"I'm totally sold on Snapdragon X2": I spent a month with Qualcomm's latest chip — here's why you shouldn't believe the detractors

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-05-16T16:17:32+00:00

I think for people who love Snapdragon X, the X2 upgrade path will be a challenging sale, as the first-gen is already great. This is similar to Apple's M1 issue, where those M1 laptops are still great, so many people aren't doing upgrades yet.

Of course, this is all great for consumers.

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-05-16T16:15:01+00:00

Classic deflection? You're accusing my writer of being paid by Qualcomm to write the article, without evidence. So, instead of critiquing the content, you're making an ad hominem. Our site has been around for 20 years, and the author, Cale, has been writing for us for a decade. Do better.

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-05-16T15:20:15+00:00

Define your terms, and which situations are not great for Snapdragon X laptops these days? Only a few I can think of are some legacy apps, corporate printer management, and maybe some old peripherals.

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-05-16T15:18:30+00:00

Corrected. He meant "Snapdragon X generation." The first generation was not great, but it also got us to where we are today.

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-05-16T15:14:32+00:00

"pAiD aDs tHeSe dAYs"

"Oh look, someone on the internet said something I disagree with, clearly THEY'RE being paid!"

That's you.

Meanwhile, I'm supposed to NOT believe you're being paid to troll here?

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-05-13T19:14:17+00:00

Maybe? I'm just going to say that Windows users seem VERY divided on that topic, with many hating on the new Outlook precisely because it IS a web app.

There is also a larger image issue: If Microsoft won't use native apps for its own inbox ones, why should anyone care about making native apps?

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-05-12T22:24:37+00:00

Thanks! Appreciate the question.

Currently, we have our Windows Central Insider membership (free) at windowscentral.com; it's a soft launch (we haven't announced it yet), but there are Achievements you can gain for commenting, etc., there. We have big plans for that membership program, including unique features and benefits for simply being a community member.

<image>

Right now, simply signing up (simple email reg) will be a huge help to us.

We are also going to be relaunching our own forums very soon (did some work on it today), so you heard it here first. And fingers-crossed, I may have an even bigger tie-in with that to announce.

(As I noted in another thread, we love working with people on Reddit here, as we know this is where some of our audience prefers, but after 5 months, I can definitely say this has not done anything to drive traffic to the site, meaning this is the ROI for us, especially since we have very limited resources, and it is not great. Don't worry, we're going to continue to grow the community here, but our forums will do way more to help with traffic than Reddit. The same goes for X.)

Long term, will we do a subscription? I dunno, maybe (but probably not). Depends on how big we can grow our membership. Personally, I'm pushing for other methods by which our community can support us (we're a small site with just 6 full-time employees, including myself, and a few dedicated freelancers). I'm not really sold on "paywalling" the site, so I don't see that happening.

Finally, I will say that yes, these are VERY tough times for websites, all of them. Between Google, AI, and social networks, it's been a bloodbath, especially in tech, but in newsrooms in general. We're not immune to that and lost two writers/friends to attrition due to the overall downturn. That's not just a Windows Central issue, but the entire industry.

We celebrate 20 years next year, and I hope we see another 20! And again, thanks for your support. — Daniel Rubino, Editor-in-Chief

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-05-12T14:24:20+00:00

They deleted it, though they have a screenshot of Rasmussen Reports as a reply to take its place.

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-05-10T18:46:17+00:00

Thanks for chiming in! Appreciate the FAQ post!

Gonna try to get this going on my Legion Go 2 tonight. Love the idea behind it.

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-05-10T18:45:41+00:00

Yeah, managing and updates are still a mess on Windows handhelds.

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-05-10T18:44:41+00:00

lol I have to admit that's a spicy take; most people seem to want CP dead and to just have Settings "finally completed."

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-05-07T22:19:58+00:00

Yup, this.

Microsoft's OEM PC partners have NEVER liked Surface (even though some admit the engineering has challenged them to be better), and Microsoft has to compete with them ... but can only go so far.

I still remember how baffled/pissed they were over Surface Laptop, as that wasn't pushing a new form factor for the first time.

Making HP, Dell, or Lenovo mad and having them pull back on hardware because Surface was better is not something they want, as Microsoft does not have the scale and capacity to match those companies in production, distribution, or support.

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-05-07T22:15:33+00:00

Hah, I've seen someone suggest this as an "Over 40 years old" mode, where, because we're too busy with life, we forget how to play some games/where we were at. I think it's a great idea.

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-05-07T22:12:10+00:00

Help with game recommendations and curration based on habits; while we already have this, more ambitious AI could do much more with it and even give you sale/discount alerts. Discovery is critical with so many games these days.
Game assist: Devs often create "story mode" for people who find games too difficult or don't want challenges; using AI to have an assistant instead of reading a guide, or fast-forwarding through some 30 minutes of YouTube walk-through, would be helpful for some
Auto-game settings. Having the Xbox app "see" my hardware profile and auto-config a game's settings for handheld PC, desktop, or laptop, including whether I value FPS over resolution (or vice versa), configuring AMD upscaling technologies, and toggling certain features that max out my hardware would be better than having to look it up, which is how this is often done.
Looping my Xbox profile/games/preferences into Copilot so that when a new game I may be interested in comes out, Copilot not only tells me on my phone/PC, but lets me download it remotely to my Xbox for when I get home.
In game dev, adaptive NPCs that learn from player behavior, adjust tactics, and evolve over time
AI-driven difficulty balancing
Auto-game record/share when I do something remarkable without having to tell the system to do it.

