The recently announced Microsoft Copilot+ PCs, featuring the Snapdragon X Elite processor, have generated considerable buzz. Now, benchmark results from Signal65 provide concrete data to support Microsoft’s performance claims. The Surface Laptop, equipped with the Snapdragon X Elite, was put through rigorous testing, and the results reveal a compelling performance story, especially when compared to the Apple MacBook Air M3.
One of the most striking findings is the Surface Laptop’s exceptional battery life. In a local video playback test, the device lasted over 21 hours. This is nearly double the battery life of the Surface Pro 9 and over 15% longer than the MacBook Air M3, setting a new standard for endurance.
The Surface Laptop shown in front of a Copilot+ sign.Image: The new Surface Laptop positioned in front of a Copilot+ sign, hinting at the integrated AI capabilities.
While the MacBook Air M3 edged out the Surface Laptop in single-core performance on both Cinebench and Geekbench by about 15%, the Surface Laptop delivered significantly better multi-core performance, surpassing the M3 by over 30%. Furthermore, the Snapdragon X Elite proved to be more than twice as fast as the 12th-gen Intel Core i7 and around 5% faster than the latest Intel Core Ultra 7 155H.
A battery life test for the new Surface Laptop.Image: A screenshot of the battery life test results, highlighting the Surface Laptop’s impressive 21+ hour runtime.
A test of CPU performance on the Surface Laptop.Image: CPU performance benchmark results showcasing the Snapdragon X Elite’s performance against competitors like the Apple M3 and Intel Core processors.
The Snapdragon X Elite also demonstrated its prowess in other tests. For instance, in a Handbrake video encoding test, it outperformed the Apple M3 by nearly 25%. A comprehensive report detailing these benchmarks and other comparisons is available from Signal65. It’s important to note that this report, commissioned by Microsoft and conducted by Ryan Shrout of Signal65 (formerly of Intel), serves as performance validation rather than a full product review. More comprehensive reviews will likely explore additional performance aspects.
The report also addresses emulated performance using Microsoft’s Prism emulation layer. While the Snapdragon X Elite exhibited strong performance in Lightroom Classic, matching the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H running natively, it lagged behind in Blender, where both the Core Ultra 7 155H and Apple M3 were faster. Prism plays a critical role in bridging the compatibility gap for applications not yet optimized for the Snapdragon X Elite architecture. While emulated performance doesn’t quite match native performance, the results indicate that Prism is a promising technology with potential for future improvement.
With the first wave of Copilot+ PCs available for pre-order and slated for release on June 18th, independent reviews will soon provide a more complete picture of these devices’ capabilities. These reviews will ultimately determine whether the real-world performance lives up to the impressive benchmarks presented in this initial report.
