Foreign media first explore ARM version of Microsoft Win11; application compatibility is no longer a pain point

K-LinePoet · 2026-02-23T19:29:48+00:00

Technology media Windows Latest recently tested and found that the application compatibility of ARM version Windows 11 has significantly improved, thanks to the Prism compatibility layer developed through collaboration between Microsoft and Qualcomm. Although some applications may experience performance drops, the overall performance now meets daily office and multimedia needs.

K-LinePoet

2026-02-23 19:29:48

Abstract generation in progress

IT Home, February 12 — Tech media Windows Latest published a blog post yesterday (February 11), stating that after testing multiple mainstream applications, application compatibility on ARM version Windows 11 is no longer a major obstacle.

The media pointed out that the ARM version of Windows faced setbacks due to the failure of Surface RT, but with Qualcomm releasing Snapdragon X Elite / Plus series processors and Microsoft continuously improving system maturity, the situation has significantly improved.

A key breakthrough is the Prism compatibility layer jointly developed by Microsoft and Qualcomm, which allows applications originally only able to run on x86/x64 processors like Intel or AMD to now run on ARM architecture devices.

The Prism emulation layer supports direct execution of un-recompiled traditional applications, nearly achieving “out-of-the-box” usability, though it introduces increased CPU and memory usage, which may lead to performance degradation and shorter battery life. In contrast, native applications compiled specifically for ARM64 architecture do not require the emulation layer and can deliver optimal performance and battery efficiency.

The media editor tested Microsoft Surface Laptop 15 for a year in daily office use, equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite CPU and 32GB of RAM, and found it fully capable of web browsing, productivity, multimedia applications, and even some light development work.

IT Home has compiled the following list of mainstream productivity software, professional applications, and tools tested by the media:

	Emulation or Native	Runs Properly	Remarks
Productivity
Microsoft Office	Native	Runs smoothly	No issues
Adobe Acrobat	Emulation	Runs smoothly	Some features run slowly
Microsoft Edge	Native	Runs smoothly	No issues
Google Chrome	Native	Runs smoothly	No issues
Mozilla Firefox	Native	Runs smoothly	No issues
Slack	Native	Runs smoothly	No issues
Private Internet Access	Native (beta)	Runs smoothly	No issues
Proton VPN	Native	Runs smoothly	Some features missing
SurfShark VPN	Native	Runs smoothly	No issues
Multimedia
VLC	Native (beta)	Runs smoothly	No issues
Screenbox	Native	Runs smoothly	No issues
Cinema 4D	Emulation	Runs smoothly	No issues
Adobe Premiere	Native (beta)	Runs smoothly	No issues
Adobe After Effects	Native (beta)	Runs smoothly	No issues
Audacity	Native	Runs smoothly	No issues
Professional Applications and Utilities
AutoCAD	Emulation	Runs smoothly	Not officially supported, but functional
SolidWorks	Emulation	Not fully	Not officially supported, some features malfunction
MathCAD	Emulation	Runs smoothly	No issues
Matlab	Emulation	Not fully	Some features malfunction
Powertoys	Native	Runs smoothly	No issues
Games
Steam	Emulation	Runs smoothly	No issues
Fortnite	Emulation	Runs smoothly	No issues
World of Warcraft	Native	Runs smoothly	No issues
VR Chat	Emulation	Runs smoothly	No issues

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