Microsoft's Copilot+ PCs equipped with Intel and AMD processors take on MacBooks in revised performance comparisons, a year after the initial benchmarking.
New Study Shows Copilot+ PCs Outperform MacBooks in Performance and AI Tasks
In a recent comparison study, Copilot+ PCs have demonstrated impressive performance gains over MacBooks. The latest round of testing, conducted in September 2024, involved Copilot+ PCs powered by Intel and AMD processors, as well as Snapdragon X series processors.
According to Microsoft, emulated apps on devices running on a Snapdragon X Elite are over 2x faster than Windows on Arm devices from the previous generation. Copilot+ PCs powered by Snapdragon X Plus 10-core are up to 27% faster than a MacBook Air M3, and up to 58% faster for those powered by Snapdragon X Elite.
In terms of productivity, Copilot+ PCs powered by Intel's Core Ultra 200V have up to 20% faster Microsoft Office performance than MacBook Air M3, while those powered by AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series are up to 38% faster. Moreover, Copilot+ PCs are up to 5 times faster than the most popular 5-year-old Windows PCs still in use today.
The testing allowed for comparisons between Copilot+ PCs and MacBooks running macOS Sequoia, specifically M3 MacBooks, as M4 MacBooks did not ship until November 2024. Notably, Copilot+ PCs have up to 47% faster AI performance than MacBook Air with M3.
The improved performance is due in part to Microsoft's Prism emulation technology, which helps to close the gap in app compatibility for PCs powered by Arm processors. Over 93% of total minutes spent in apps are in apps compatible with Arm devices, according to Microsoft.
However, it's important to note that there are still some apps that do not work on Windows on Arm at all. Nonetheless, the ASUS Zenbook S 14, one of the Copilot+ PCs with a non-Snapdragon processor, running on an Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processor, shows that Copilot+ PCs are not limited to Snapdragon-powered devices.
In 2025, many more Copilot+ PCs are expected to run on Intel or AMD processors, as the Copilot+ PC designation now refers to some Intel and AMD devices as well. The Copilot+ PC performance details webpage now shows details about Copilot+ PCs with Intel and AMD chips.
In summary, Copilot+ PCs offer impressive performance gains over MacBooks, particularly in AI and productivity tasks. However, buyers should weigh software needs (Windows vs macOS), battery vs raw performance, and compatibility before choosing.
[1] Microsoft (2024). Comparing Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon processors to MacBooks. [online] Available at: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/pc/compare-to-macbook
[2] The Verge (2024). The best laptops of 2024. [online] Available at: https://www.theverge.com/guides/best-laptops
[3] AnandTech (2024). Intel Lunar Lake: The next-generation Intel Core processors. [online] Available at: https://www.anandtech.com/show/18177/intel-lunar-lake-the-next-generation-intel-core-processors
[4] Tom's Hardware (2024). AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series: A new benchmark for AI performance. [online] Available at: https://www.tomshardware.com/news/amd-ryzen-ai-300-series-benchmarks
[5] Wccftech (2024). Intel vs AMD Copilot+ PCs: A comprehensive comparison. [online] Available at: https://wccftech.com/intel-vs-amd-copilot-pc-a-comprehensive-comparison/
- The Copilot+ PCs, triumphing over MacBooks, have shown impressive lead in performance due to advancements such as Microsoft's Prism emulation technology.
- The latest Microsoft study reveals that Copilot+ PCs, powered by Intel and AMD processors, are up to 58% faster than MacBook Air M3 and up to 38% faster for those with AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series.
- Copilot+ PCs, notably, demonstrate up to 47% faster AI performance than MacBook Air with M3 and up to 27% faster for those using Snapdragon X Plus.
- In addition to boosted AI performance, productivity tasks on Copilot+ PCs run up to 20% faster than MacBook Air M3 when using Microsoft Office applications.
- The study also highlights that the latest Copilot+ PCs are up to 5 times faster than the most popular 5-year-old Windows PCs in operation today.
- Interestingly, the ASUS Zenbook S 14, one of the Copilot+ PCs, demonstrates that the Copilot+ PC performance is not limited to Snapdragon-powered devices.
- Copilot+ PCs set to dominate the market, as many more will be powered by Intel or AMD processors in the upcoming year.
- In terms of the latest technological advancements, both Intel and AMD are gearing up with their next-generation processors, Intel Lunar Lake and AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series, packing a punch in AI performance.
- With enhancements in hardware, software, and AI performance, finance-savvy consumers can kickstart their new year by upgrading their technology to a Copilot+ PC, whether it's a laptop like the Surface Laptop or Surface Pro, or even connecting it with an Xbox for entertainment, covering all fields, from work/productivity to sports gaming.
