From the Computex 2019 in Taipei we get information about our Windows 10 ARM laptops equipped with the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx SoC. A processor intended for laptops “Always On, Always Connected” that promise us an energy efficiency much superior to other similar products with Intel processors, let’s see what this new generation offers us and if it improves the first attempt of ARM laptops launched without much success.
The models that are shown in the tests are those that we can see in the following table, as we see there are several points that are not very comparable, one the highest resolution in the Intel model and another the Windows version.
| Unnamed competitor laptop. | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx reference laptop. |
| Intel Core i5-8250U 8GB RAM 256GB NVMe Storage 2K resolution display (2048×1080) 49Whr battery Windows 10 OS version: 1809 | SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx 8GB RAM 256GB NVMe storage FHD resolution display (1920×1080) 49Whr battery Windows 10 OS version: 1903 |
The tests used are PCMark10 Application Test and PCMark10 Battery Life Profile Test, but they are special compilations optimized for ARM, so the score is subjective and we do not know if it really serves as a real comparison. Remember that Windows 10 ARM emulates x86 applications and this makes them move much slower than in a native x86 processor, also have all kind of problems in the compatibility aspects.
The figures that we can see in the tests almost match the results between an Intel Core i5-8250U and the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx, those results are provided by Qualcomm so the figures are far from being contrasted. Where it seems we have a noticeable improvement is in the life of the battery but it is also something that must be checked in real life. A point that must be taken into account is the price of Windows 10 ARM laptops with Qualcomm is even more expensive than its rival Intel, something that makes them less attractive but in any case are some interesting figures.
