Windows ARM laptops

[xiaofan]

I mention 14A because I think the 1st generation of 18A will not beat TSMC. The x86 CPU or SoC also needs more redesigning effort to match ARM.

For sure Intel 18A can not beat TSMC. But it can help Intel to survive if successful.
Same that Intel 14A will not beat TSMC.
I believe Intel can not beat TSMC any time soon, not in 2027, not even in 2030. Let's see.

Then I also believe Qualcomm Snapdragon X can not beat Intel/AMD x86_64 anytime soon, not in 2026 or 2027 anyway, because of Windows. Let's see.

Just my personal opinion. I may well be wrong. Let's see.

 

[watzup_ken]

For sure Intel 18A can not beat TSMC. But it can help Intel to survive if successful.
Same that Intel 14A will not beat TSMC.
I believe Intel can not beat TSMC any time soon, not in 2027, not even in 2030. Let's see.

Then I also believe Qualcomm Snapdragon X can not beat Intel/AMD x86_64 anytime soon, not in 2026 or 2027 anyway, because of Windows. Let's see.

Just my personal opinion. I may well be wrong. Let's see.

I tend to agree that Intel is actually not competitive against TSMC in the foundry business. If Intel is not using their own Intel 3 for current Lunar and Arrow Lake for reasons they won't disclose, I don't believe they can deliver a miracle going down to 2nm or smaller as these requires refinement of existing techniques/process and tools. Unless of course, TSMC drop the ball.

The silver lining for Intel is that Samsung is equally failing in the foundry business. This gives them the opportunity to slot themselves into the next best option to TSMC (due to cost reasons), assuming if their foundry business is doing better than Samsung.

 

[stanlawj]

Experience of a Mac user switching from Ipad Pro to Surface Pro.
(He regrets not getting the Surface Pro with 5G WWAN version)

https://merecivilian.com/one-month-with-the-surface-pro/

 

[stanlawj]

Nvidia ARM gaming PC/laptops coming soon in 2025. Intel may be dead. Windows on ARM + Nvidia GPU gaming.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Nvidi...25-targeting-high-end-PC-market.912491.0.html

Nvidia plans first consumer CPU launch for 2025, targeting high-end PC market​

Nvidia is gearing up to launch an Arm-based platform for consumer PCs in September 2025, a big move signaling the company's ambitious entry into the CPU market. This plan blends Nvidia's CPU and GPU designs and is aimed at high-end devices, with a wider release expected around March 2026.

Nvidia leverages its experience from its work with Grace CPUs and Tegra processors, plus its stronghold in AI servers and the graphics card industry. Industry analysts think all this experience gives Nvidia a solid leg up as it takes on the consumer PC market.

The timing's interesting, too. It lines up with the expected end of Qualcomm's exclusive deal for Windows on Arm devices, meaning the door's open for new players and likely a spike in competition in the Arm-based Windows PC space.

Nvidia's approach might go one of two ways: either a more mainstream chip with built-in graphics to compete with AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm or a high-performance, gaming-oriented CPU teamed up with a separate GPU. The latter could take aim at the traditional x86 gaming scene.

To pull this off in the gaming arena, Nvidia will need to make sure modern games run smoothly, but their existing ties with game devs could make this easier. Nvidia did try stepping into the PC space before, back when Windows RT launched in 2011, but things didn't go quite as planned back then.

 

[watzup_ken]

Nvidia ARM gaming PC/laptops coming soon in 2025. Intel may be dead. Windows on ARM + Nvidia GPU gaming.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Nvidi...25-targeting-high-end-PC-market.912491.0.html

Nvidia plans first consumer CPU launch for 2025, targeting high-end PC market​

Nvidia is gearing up to launch an Arm-based platform for consumer PCs in September 2025, a big move signaling the company's ambitious entry into the CPU market. This plan blends Nvidia's CPU and GPU designs and is aimed at high-end devices, with a wider release expected around March 2026.

Nvidia leverages its experience from its work with Grace CPUs and Tegra processors, plus its stronghold in AI servers and the graphics card industry. Industry analysts think all this experience gives Nvidia a solid leg up as it takes on the consumer PC market.

The timing's interesting, too. It lines up with the expected end of Qualcomm's exclusive deal for Windows on Arm devices, meaning the door's open for new players and likely a spike in competition in the Arm-based Windows PC space.

Nvidia's approach might go one of two ways: either a more mainstream chip with built-in graphics to compete with AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm or a high-performance, gaming-oriented CPU teamed up with a separate GPU. The latter could take aim at the traditional x86 gaming scene.

To pull this off in the gaming arena, Nvidia will need to make sure modern games run smoothly, but their existing ties with game devs could make this easier. Nvidia did try stepping into the PC space before, back when Windows RT launched in 2011, but things didn't go quite as planned back then.

This is a cause for panic for any existing x86 CPU designer, i.e. Intel and AMD. For Qualcomm, I feel they have an advantage when it comes to their custom CPU cores, but they will be at a disadvantage when it comes to GPU.

