Microsoft recently unveiled the Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7, which are the first devices to feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor. This processor has been highly anticipated due to its powerful AI capabilities, and the first benchmarks comparing it to Apple’s MacBook Air M3 have now been revealed.
These new devices are part of a new line of copilot PC+ devices from Microsoft and partners like Dell, Lenovo, and ASUS. The Snapdragon X Elite boasts impressive performance on paper, but how does it fare in real-world benchmark tests? The results cover various aspects such as battery life and gaming performance.
The first benchmark tests were conducted by an external lab, Signal65, on the Snapdragon X Elite configuration of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7. The tests compared this device to the MacBook Air M3, the Surface Laptop 5 with an Intel Core i7 12th generation, and the MSI Prestige 16 EVO AI with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H.
In terms of battery life, the Surface Laptop 7 stood out, lasting 58% longer than its predecessor, the Surface Laptop 5, and 16% longer than the MacBook Air M3. Additionally, it showcased superior AI performance in the Procyon AI Computer Vision test, outperforming the MacBook Air M3 by 48%.
However, when it came to other tests such as graphics performance, the Surface Laptop 7 lagged behind its competitors. It was also noted that the device struggled with certain games that required kernel-level anti-cheat software.
The benchmarks indicated that while the Snapdragon X Elite excelled in AI tasks, it faced challenges in gaming and graphics-intensive applications. Microsoft may be looking to address this issue by partnering with NVIDIA to incorporate RTX GPUs in future Copilot+ PCs featuring the Snapdragon X Elite.
Overall, the addition of dedicated GPUs could potentially enhance the performance and battery life of Snapdragon X Elite devices. While the initial benchmarks did not include comparisons with Apple’s latest m4 chip found in the iPad Pro, future tests will provide more insight into how these devices stack up against each other. The Snapdragon X Elite seems promising for productivity and AI tasks, but improvements may be needed for gaming and graphics-heavy applications.
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https://www.laptopmag.com/laptops/the-results-are-in-first-snapdragon-x-elite-benchmark-tests-reveal-how-it-compares-to-intel-and-apple