By Cindy Zackney
Copyright techcrunch
At times, it can seem like our devices possess a supernatural talent for knowing the most inopportune moment to run out of battery. You’re in an airport, the clock is ticking on a crucial project, and suddenly you’re on a wild goose chase around the terminal for a spare outlet or free charging bank. Or you’re on the plane, having budgeted a few hours to get some work done, only to discover that the plugs in your row need maintenance. When out of the office, you limit yourself to workspaces with easy access to a power source, or to apps and functions that won’t put too much strain on your laptop. Everyone knows the feeling of battery anxiety all too well, the stress of racing to get everything done before that percentage sinks too low.
As more and more of the professional world exists in hybrid spaces, reliable mobile capabilities have become essential for those keeping pace. And they can’t stop at the length of a charging cord; during travel, events, and remote work, the day will inevitably lead away from the nearest outlet, but staying connected and productive remain essential. Qualcomm made this a key priority with the shift from their x86 architecture to Windows on Snapdragon, the next evolutionary phase in personal computing. With lightning fast CPU performance, AI-powered support from an advanced NPU, enterprise grade security and true multi-day battery life, Windows on Snapdragon is more than a technical breakthrough. It’s the beginning of a complete rethinking for the habits and rhythms of how we work.
As Qualcomm’s Vice President of Information Technology, Zeeshan Sabir has witnessed firsthand how Windows on Snapdragon is transforming enterprise computing, particularly in an environment where engineers make up roughly 75% of the workforce. “IT is customer zero for Qualcomm Technologies’ products, and we’re the first to hear when things aren’t working,” Sabir explains. “With our teams, two of the biggest complaints were the inconvenience of always having to carry power adapters around, and the fan noise that you get when the unit is managing heat.”
He frequently received reports of blue-screen crashes when devices were unplugged, along with complaints about laptops left fully charged over the weekend only to show significant battery loss by Monday morning. His teams observed that while low-demand tasks like spreadsheets and presentations performed adequately on battery power, programming workloads caused rapid drain. The intensive computing requirements of software development demanded a processing platform capable of sustaining performance anywhere, anytime.
“Walk into any Qualcomm conference room today, and you’ll notice something different: people carrying laptops without power adapters,” Sabir says. “That’s the easiest way to tell who’s running Windows on Snapdragon versus those still on x86.”
At the heart of the superior unplugged performance of Windows on Snapdragon is its NPU, specially designed to leverage the power of AI with an all-important lower power spend. The use cases range from video-chat noise cancellation to DJ apps, but for enterprise purposes, the NPU is the secret to high-level work without overheating. On a single CPU, the workload of a developer will overwhelm the processor, activate the cooling fan, and swiftly burn through the battery. With the NPU-enabled architecture of Windows on Snapdragon, large workforces can use LLMs for ideation, debugging, and everything in between in the confidence that their performance won’t suffer, even on the go. And this advantage spans the various price points for PCs with Windows on Snapdragon, all of which run on the next-gen NPU.
The Snapdragon emphasis on unplugged battery and performance also extends to its approach to apps. More than making all of Windows users’ favorite apps compatible with Windows on Snapdragon, Qualcomm Technologies has been optimizing from the ground up for outstanding performance. Engineering, sales, and program management teams have partnered with thousands of independent developers to spread awareness of the new platform’s abilities, create native versions of their apps, and get the most out of the NPU. The familiar apps facilitate a seamless transition, so everyone can maintain the workflows to which they’re accustomed.
Some other processors can measure up to the high bar of performance set by Windows on Snapdragon—but only when plugged in. (Performance on Intel processors can drop as much as 45% when running on battery power.) True performance means delivering on those expectations beyond the 9-to-5 workday and the walls of the office. “A laptop is a four-year investment,” Sabir says. “You have to get one that’s ready for everything on the horizon. LLMs are only going to keep growing, and we’re going to need reliable devices with strong processing that doesn’t negatively affect the final UX. So if your employees aren’t aware of Windows on Snapdragon today, eventually, they will be.” Before long, the inconvenient scramble to find an outlet before losing power will be as distant a memory as searching for a pay phone.
To learn more about the untethered Windows on Snapdragon experience, click here.
Footnote: CPU Performance is based on Geekbench v6.2 Single-Core on Windows 11 OS run in October 2024. Snapdragon X Elite (XIE-80-100) was tested using a Dell XPS 13 (9345) on “Balanced” Power Mode in Windows and “Optimized” in Dell Power Manager. Intel Core Ultra 7 256V was tested using a Dell XPS 13 (9350) on “Balanced” Power Mode in Windows and “Standard mode” in Windows and “Optimized” in Dell Power Manager. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 was tested using an ASUS VivoBook S14 (M5406WA) on “Balanced” Power Mode in Windows and “Standard mode” in MyASUS. Power and performance comparison reflects results based on measurements and hardware instrumentation of given devices.
Disclaimers:Snapdragon branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.Battery life varies significantly based on device, settings, usage, and other factors.
