Microsoft and Qualcomm have indicated that we could see the first Windows 10 computers powered by ARM-based chips by the end of the 2017. With just over a month left in the year, time is running out… but WinFuture has spotted evidence that at least two new Windows 10 devices powered by ARM-based chips are on the way.

Geekbench

As noticed by WinFuture, one of those devices is an Asus computer with the model number TP370QL, according to listings in the Geekbench online benchmark database.

The other appears to be a 12 inch HP laptop, according to pages found on the HP website.

Asus and HP are two of the companies that had already announced plans to build Windows 10 devices with ARM processors. The other is Lenovo.

It looks like someone’s also been running tests on a “Qualcomm CLS” test system, although it’s unclear if this is a real product or just a prototype used for internal testing purposes.

It’s probably too early to read too much into the benchmark listings, since the final products could look quite different. But it is certainly interesting that Geekbench shows single-core and multi-core scores that are about half of what you’d expect from an Android device with the same Snapdragon 835 processor.

Maybe that means Windows 10 runs less efficiently than Android on ARM. Maybe it has something to do with the overhead that comes with emulating an x86 instruction set so that users can run legacy Windows programs on a device with an ARM-based processor. Or maybe these are just early results for unfinished hardware and software that hasn’t been finalized yet.

It’s also interesting to see that some of the pre-release Windows 10 on ARM devices seem to feature 4GB of RAM and others have 8GB. It looks like Windows tablets and laptops with 2GB of RAM or less may be a thing of the past… or at least may be a thing of low-end Intel-powered devices.

 

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15 replies on “ARM-powered Windows laptops show up in benchmark results”

  1. Windows 10 pro, 32 bit with 4-8GB of RAM? Either a typo, or there was no field for Windows 10 ARM, and they just picked one of the options.

  2. Windows 32bit is almost a joke. Very limited in apps. Better grab GPD POCKET intel Atom Based 7″ Laptop or a tablet that can run every x64 apps. Also the speed of the x86 emulator for arm is super slow for mid to heavy tasks.

    1. Yep, I am not sure what Microsoft wants to achieve with that.

      Full-blown Windows 64 bit is absolutely required for modern applications.

      These ARM laptops will be worth much more when converted to Linux (which can use 64 bit properly with all the OSS apps) if the 32 bit Win32 limitation remains.

  3. “Maybe that means Windows 10 runs less efficiently than Android on ARM.”

    I’ve got to tell you, I have a Cherry Trail 2 in 1 that runs Windows 10 and Android. Windows on that machine is brutal – it is not enjoyable. It’s adequate for email and very light web browsing. Android works great on it though. I am very certain that Windows 10 runs less efficiently than Android on an Intel processor so I guess it’s no surprise to get similar results with an ARM platform.

    Windows 10 may be featured filled, powerful and flexible, but it will choke even the most powerful ARM SOC down to Atom level performance. And that’s why despite similar Passmark scores (or whatever benchmarks you want to look at) a Snapdragon 835 or even Apple’s latest and greatest are not a match performance-wise for Intel’s i5s and i7s.

    1. 2 cores or 4? because I have been pretty happy with all the quad core atoms regardless of the generation they have been, bay trail or cherry…

      1. 4 cores, 4 GB ram, 64 GB EMMC. It’s a Cube iWork10 Flagship. It’s fine for very light use. Checking email, watching YouTube, etc. Open 5 tabs and it’s crippled. Any 1 or 2 things are fine, but start multitasking and it’s toast. And my lord Windows updates are horrendous. Some of them take over an hour.

        1. ….I would say the performance of those Quadcore Snapdragon 835’s are probably close to Core M5’s. Now imagine a device with such a performance, running a full-blown Windows 10 Pro operating system, and on top of that, use software emulation to run x86 code.

          Why not just get an Atom Z8750 instead? It would be less complicated.

  4. Nice. Hopefully, Windows on ARM is good this time. Plus, hoping for UMPCs (prefer thumbable clamshells) to come out.

    1. “UMPCs”

      We’re going full circle again, UMPCs are going to be a thing (again)?

    1. I think that the A11 is ready to become the SOC for the macbook product line. All Apple needs to do is to get ARM versions of Mac software and make the switch. It will be faster and have longer battery life… and run all ios apps. I am not interested in cheap ARM win10 laptops… they are just chromebooks running windows. Apple no longer using x86 for laptops will be big news when it happens.

      1. Well, I’m all for an ARM-powered Macbook as long as we’re not limited to iOS apps only (those benchmark numbers you talk about only concern iOS) – we have yet to see how well an A11 can run OSX (since we’re dissing ARM-powered Windows notebooks).

        1. I am thinking that clam-shell A11 ipad pro with typical macbook apps would be the product to expect.

  5. These may not be final versions but it is a pretty good bet that these laptops are going to be dogs when it comes to performance. I will be interesting to see what the third party reviewers say once production models are available for testing.

    1. These benchmarks are pointless as it’s done via emulation, the Edge browser is not native Arm software on Win10 Arm versions of the OS, Qualcomm confirmed it in one of their earlier demos.

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