Review of New Surface Laptop with ARM-Based Chip from Snapdragon

Introduction

• Excitement: Microsoft announced a new Surface Laptop featuring an ARM-based chip from Snapdragon with an improved version of Windows for ARM.
• Expectations: Comparable to Apple’s transition to ARM chips – anticipated improvements in size, performance, and battery life.
• Reality: Initial excitement turned into disappointment.

Structure of Review

• Parts: Hardware and Software evaluation.

Hardware

Design

• Look and Feel: Beautiful design, excellent build quality, lightweight, and solid.
• Model: 13-inch X Elite model, 512 GB storage, 16 GB RAM.
• Comparison: Compared with older Surface Laptop, improved design with thinner bezels and rounded edges.

Specs Overview

• Chip: 12-core Snapdragon X Elite ARM chip, Adreno 741 integrated GPU, Hexagon NPU with 45 TOPS.
• Storage and RAM: 512 GB NVMe drive, 16 GB LPDDR5X RAM.
• Display: 2304 x 1536 IPS display, 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate.
• Weight: Under 3 lbs.
• Ports:
  • Left side: Headphone jack, USB 3 Type A, dual USB 4 ports.
  • Right side: Magnetic Surface connector (criticized as weak and unnecessary).

Price

• Range: Starts at $999, model reviewed at $1,599.
• Comparison: Comparable to Apple’s MacBook Air, but with variations in storage and RAM options at different price points.

Performance in Everyday Tasks

• Positives: Great dynamic refresh rate screen, larger trackpad, excellent keyboard.
• Battery Life: Excellent for casual use; comparable to Apple and better than most Windows devices in standard tests. However, battery drains quickly with non-native ARM software and games.

Software

Transition to ARM

• Comparison with Apple: Apple successfully transitioned to ARM with smooth translation layers (Rosetta 2). Microsoft’s translation layer is inferior.
• Experience: Noticeable performance issues with non-native ARM software.
• Examples of Issues:
  • Parseek runs poorly.
  • Epic Games Store usable but suboptimal.
  • Steam runs fine (good translation layer example).
  • DaVinci Resolve performs well but inconsistently labeled in Task Manager.
  • Photoshop bugs and ignored settings despite ARM support.

Other Software Issues

• Trackpad Issues: Stops working on security prompts.
• Gaming: Anti-cheat software doesn’t work on Windows ARM (e.g., League of Legends).
• Limited Hardware Encoding: Limited options in Handbrake and OBS.

AI Features

• Opinion: Dismissive of NPU and AI co-pilot features; no significant real-world use cases presented by Microsoft.

Conclusion

• Current State: The software is not ready for general use despite excellent hardware.
• Potential for Improvement: Hope for future updates but skepticism remains.
• Recommendation: Not advised to buy currently; wait for improved software integration.
• Future Content: Will continue testing and posting updates on social media.

Final Thoughts

• Disappointment: Hopes for a competitive alternative to Apple's laptops not met.
• Engagement: Encourages viewers to stay tuned for future updates and expresses gratitude to supporters.