Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC initiative has been fueled by a wave of new laptops running Windows on Arm and powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon X chipsets. This new platform harnesses the power of generative AI technologies with faster on-board Neural Processing Engines (NPUs), while the Qualcomm chipset promises exceptional performance and significantly improved efficiency.
The results so far have been overwhelmingly positive. The first generation of Snapdragon X laptops have delivered better battery life than previous Windows machines, without sacrificing speed. In fact, they’re among the best laptops you can buy today, even competing head-to-head with Apple’s MacBook Air M3, a key target market for these new devices.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the leading Snapdragon X-powered laptops:
Microsoft Surface Pro 11
The Surface Pro 11 stands out as the best Windows tablet ever made. Its detachable design caters to those who can’t decide between a tablet and a traditional notebook. This latest iteration not only demonstrates Microsoft’s commitment to the Surface Pro line but also showcases a doubling down on what makes the product so great.
At the heart of its success lies the Snapdragon X Elite chipset, delivering exceptional performance and outstanding battery life. It’s the fastest Surface Pro ever, thanks to the chipset’s 12 cores and impressive 3.4GHz clock speed. While it may not be the fastest laptop using this chipset, it boasts the thinnest profile at just 0.37 inches and the lightest weight at 1.97 pounds. The Surface Pro 11’s battery life is truly remarkable, achieving an impressive 14.5 hours in web browsing tests – exceeding most Windows laptops and marking a significant improvement over previous Surface Pro models.
The Surface Pro 11 also introduces Microsoft’s first tablet with an OLED display, offering vibrant, dynamic colors and deep, inky blacks. The 120Hz refresh rate ensures a buttery smooth Windows user interface, while the display is compatible with the Surface Pen 2’s haptic feedback, creating a more natural writing and drawing experience.
The Surface Pro 11 takes everything that made it the best Windows tablet and elevates it with enhanced performance and battery life. However, its starting price of $1,000 quickly escalates to over $2,000 for higher configurations.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7
The Surface Laptop has always aimed to provide a thin and light clamshell laptop that showcases the latest Windows features. With the newest version of Windows on Arm using the Qualcomm Snapdragon X, the focus is on achieving fast performance and exceptional battery life.
Whether you opt for the 13.5-inch or 15-inch version, the Surface Laptop 7 delivers exceptional performance with the Snapdragon X Elite chipset. Its battery life is among the best we’ve seen from Windows laptops, achieving 14.5 hours of web browsing and a remarkable 22 hours of video looping.
The Surface Laptop 7 maintains its MacBook-like design with a thin and light chassis and attractive aesthetics. The keyboard and haptic touchpad are excellent, the IPS displays are high quality and operate at a fast 120Hz refresh rate, and the speakers embedded in the keyboard deliver impressive sound quality.
Asus ProArt PZ13
While the Surface Pro 11 might be the best Windows tablet overall, it’s not the only option, and certainly not the most affordable. That honor belongs to the Asus ProArt PZ13, which starts at $1,000, offering the same configuration as the Surface Pro 11 for $1,700. Asus also includes a detachable keyboard, which would cost an additional $130 from Microsoft.
Interestingly, although the ProArt PZ13 uses a Snapdragon X Plus chipset with just eight cores, which might seem slower on paper, it actually holds its own against the Surface Pro 11. This holds true until you engage the Adreno GPU, which is considerably slower on the Snapdragon X Plus. Despite this, the ProArt PZ13 remains a very fast tablet, easily handling demanding productivity tasks.
Its battery life is competitive with the Surface Pro 11, lasting two hours less during web browsing but two hours longer when looping our test video. While the ProArt PZ13’s design isn’t quite as elegant as the Surface Pro 11, with a snap-on kickstand compared to an integrated version, it’s still a solid device. The included keyboard, which is of very good quality, further enhances its value proposition. Like the Surface Pro 11, it also features a high-resolution OLED display that delivers a stunning visual experience.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x
Lenovo’s Yoga Slim 7x embraces the company’s latest design philosophy with rounded edges and a thin and light build that’s both visually appealing and comfortable to use. It holds the title of the thinnest laptop on our list at just 0.51 inches, despite its large 14.5-inch 3K display.
Like the other laptops here, the Yoga Slim 7x is built around a Snapdragon X chipset, specifically the Snapdragon X Elite. It offers the same excellent productivity performance, and its battery life of 12 hours of web browsing and 17 hours of video looping is impressive, especially considering its large, high-resolution OLED display.
The chassis is incredibly well-built, the keyboard and touchpad are very good, and the price is very reasonable at $1,200 for a solid configuration with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.
HP OmniBook X
The OmniBook X stands out as the first laptop to bear HP’s newest branding. The OmniBook lineup will encompass all of HP’s consumer machines, and the OmniBook X is the first to utilize the Snapdragon X Elite.
The Snapdragon X Elite chipset in the OmniBook X delivers outstanding productivity performance and exceptional battery life. Its 13.5 hours of web browsing and 22 hours of video browsing place it among the top performers in terms of long-lasting Windows laptops. The OmniBook X embodies HP’s commitment to premium laptops with its attractive, solid build and thin, lightweight design. Its IPS display boasts excellent color accuracy and contrast for its technology, contributing to its impressive battery life. The keyboard and touchpad continue HP’s tradition of comfortable and precise input options.
These Snapdragon X-powered laptops offer a compelling alternative to traditional Windows laptops, providing exceptional performance, long battery life, and sleek designs. As these machines continue to evolve, they are poised to challenge the dominance of the MacBook Air M3 and redefine the future of Windows computing.
