Microsoft is confident that new ARM Windows laptops equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip will be faster than Apple’s MacBook Air computer with the M3 chip inside.

Microsoft is confident that future ARM-based Windows laptops will be faster than Apple’s ARM laptops. Specifically, this means that the Windows maker expects the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite in the latest MacBook Air to be faster than the Apple M3.

Those are big words, consistent with Qualcomm’s previous predictions. Microsoft has an interest in laptops whose chip inside works well, as the company has been trying unsuccessfully to bring ARM to Windows for a decade. A chip that doesn’t disappoint in terms of performance would be a step in the right direction. The Verge understands that Microsoft will soon be eyeing comparisons with Apple when it launches the Snapdragon X Elite laptops.

Software aspect

But hardware performance is only part of the equation. Microsoft has consistently treated Windows on ARM poorly. The company itself doesn’t seem to be fully committed to developing for ARM, putting the architecture in second place after x86. It’s no surprise that other developers haven’t jumped on the ARM bandwagon en masse.

Microsoft and Qualcomm can be happy if the Snapdragon X Elite is actually an objectively better chip than Apple’s M3 and perhaps even a Core i7 from Intel. In practice, however, horsepower hardly matters if the software ecosystem can’t make optimal use of it. We’re curious to see what steps Microsoft may have taken there so that the X-Elite can also flex its muscles.