Benchmarking of the first batch of Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon X Elite chips has shown very promising results. Qualcomm claims that its silicon can match or surpass competitors (Apple M3 and Intel Core Ultra) in terms of performance and battery life. So far, our tests have shown that the Snapdragon X Elite chip is the real deal, and laptops like the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 have performed well in our lab tests.

We were particularly interested in seeing the battery life of laptops powered by the Snapdragon X Elite. This is because Apple's M-series MacBooks are the reigning champions in terms of efficiency. Most of the best Windows laptops we tested barely lasted 10 hours, a far cry from the best MacBooks, which lasted at least 14 hours.

Given that Qualcomm had said that laptops with Snapdragon X Elite would last longer than MacBooks, we wanted to see if this claim was close to the truth. series MacBook Air laptops and found that they lasted as long as or longer than the M A new silicon arms race (pun intended) has begun.

Of the Snapdragon X Elite laptops we tested, the HP OmniBook X and HP EliteBook Ultra have the longest battery life so far, as do the 13- and 15-inch Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, MacBook Air with spectacular battery life, and Lenovo's Yoga Slim 7x also fared well; the Surface Pro 11 fared very well for a Windows laptop; and the HP OmniBook X and HP EliteBook Ultra had the best battery life of all the laptops.

* Bold = Snapdragon X Elite

In Tom's Guide battery tests of continuous web surfing at 150 nits screen brightness, both of HP's new laptops recorded 16 hours 22 minutes of battery life. In contrast, the MacBook Air 13-inch M3 and Macbook Air 15-inch M3 lasted just over 15 hours; the 15-inch Surface Pro 7 lasted a minute over 15 hours, but the 13-inch model lasted an impressive 15 hours and 44 minutes, which was more than both MacBook Air M3 models surpassed both MacBook Air M3 models.

The HP notebook could not beat the MacBook Pro 14-inch M3 (17:16); given that the MacBook Air laptop is not fan-equipped, it makes sense that the 14-inch Pro with a fan would be more efficient.

The Snapdragon X laptop lasts longer than the M3 MacBook Air, but the M3-powered 14-inch MacBook Pro proves that Qualcomm's silicon is not entirely superior in terms of efficiency.

The Snapdragon X Elite (and Snapdragon X Plus) are not the only AI-focused processors for Windows laptops. We have also reviewed laptops with Intel Core Ultra and "Meteor Lake" processors; how well do the Snapdragon X Elite laptops compare to those with Intel Core Ultra 7 processors in terms of battery?

*Bold = Snapdragon X Elite

The MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo (13:22), Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i (12:12) and Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 360 (12:04) are Windows laptops with very good results. However, with the exception of the Surface Pro 11, none endured as long as the Copilot+ PC with the Snapdragon X Elite X1E78100 chip. While Qualcomm went toe-to-toe with Apple, it completely beat Intel in battery life tests.

Whether the Copilot+ PC will revolutionize the world with its AI capabilities remains to be seen. But even if AI doesn't live up to its lofty promises, thanks to Snapdragon X we now have a Windows laptop that lasts as long as or longer than a MacBook

. In any case, there is no doubt that Qualcomm has issued a warning to Apple and Intel.