Windows on Arm: A Promising Future Despite Early Struggles

Microsoft has made Windows on Arm much better. In 2019, the Surface Pro X was unsatisfactory because the software was slow and many apps did not work properly. Things have improved. Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus processors help Windows 11 run smoothly on Arm devices. 

More apps are being developed for Arm, including Photoshop, Dropbox, Zoom, Spotify, Prime, and Hulu. Web browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Edge also work well. For apps not made for Arm, Microsoft uses an emulator called Prism. Prism helps these apps run better than before. Tests show that Prism improves app performance by 8-10%. Some apps, like Google Drive, still don’t work well. 

Heavy apps like Adobe Premiere Pro and Blender run poorly. Because many games use anti-cheat software that is incompatible with Arm, many of them also have issues, and some of them will not even launch. More apps are expected to support Arm in the future. 

Developers are working on ARM64 versions of popular apps. Microsoft offers tools to help improve app compatibility. In the last five years, Windows on Arm has made significant improvements. There are more native ARM64 apps available, and the new Qualcomm chips help. 

Though there are still issues, the future looks promising for Windows on Arm. It is important to note that, while these advances are significant, there are still numerous obstacles to overcome. 

Some lightweight apps run fine using the Prism emulator, but heavier apps and games still struggle. Microsoft is working hard to improve compatibility, with more apps being updated to support Arm. 

This improves the user experience and demonstrates Microsoft and Qualcomm’s commitment to making Windows on Arm a success.