 

[stanlawj]

https://wccftech.com/qualcomm-3rd-gen-oryon-cpu-cores-coming-to-snapdragon-x-ai-pc-platforms-2025/

2nd gen coming

 

[xiaofan]

Probably in 2026 we will see Windows on ARM64 becomes usable and gain about 10% to 20% of market share. Let's see.

I will still avoid Windows on ARM64 PCs in 2025.

HW should not be a limiting factor
1) Qualcomm ARM CPU for PC
2) Nvidia + MediaTek ARM CPU for PC
3) MediaTek's own ARM CPU for PC
4) AMD ARM CPU for PC ??

SW side is still the main issue but it may become usable in 2026.
1) Microsoft may further improve the x86-64 emulator to help to solve the app compatibility issues
2) major app developers may come out with more native app
3) more and more peripherals will have ARM64 drivers

 

[xiaofan]

Cheaper options at about S$1100 to S$1200, Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100 CPU.

Not so sure if we will see decent S$900 to S$1000 options in the future.

Acer Swift Go 14 AI, 16GB RAM, 512G/1TB SSD
https://www.canbuyornot.com/reviews/acer-swift-go-14-ai-review-price/

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x, 16GB/32GB RAM, 512GB/1TB SSD
https://www.canbuyornot.com/reviews/lenovo-ideapad-slim-5x-review-price/

 

[xiaofan]

It is interesting that Acer now has all three platform for the Swift AI family.

Qualcomm Snapdragon X, S$1699, 16GB/1TB
https://www.acer.com/sg-en/laptops/swift/swift-14-ai

AMD Ryzen AI 300, price unknown as of now
https://www.acer.com/sg-en/laptops/swift/swift-14-ai-amd

Intel Core Ultra 200V
Swift 14 AI Intel: S$1899 for Ultra 7 258V, 32GB/1TB version; S$1299 for Ultra 5 226V, 16GB/512GB version;
Swift 16 AI modles are also available.
https://www.acer.com/sg-en/laptops/swift/swift-14-16-ai

Review of the Qualcomm version and Intel version
https://www.laptopmag.com/laptops/windows-laptops/acer-swift-16-ai-intel-review
https://www.laptopmag.com/laptops/windows-laptops/acer-swift-14-ai-intel-review
https://www.laptopmag.com/laptops/windows-laptops/acer-swift-14-ai (Qualcomm version)

US Pricing from the first review mentioned above:
Acer Swift 16 AI (Intel): Price and configurations
The $1,199.99 model I reviewed is configured with an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V, integrated Intel Arc graphics, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. The 16-inch display is damn sharp thanks to its high resolution (2880 x 1800) and vivid OLED panel. It’s also a touch screen, which is a nice bonus (and as of writing, this laptop is on sale for $899.99).

There are several other Swift models with either an Intel, AMD, or Qualcomm processor. On the Intel side, there are two 14-inch Swifts, one with a Core Ultra 7 258V, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and an IPS touchscreen for $1,299.99. The other comes with a Core Ultra 7 256V, 16GB of RAM, the same amount of storage, and the same display for $1,199.99.

The base AMD model starts at $1,199.99 and is configured with a Ryzen AI 9 365, Radeon 880M integrated graphics, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 14-inch, 1920 x 1200 IPS touchscreen. The $1,299.99 model has the same hardware but comes with 32GB of RAM.

Finally, there’s the 14.5-inch Qualcomm model starting at $1,049.99. Two configurations have a Snapdragon X Plus X1P-64-100 chip, Adreno integrated graphics, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 2560 x 1600 IPS display. (The touchscreen version costs $50 more.) The $1,649.99 model has the same specs but comes with a touch display, a Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100 chip, and Windows 11 Pro instead of Home.

 

[watzup_ken]

To me, the biggest misstep for Qualcomm was to release an expensive SOC at the get go. The Qualcomm based machines were going for upwards of SGD 2K at launch, which given the spotty software support, is difficult for most people to swallow. Even now, between a 1.7K Qualcomm laptop with 16GB of RAM and a something like an Acer Swift 14 AI+ with 32GB, I would gladly recommend the latter given the small price difference. The Qualcomm solution will likely be more power efficient, but may not be worth the incompatibility issues that it suffers from currently.

For context, I think Apple had a massive success with the initial M1 SOC likely because,
1. They have a significant advantage when it comes to hardware and software integration. But this is not bullet proof as you can tell with the massive failure with the Vision Pro.

2. They released the base M1 Macbook Air, which was shockingly affordable for an Apple laptop that performs will and comes with an incredible battery life. I recalled these sold like hotcakes and boosted their laptop sale and market share significantly back then. The significance is not so much the sales, but because of the adoption rate, it gave developers the incentive to quickly work on optimizing for Apple silicon. In the case of Qualcomm, the adoption is sluggish, and I can expect software developers to take a cautious approach.

