The new Copilot+ PCs are here. Is this the promised revolution? 💻

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After a few weeks’ wait, CoPilot+ PCs are finally available for sale. A number of journalists and YouTubers have been able to get their hands on them, and have given their initial feedback. A successful debut for Microsoft?

CoPilot+ PCs with ARM chipsets are here 💻

One of the main new features of these new PCs is the type of chip they use. Traditionally, almost all PCs on the market were equipped with Intel or AMD chips. These chips are based on x86 architecture. The new PCs with the CoPilot+ PC label, on the other hand, are equipped with an ARM-type chip.

These are high-performance, yet energy-efficient chips, found mainly in our everyday smartphones. And for this first wave of PCs equipped with ARM chips, Qualcomm, already leader on the Android market with its Snapdragon chips, will be equipping PCs. For this purpose, two new chips have been created: Snapdragon X Plus and Snapdragon X Elite.

Promises of performance and autonomy kept 🚀

At various demos held over the past few months, Qualcomm has repeatedly claimed that its new chips could compete with Apple’s M3 chips. And if the first tests by YouTubers are anything to go by, it’s a done deal.

Initial tests confirm similar performance to Apple’s M3 chip. And depending on the PC model, sometimes the Snapdragon X Elite chip performs between Apple’s M3 and M3 Pro chips. Like Apple’s chips, the new Snapdragon chips manage to maintain a high level of performance, whether the computer is plugged in or not. The icing on the cake is that you never hear the noise of the fans.

Performance comparison of the new Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x // Source : Dave2D on YouTube

But that’s not all. When it comes to the battery, there’s also some very good news. Initial tests show autonomies similar to those of the MacBook Air, in a variety of scenarios.

Comparing the battery life of the new Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x // Source : Dave2D on YouTube

A mixed launch😕

If the promises are kept on the hardware side, they are less so on the software side. Indeed, one of the big new features highlighted for Copilot+ PCs is AI. However, not everything is going according to plan. Last week, we learned that the Recall feature has been postponed to an undisclosed date. To find out more, click here.

As explained at the start of this article, the PCs we use today use chips with an x86 architecture, different from the ARM architecture of new PCs. To put it simply, until now we’ve only been able to have pizza with a tomato sauce base. Now, it will be possible to have pizzas with a crème fraîche base. Except that by changing the base, you also have to change the dosage of certain ingredients to get a suitable result. Well, it’s almost the same principle with x86 and ARM PCs. Versions of applications that work on one platform don’t work on the other, and vice versa. It is therefore necessary to have application versions for each platform. For example, there will be a version of Spotify for x86, and another for ARM.

Except that not all applications have versions adapted to each platform – quite the contrary. To facilitate the adoption of these new ARM-based PCs, Microsoft has set up a tool that allows x86 applications to run on ARM-based computers. Unfortunately, it works with some applications, but not with others.

Who are these new PCs designed for? 🤔

As mentioned in the previous section, not everything is going according to plan at the moment. Despite the excellent hardware performance, there’s still work to be done on the software side.

For these reasons, these new PCs are currently recommended for those who use their PCs for general purposes. If your PC’s main use is for browsing, the Office suite or communication applications (Slack, Zoom), you can go for it. With their excellent battery life and performance, they’ll be great everyday allies.

However, if you have more specific uses, such as software development or creative applications, you’ll have to wait and see. Some apps work, others don’t. You can find a list of applications tested by YouTuber Just Josh by clicking here. You’ll find out if these PCs are right for you right now.

Even if this launch is not a complete success, we can nonetheless salute the efforts of all the players in the market to bring us new, innovative products. The next few months are sure to be very exciting for the PC world. Depending on how hard developers work to port their applications to these new PCs, their adoption could be more or less rapid.

Are you planning to change your PC in the next few months? If so, what do you think of these new PCs? Discuss it in comments.