Microsoft is betting big on Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs, which, according to the company, are the future of computing. While Copilot+ PCs are off to a rough start in terms of AI features, the Snapdragon-powered PCs still offer better performance and longer battery life than most of the current Windows hardware.
While reading about Copilot PCs, I noticed new documentation on Microsoft’s learn website, which is not indexed on Google or Bing. It tells us some interesting details about Copilot+ PCs performance.
For example, in a benchmark published in May by Microsoft, the company observed that Copilot+ PCs are 5x faster than popular five years old PCs.
Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs are faster, offer increased battery life and better local playback compared to older PCs
Microsoft used the Cinebench 2024 Multi-Core benchmark to compare Copilot+ PCs (Snapdragon X Elite 12 core and Snapdragon X Plus 10 core configurations) with older Windows PCs.
The company compared these Snapdragon PCs with a selection of Windows PC models commercially released 4-5 years ago with the most monthly active use.
While performance will vary significantly between device configurations and usage, this was “determined based on Microsoft internal usage data as of February 2024.”
Based on all the data, Microsoft observed that Copilot+ PCs are up to 5 times faster than the most popular 5 year old Windows PCs still in use today.
Microsoft also observed similar numbers for local video playback. According to Microsoft, Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs offer up 2.3x more battery in local video playback than the most popular 5 year old Windows devices still in use today.
“Testing conducted May 2024 using the prelease Windows ADK web browsing assessment under standard testing conditions,” Microsoft noted in its observation.
[The device connected to Wi-Fi and screen brightness set to 150 nits, comparing Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon X Elite 12 core and Snapdragon X Plus 10 core configurations running Windows Version 26097.5003 (24H2) to a selection of Windows PC models commercially released 4-5 years ago with the most monthly active use, as determined based on Microsoft internal usage data as of February 2024,” the company added.
Reviewers also made similar observations, but since Microsoft has access to the popular devices and their performance numbers, this gives us a clear picture that Copilot+PCs are true winners.
If you’re planning to upgrade your PC, it’s probably better to settle for a Copilot+ PC running a Snapdragon chip, AMD Ryzen AI, or Intel Lunar Lake.
Coming back to the report seen by Windows Latest, Microsoft also observed that Copilot+ PCs deliver up to 3x more battery power for web browsing than the most popular 5-year-old Windows devices still in use today.
“Battery life varies significantly by device and with settings, usage and other factors,” Microsoft warned before sharing the interesting benchmark details.
According to Microsoft’s internal testing conducted in May 2024, the prelease Windows ADK full-screen local video playback assessment was used under standard testing conditions, with the device connected to Wi-Fi and the screen brightness set to 150 nits.
Microsoft compared Snapdragon X Elite 12 core and Snapdragon X Plus 10 core configurations running Windows 11 26097.5003 (24H2) to a selection of Windows PC models commercially released 4-5 years ago with the most monthly active use, as determined based on Microsoft internal usage data as of February 2024.
The result revealed that Copilot+ PCs deliver up to 3x more battery power for web browsing compared to older Windows PCs.
Microsoft may be planning to share updated numbers in the coming months as Windows 11 24H2 and future updates become available.