I finally tried Windows 11 on ARM after four years of unfairly dismissing Qualcomm's misunderstood platform (and I'm obsessed)

[Windows Central]

A bargain find on a second-hand Microsoft Surface Pro X has completely changed how I feel about Windows on ARM, realizing my app compatibility fears were utterly wrong.

I finally tried Windows 11 on ARM after four years of unfairly dismissing Qualcomm's misunderstood platform (and I'm obsessed) : Read more

 

[ShinyProton]

Seems someone just saw the light...

This is why the "8cx Gen 3" Robo & Kala 2-in-1, when on sale at $599, was an incredible deal with its OLED display, 16GB RAM, 512GB m.2 SSD and the Bluetooth enabled keyboard - something the Surface can only dream about.

 

[Ben Wilson]

Seems someone just saw the light...

This is why the "8cx Gen 3" Robo & Kala 2-in-1, when on sale at $599, was an incredible deal with its OLED display, 16GB RAM, 512GB m.2 SSD and the Bluetooth enabled keyboard - something the Surface can only dream about.

Yeah, the Surface Laptop Go 2 in my house was provided for work, and is NOT for personal use so I never really put it through its paces.

The Pro X, though, has been really cool so far. I hope the OLED Surface Pro 10 w/ ARM isn't unreasonably expensive because.. I want it. Not holding my breath, though, the prices have been lofty for a while.

 

[ShinyProton]

Yeah, the Surface Laptop Go 2 in my house was provided for work, and is NOT for personal use so I never really put it through its paces.

The Pro X, though, has been really cool so far. I hope the OLED Surface Pro 10 w/ ARM isn't unreasonably expensive because.. I want it. Not holding my breath, though, the prices have been lofty for a while.

I was about to reply not to hold your breath for an affordable Surface 10 ARM - it seems you already know

Meanwhile, some preliminary information suggests that Microsoft may go with the cheaper Snapdragon X Plus instead of the beefier Elite - there may be a chance of a more reasonable price here - although I would not count on it.

I also heard that Robo & Kala is working on a follow-up device. This could be a Snapdragon X powered one too. I have more trust in them regarding their capacity to offer an affordable device.

 

[bradavon]

I'd still make the case the original Surface Pro X and 8cx g1 in general are perfectly capable for a great many Windows users.

It's been my only PC since 2020. It runs great and now Chrome is available on Windows on ARM it covers most use cases.

No not all:

Games
Google Drive
Google Quick Share

But techies forget a great many people don't game. They use a web browser.

At the start no Spotify for Windows on ARM was a problem but Spotify released an ARM version about 2 years ago I think. No need to use the Spotify PWA.

The only app I find sluggish is Facebook Messenger for Windows but I rarlely use the service and th Web App is solid so it's fine.

 

[Ben Wilson]

The only app I find sluggish is Facebook Messenger for Windows but I rarlely use the service and th Web App is solid so it's fine.

Did you hear about Beeper?

A new universal chat app combines Telegram, WhatsApp, and more, leaving me nostalgic for Trillian and MSN Messenger

Beeper combines up to 14 chat services via a secure, decentralized network on Windows, Linux, and mobile devices.

www.windowscentral.com

I should try the regular Beeper .exe on Arm and see how the emulation runs, but a native version would be great. Otherwise, yeah, the web version/PWAs of WhatsApp and Telegram are fine for me, so I imagine Facebook Messenger is the same.