Windows on Arm is set to have a transformative year. While chip makers, from Nvidia to AMD to Qualcomm, are soon expected to unveil a slate of next-gen arm-based processors, Microsoft gears up to go all-in with fresh Surface hardware, special Windows updates, and services to push more developers to come onboard. But how much work is there left to do for Microsoft to catch up to Apple silicon and what’s it like to use Windows on Arm today?
Over the past year, I’ve been living with an Arm-powered two-in-one PC from a new brand called Robo & Kala. For less than $1000, it offers far more than what you’d expect from this price segment, including a 2.5K OLED touchscreen, a sleek lightweight design, 16GB of RAM, an infrared camera for Windows Hello, and a keyboard you can operate even when it’s detached. The reason, however, this PC, unlike the rest I frequently test, stuck with me is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen3, an Arm-based system-on-chip.
