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. New AI PCs are five times better than old PCs.
While reading about Copilot PCs, I noticed new documentation on Microsoft’s 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. But how did the company identified and compared the older PCs with Snapdragon Windows 11 PCs? Let’s take a closer look at the numbers.
Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs are faster, offer increased battery life and better local playback compared to older PCs
There are several benchmarking tools, and Microsoft icrosoft 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.†Microsoft apparently has data that allows the company to identify the most popular device, and then they benchmarked those models against Snapdragon PCs.
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.
How Microsoft benchmarked local video playback
Microsoft 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.
Microsoft used PCs with Snapdragon X Elite 12 core and Snapdragon X Plus 10, and popular Windows PCs commercially released in the US 4-5 years ago. Of course, we’re talking about Windows PCs here. Not a MacBook or Chromebook. These older PCs were also determined using the same internal usage data of February 2024.
All devices in the tests were connected to a Wi-Fi connection with screen brightness set to 150 nits. The Snapdragon PCs were running Windows 11 Build 26097.5003 (24H2), but we don’t know if those older PCs were also on Windows 11 24H2.
Windows Latest understands that the models were most likely using Windows 10 and early builds of Windows 11.
Based on the results, Microsoft found that the Copilot PCs offer 2.3x more battery in local video playback.
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.
Web browsing and battery power
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 pre=release 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 Build 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.
Thanks to the data from Microsoft, WindowsLatest has created a table that summarizes the numbers:
| Category | Copilot+ PCs (Snapdragon-powered) | Older Windows PCs (4-5 years old) |
|---|---|---|
| Performance (Cinebench 2024 Multi-Core Benchmark) | 5x faster | Baseline (popular models 4-5 years old) |
| Battery Life (Local Video Playback) | 2.3x longer battery life | Standard battery life |
| Battery Life (Web Browsing) | 3x longer battery life | Standard battery life |
| System Configuration | Snapdragon X Elite 12-core / X Plus 10-core | Windows 10 or early Windows 11 builds |
| Operating System Version | Windows 11 Build 26097.5003 (24H2) | Likely Windows 10 or early Windows 11 builds |
| Screen Brightness Setting | 150 nits | 150 nits |
| Winner | Copilot+ PCs (Qualcomm Snapdragon) | – |
Microsoft may be planning to share updated numbers in the coming months as Windows 11 24H2 and future updates become available.
Microsoft is urging people to buy the Copilot+ PCs and it has shared enough reasons to choose them over other options. 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.
They all offer similar battery life and AI features.
Remember that AI features like Windows 11 Recall and Click to Do are still not available, but Microsoft has promised that most of the features will begin shipping in production early next year. You’ll be able to test Recall in the Windows Insider Program starting December 2024.
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