 

[stanlawj]

Technically not a laptop, but a mini PC, but this also gives a boost to Windows ARM software ecosystem:

Nvidia Project Digits supercomputer
CPU: Grace (20 ARM64 cores)
GPU: Nvidia Blackwell GB10
Memory: 128GB UMA
Storage: 4TB SSD
Network: ConnectX (supports GPUDirect, RDMA), Wifi, BT
Two Project DIGITS AI supercomputers can be linked to run up to 405-billion-parameter models.

https://hothardware.com/news/nvidia-project-digits-grace-blackwell-dev-system-ces-2025
https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/project-digits/

 

[stanlawj]

Nvidia N1x laptop coming? Mediatek ARM CPU + Blackwell GPU, running Windows on ARM OS.
Built by Lenovo. Q4 2025.
Lenovo Yoga 2-in-1 16 2025?
https://wccftech.com/nvidia-upcoming-ai-pc-soc-debuts-in-lenovo-next-gen-laptop/

 

[xiaofan]

Nvidia N1x laptop coming? Mediatek ARM CPU + Blackwell GPU, running Windows on ARM OS.
Built by Lenovo. Q4 2025.
Lenovo Yoga 2-in-1 16 2025?
https://wccftech.com/nvidia-upcoming-ai-pc-soc-debuts-in-lenovo-next-gen-laptop/

This did not happen in 2025.

Let's see if it will happen in 2026 or not.
https://www.tomsguide.com/computing...-enough-to-make-arm-cpus-a-viable-alternative

 

[xiaofan]

Qualcomm is still the main driver for Windows on ARM64 SOCs, like the Snapdrago X2 Elite chips and the X2 Plus chips.
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...re-arm-cpu-boasts-35-percent-single-core-jump

But they are not that cheap. Now that MacBook NEO is out, it may be even more difficult for Windows on ARM64 to compete...

 

[stanlawj]

Qualcomm is still the main driver for Windows on ARM64 SOCs, like the Snapdrago X2 Elite chips and the X2 Plus chips.
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...re-arm-cpu-boasts-35-percent-single-core-jump

But they are not that cheap. Now that MacBook NEO is out, it may be even more difficult for Windows on ARM64 to compete...

Microsoft OS is the weakest link right now. I believe the OS is holding back the hardware now. For example, Windows is using too much RAM for too many background tasks.

 

[xiaofan]

Asus is selling the high end ZenBook A16 at S$3299 (no longer sold in Singapore) and Zenbook A14 at S$3099.
Not so sure who want to buy.

1) ASUS Zenbook A16 (UX3607)
This product is no longer available for purchase in Singapore.
https://www.asus.com/laptops/for-home/zenbook/asus-zenbook-a16-ux3607/
https://www.asus.com/sg/store/laptops/for-home/?Spec=401168

---

ASUS estore price
S$3,299.00
This price may not refer to the specifications below.

---

• Windows 11 Home - ASUS recommends Windows 11 Pro for business
• 1.2 kg ultra-portable Copilot+ PC
• High-tech ceramic: Ceraluminum™
• Up to Snapdragon® X2 Elite Extreme processor
• 21+ hours of sustained battery
• Up to 48GB LPDDR5x 9600 MHz RAM
• Up to 2TB PCIe® Gen 4 SSD
• Up to 16:10 3K OLED display with 6 speakers
• Full I/O ports with two USB4® and SD card reader

2) ZenBook A14 at S$3099
https://www.asus.com/sg/laptops/for-home/zenbook/asus-zenbook-a14-ux3407/
https://sg.store.asus.com/asus-zenbook-a14-ux3407na-qd052w.html

Meet 2026 ASUS Zenbook A14 (UX3407). At just under 1kg, enjoy top-tier performance powered by Snapdragon® X2 Elite processor and multi-day battery life.

• Windows 11 Home (64-bit) – ASUS recommends Windows 11 Pro for business.
• Snapdragon® X2 Elite (18-core) X2E88100 (53MB Cache, Multi-core max up to 4.0GHz, 18 cores, 18 Threads) Qualcomm® Hexagon™ NPU up to 80TOPS
• Qualcomm® Adreno™ GPU
• 14.0" WUXGA (1920 X 1200) OLED
• 32GB LPDDR5X
• 1TB M.2 NVMe™ PCIe® 4.0 SSD
• 2 Years International Warranty

Model No.:
UX3407NA-QD052W
Part No.:
90NB1712-M006X0

 

[xiaofan]

The reviewer: Hardware Delivered, its up to Microsoft Now.

 

[xiaofan]

1) Review of the Asus ZenBook A14



2) Another review of the ASUS Zenbook A16

 

[joesph]

my surface pro boot super super slow. just see the 15 year i7 ½tb macbook pro 16gb

 

[xiaofan]

Nvidia N1x laptop coming? Mediatek ARM CPU + Blackwell GPU, running Windows on ARM OS.
Built by Lenovo. Q4 2025.
Lenovo Yoga 2-in-1 16 2025?
https://wccftech.com/nvidia-upcoming-ai-pc-soc-debuts-in-lenovo-next-gen-laptop/

This did not happen in 2025.

Let's see if it will happen in 2026 or not.
https://www.tomsguide.com/computing...-enough-to-make-arm-cpus-a-viable-alternative

More updates. Looks like there are still tons of issues with Windows on ARM64 using the N1X silicon. Maybe Q4 2026 or Q1 2027. Let's see.