Qualcomm: No performance hit from running x86 apps on Windows 10 on ARM

The first Windows 10 on ARM devices are expected this Spring. These devices feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC and it's definitely exciting. These ARM-based devices will use hardware-assisted emulation to run the "full-fat" version of Windows 10, and are fully capable of running traditional x86 software. There is no need to recompile any software, Microsoft and Qualcomm claim everything will just run.

One of the major concerns centers around performance. Emulation is usually a lot slower than the real thing but Qualcomm is making bold claims. Bit tech noticed the firm said users should expect the same performance and battery life as would be on an Intel-based PC:

Qualcomm has been quick to reassure users that the efficiency of the translation engine is high: Speaking to Neowin, a company representative claimed that 'performance and battery life impact should be the same as it would be on a PC with an Intel processor' - meaning, if the claim can be taken at face value, the x86-to-Arm hardware translation engine is efficient enough to have no discernible impact.

Will be interesting to see if this holds up!