. And with videos, it depends on whether you prefer to watch horror films set in dilapidated cellars or an Antarctic documentary.
To-do list
If everything goes smoothly, we will pack the candidates into our measuring booths after all the performance and runtime measurements, where, among other things, the fan noise levels will be measured. We are also currently converting our WLAN test track to Wi-Fi 7 so that we can test such notebooks properly.
Once this is all done, we will look at what the new AI tools bring, but also how well the emulation works with apps that do not run natively with ARM code, but in unoptimized x86 Windows code. We also want to connect various peripheral devices to check the status quo of the driver supply. After all, emulation doesn't help with drivers: if there is no native Windows ARM driver for a device, you can't use it.
All of this will certainly keep us busy for a few more days and weeks. We're keeping our eye on the ball and are already curious to find out which tuning Lenovo and Samsung have chosen for the Snapdragon laptops that are still in production.
This question will also keep us busy for the rest of the year: Not only will there be more high-end notebooks, as mentioned above, but also Snapdragon mid-range devices from late summer. Qualcomm's thick Hexagon AI accelerator with around 45 TOPs, which makes all the AI functions around Copilot+ possible in the first place, will also be on board there – with device prices expected to be under 1000 euros.
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