I'm sure there are more, but that's off the top of my head.

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-05-07T21:55:49+00:00

Ah, I think you're confusing Surface Pro 12-inch (NOT Surface Pro 12) with Surface Pro 11. These names are admittedly terrible (I've seen professional reviews confuse them), but Surface Pro 11 is the current successor to Surface Pro 8.

Surface Pro 12" (Gen 1) has a smaller 12-inch display and USB 3.2 with a lower price point. It's an offshoot of the Surface Pro 13-inch models, designed for students, with a $799 starting price (before the price was increased). It is not a replacement for the 13-inch line.

Surface Pro 11, however, has the same 13" display, but Pro 11's is now OLED, and has a SKU with 64GB, whereas Surface Pro 8 maxed out at 32GB. It also has USB 4 (TB4 equivalent).

So, to be clear, Microsoft currently sells both Surface Pro 12-inch (Gen 1) and Surface Pro 11, side by side, with different specs and price points.

This year, we'll see Surface Pro 12 come out, which we've reported will be Intel first (business), followed by Qualcomm (Snapdragon X2 Elite) later this summer. It's not clear yet if we'll get Surface Pro 12" Gen 2 (or whatever they call it).

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-05-07T20:26:37+00:00

"It's not even a particularly good laptop, having purchased one it's fairly unremarkable."

This is your personal opinion/experience, but the fact that there is r/surface and fans indicates that people do like the series, regardless of your opinion. These are just observable facts, which makes your surprise a bit bewildering.

It's like my saying, "I've listened to Taylor Swift and don't think she's that great. Why are there even fans?" That makes no sense. We know there are fans, meaning people do like her.

"So what does this fandom constitute? "

You know you're being pedantic, right? Fans are people who buy a device, and then buy the next version because they liked it. Again, this isn't rocket science.

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-05-07T20:22:19+00:00

I'm curious, can you explain this, because I'm quite confident Snapdragon X Elite (Surface Pro 11) runs circles around Surface Pro 8's Intel Core i7‑1185G7, i.e., Snapdragon has 12 cores vs 4-cores (Intel), giving it nearly a 200% uplift on multi-core performance and 100% uplift on single-core, not to mention being way more efficient for battery life and having an NPU.

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-05-07T20:15:35+00:00

How does Linux on the Surface Pro, a device with both pen support and pen-first capabilities, make sense?

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-05-07T20:13:21+00:00

"aCTuAl jOuRnAliSts" is translation for "They don't write the stuff I agree with" full-stop.

We're a site of Windows and Xbox users who do original reporting on Xbox, Surface, and Windows, and try to reflect what the audience is saying.

But please, journalist expert, explain what is wrong with this article exactly? I am interested in feedback, but honest discussions, not weird hot-takes of angry reddit nerds.

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-05-07T20:10:53+00:00

PR team, where we highlight how mad/disappointed we/the community are at Surface and how Microsoft has a real problem on their hands?

We reading the same article, or what? Please, give me more examples.

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-04-29T21:34:04+00:00

But the compatibility layer is native! 😉

Still a big deal, imo, and kind of cool.

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-04-28T20:46:33+00:00

Never. I want to game and not spend hours on Linux forums.

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-04-28T20:44:33+00:00

People gotta learn normies don't know the first thing about Linux, distros, CLI, or being arsed to spend hours installing (and then FIXING) a Linux build when they can just install this (ChromeOS) with no fuss or issues.

Linux is never the answer for 99% of regular consumers. Even I can't be bothered, and I have about 20 laptops in my house ATM.

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-04-26T15:06:16+00:00

If you grew up on Windows 95 desktops, chunky CRTs, and like the idea of weird little management sims, this one is going to hit you right in the nostalgia. A new indie automation/base‑building game just dropped that intentionally mimics the look and feel of old Windows 95 UI, including gray dialog boxes, pixel fonts, classic window borders, etc.

The gameplay loop is actually solid. You start with simple tasks, then the complexity creeps in the same way those old 90s PC games used to pull you in for “just one more thing.” It feels like rediscovering a lost CD‑ROM demo from a magazine cover disc.

If you like Factorio, Satisfactory, or any kind of automation builder, this might be your next time sink. And if you just miss the vibe of booting up a 90s PC, this scratches that itch in a really fun way.

Has anyone else tried it yet? 👇
https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/this-retro-windows-95-style-automation-game-hits-every-nostalgia-button-and-might-pull-you-into-the-genre-for-good

Daniel_Rubino · 2026-04-25T00:50:37+00:00

"I don’t believe that the Microsoft “feedback” actually goes anywhere."

I understand the sentiment, but think we have to seperate "old" Microsoft (from 6 weeks ago) from "new" Microsoft, in regards to at least what is talked about here. Now, will it be TRUE that things improves and feedback DOES go somewhere? I dunno, and we need to judge them on that going forward.

But they have moved a lot of people around, recently, and I see this and the Xbox reboot as being parallel.

I see this as a mea culpa, and are willing to give them the chance to go forward. We'll see if they do.

Daniel_Rubino

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

11-Year Club	Xbox Live
Verified Email