PassMark Software seems unimpressed by the number of Copilot+ PC tests that it has seen in the wild since the new platform launched. In a Twitter/X post, the long-established benchmarking company shared that over the last 30 days, it has seen 22,000 Windows x86 machines put through its CPU test suite, yet only 56 Windows-on-Arm machines have been benchmarked. Thus, only 0.3% of recently tested machines were powered by Snapdragon X CPUs.
According to the data gathered by PassMark, “there’s a long road ahead” for Copilot+ PCs and Qualcomm due to the deficient representation of these Arm architecture PCs being tested by end users. The Australian software firm highlighted the disparity between the observed 0.3% user base and the Qualcomm CEO’s boldly stated target of capturing 50% of the Windows PC market within five years.
In the past 30 days, we've seen 22,000 x86 Windows benchmark submissions vs. just 56 ARM Qualcomm Elite (that’s 0.3% of all Windows benchmark submissions). Given Qualcomm CEO's claim that ARM could capture 50% of the Windows PC market in 5 years, there's a long road ahead. pic.twitter.com/eyBRRODQqnJuly 15, 2024
PassMark’s contrast between the meager observed numbers of Snapdragon Elite X-powered laptop tests after 30 days and Qualcomm’s target market share after five years is a statistical minefield. Its pie chart shows “Windows benchmark submissions in the last 30 days,” but we must first highlight that people don’t just test box-fresh machines. Enthusiasts often test, reconfigure, and so on to measure the impacts of numerous software and hardware changes most systems go through. PassMark also provides online CPU charts and rankings for desktop, laptop, server, and mobile – and we don’t know if it looked exclusively at laptops in the headlining figures.
While it is interesting to see PassMark highlight its observations, it probably isn’t yet fair to highlight any ‘failure’ by Qualcomm to live up to promises. Hopefully, the benchmarks company will keep this tracking trend live because we would all like to see the progress of Windows-on-Arm over the coming months with the broader availability of Qualcomm Snapdragon X-powered PCs and the expensive marketing blitz continuing to raise public awareness.
Qualcomm's battery life advantage may be short-lived
One of the most appealing aspects of Qualcomm Snapdragon X-powered PCs was the touted much-improved battery life. While some hardware partners didn’t seem to make the most of this potential, we reviewed the HP OmniBook X last month and welcomed its impressive 16-hour battery stamina.
However, Qualcomm’s time in the excellent battery life spotlight may soon fade. Today, the new HP OmniBook Ultra 14 launched with AMD Ryzen AI 300 processor options and a touted battery life range between 13 and 21 hours. Intel Lunar Lake portables are also expected later this quarter, and these also have numerous optimizations for increased efficiency with better battery life.
