FEBRUARY 2021 PCWorld 65into compatibility issues. A
3DMark Sky Diver test that
we usually use to test 3D
performance wouldn’t run
on the Adreno GPU.
PCMark 8 Creative failed to
run, too—though it did
when we originally
reviewed the Surface Pro X.
We weren’t able to run
Cinebench R15, a standard
workload for our laptop
testing. We were, at least,
able to run an older version
of HandBrake.
HandBrake exposes how
weakly the SQ1 performs
against modern Windows
laptops running X86 processors from Intel and
AMD. Even a budget laptop from three years
ago, the Chuwi Hi13 (go.pcworld.com/chwi),
topped the Surface Pro X.
BOTTOM LINE
Two years ago, the future of Windows on ARM
looked bright. With what we hoped was a
64-bit emulator waiting in the wings, the
Snapdragon’s “good-enough” performance
could hold its own, especially with the perks of
all-day battery life and LTE connectivity. Today,
Project Athena/Evo laptops from Intel’s
partners have caught up in all these area.
Qualcomm hasn’t launched a significant
Windows on ARM chip in about two years, and
during its recent Snapdragon Tech Summit the
company had basically nothing to say about its
future PC plans (go.pcworld.com/fpln).
Microsoft’s 64-bit X86 emulator is still in
beta, so we can’t make definitive statements
about its success. But it’s hard to believe that
further development will bridge the vast gulf
of performance between Windows on ARM
and Apple’s M1-based Macs. In six months,
Microsoft may be able to boast that its
emulation performance has improved by a
significant amount. But without the combined
miracle of a much better CPU from
Qualcomm or another Arm chipmaker and
continued improvements from Microsoft, the
future of Windows on ARM looks grim.Qualcomm hasn’t launched a significant Windows on ARM chip in
about two years.