Surface Laptop PCMag
Amazon has recently marked some configurations of Microsoft's Surface Laptop 7 as "frequently returned," prompting probable buyers to read reviews from other customers before they buy, as reported by Windows Report. The Surface Laptop 7 models in question have Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite processors, which are based on an ARM architecture.
Compatibility issues are the main cause of the returns. The processors are efficient in terms of power consumption and battery life. But the majority of Windows software is built to be compatible with traditional x86 processors. Running that software on ARM-based machines might require emulation.
Consequently, users have reported complaints about incompatibility with software and performance penalties on such devices. Even though its Amazon rating is 4.2 stars, most users report complaints about issues with the smooth operation of the ARM-based processor over some apps.
Amazon's "frequently returned" label is a tip to consumers to do their research and read the reviews of others cautiously before purchasing the Surface Laptop 7 with Snapdragon processors. Probable customers must weigh the benefits of better battery life against software limitations and performance limitations.
Microsoft has released Intel-based models of the Surface Laptop series as well. These models should fix the compatibility issues that come with ARM-based systems. The company is hoping to address these concerns by improving emulation technology with the new Prism emulator in Windows 11 24H2, which offers big optimizations for app performance under emulation. Microsoft is also continuing to invest in the developer ecosystem to expand native ARM64 app support.
If you're thinking about buying the Surface Laptop 7 with the Snapdragon X Elite, you should check if your important software works with Windows on ARM. If software compatibility is a big concern, you might want to get an Intel version.
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