2024 has been a banger year for Qualcomm in the laptop realm, with the Snapdragon X Elite chip helping propel Windows on Arm into actual competition with Apple's macOS.
One of the first laptops powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip, dubbed Copilot+ PCs, was Microsoft's Surface Laptop 7. In our official review of the Surface Laptop 7, we praised the device for its strong performance and MacBook-rivaling battery life — both of which can be attributed to the Snapdragon X Elite chip.
However, impressive battery life and smooth performance don't mean as much when you run into the multiple compatibility issues that accompany Snapdragon X-powered laptops. Even a long-time Windows on Arm user notes the difficulty of trying to use unoptimized apps, saying "It can feel like the Wild West once you leave that bubble" of optimized Windows on Arm apps.
Windows laptops are finally in a competing space with MacBooks — despite Apple launching more powerful, efficient models this year — but they still have a lot of room for improvement. I think 2025 could be the year Snapdragon X-powered machines and other Copilot+ PCs truly get their chance to shine.
What I'd like to see with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite Gen 2 chips
The Snapdragon X Elite chips bring a lot to the table, but unfortunately, Qualcomm doesn't have much control over my first request. I'd like to see Snapdragon X Elite-powered laptops, with their strong performance and lengthy battery life promises, graced by even more compatible Windows on Arm apps.
Ultimately, that'll come down to changes from Microsoft within Windows itself and individual native updates or versions for existing apps.
There are definitely a lot of compatible apps right now that make it easy for the average user to upgrade to a Copilot+ PC, including Chrome, Firefox, Zoom, Spotify, and Adobe Photoshop. But there are still a lot of software that don't work natively with Windows on Arm. Take a look at this helpfully compiled list of non-native Windows on Arm apps on Reddit for a full picture.
My first desire leads into my second, in that I'd like to see native support for Steam, and subsequently stronger support for gaming. When we saw an in-person gaming demo on a Snapdragon X Elite-powered laptop, we were impressed by the "buttery smooth visuals," but that's not always the case when gaming on a Copilot+ PC.
One of Laptop Mag's editors tried gaming on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, and it made him want to cry. The Xbox app won't allow you to run any of its games natively on an Arm processor, popular multiplayer game Helldivers 2 has an anti-cheat engine that's not compatible with an Arm processor, and the default Automatic Super Resolution setting made games run real funky.
If a Copilot+ PC could have great overall performance, long battery life, and decent gaming performance, that'd be a dream.
My last wish is what we all want in next-gen chips: even better performance and efficiency. I'd like to see Qualcomm come out swinging with a chip that competes well with Apple's newest M4-series chips, and graces Windows users with long-lasting, multitasking-made-easy laptops.
We're still in the early stages of hearing leaks and rumors on Qualcomm's next-gen chip series, but here's what we know so far about the Snapdragon X Elite 2.
