Qualcomm and Google have partnered to launch an Arm-native version of Chrome for Windows PCs powered by Snapdragon chips. Say goodbye to emulation and hello to maximized performance from the world’s most popular browser.
Up until now, any instance of Chrome you’ve used on a Snapdragon Windows PC has been essentially running in an emulated state translated from x86 instructions. This bottleneck meant performance took a hit along with battery life on these always-on, always-connected PCs.
But those constraints are being lifted as Qualcomm demoed a pre-release native Arm build of Chrome that drastically outpaces the emulated version as well as Intel’s latest Core processors.
In browser benchmarks like Speedometer 2 and Jetstream 2, the native Chrome build on Qualcomm’s upcoming flagship Snapdragon X Elite ran over 130% faster than the emulated version on the same hardware. It even took a 9-11% lead over Intel’s brand new Core Ultra 7 155H chip.
This doubling of real-world performance alongside improved battery efficiency could be a game-changer for the Snapdragon-powered PC experience which has previously been hamstrung by emulation overhead.
Final Piece of the Native App Puzzle
As Qualcomm prepares to launch the powerhouse Snapdragon X Elite processor this summer, having a native version of Chrome is arguably the final crucial piece of the app ecosystem puzzle.
With Google’s immensely popular browser now optimized, eyes will turn to how the rest of the Windows software landscape adapts to Arm architecture. Chrome was one of the last major holdouts, so the pressure is on for developers to go native.
Qualcomm and Microsoft have one less hurdle to clear on the road to declaring desktop app parity between Arm and x86 platforms. I’m excited to put the Snapdragon X Elite through its paces this spring with the shackles of browser emulation finally cast off.
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