I’ve lived exclusively with Arm-based computers: an M1 Mac Mini and a Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered Windows two-in-one PC for years. While I’ve had close to zero complaints with Apple silicon, Microsoft’s platform fell short in comparison, and that delta has continued to grow. When I wrote a long-term review of Windows on Arm in March 2024, I had a downside to highlight for each upside. But I also couldn’t imagine returning to an Intel-equipped PC, and I ended that retrospective on an optimistic note as Microsoft geared up to roll out a major revamp of Windows on Arm.
Sure enough, in April 2024, Microsoft bet big on Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus chipsets, which claimed to go toe-to-toe with Apple’s M series. The performance jump allowed Microsoft to dramatically upgrade the compatibility layer that lets any app run on Windows on Arm. Called Prism, it’s as efficient as Apple’s Rosetta 2 emulator and emulates apps twice as fast as the earlier generations of Windows on Arm machines.
