Microsoft and Qualcomm first introduced Windows on Arm back in 2017, but it took some time for Arm devices to catch on. The ability to run Windows on Arm-based processors is a big deal. Arm processors offer always-on connectivity, instant wake, and many of them come with cellular connectivity without adding a premium to the price. The first few Windows on Arm devices all had the same processors, which weren't very good.

But nowadays, there are multiple Arm processors designed for PCs and devices using each one. It's also worth mentioning that, thanks to Windows 11, these devices are even better now, with Microsoft adding support for x64 emulation. That means you can now run most apps on these laptops, even if they don't have 32-bit versions anymore. All that said, there are more choices than there used to be in this space, though we have to say there still isn't a lot of variety. If you've been looking for a great Windows on Arm laptop, we've rounded up the best choices for you.

Best overall: Surface Pro 9 with 5G

It may be true that there aren't many Windows laptops with Arm processors right now, but that doesn't stop the Surface Pro 9 with 5G from being one of the best Windows tablets you can buy today, and arguably one of the best Windows laptops overall. It has a fast processor and some welcome upgrades compared to its predecessor, the Surface Pro X.

That new processor is the Microsoft SQ3 chipset, a slightly tweaked version of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3, and it's a very fast processor with eight cores (four Cortex-X1 cores and four Cortex-A78 cores) capable of boosting up to 3GHz. It offers a very big boost in performance compared to previous models and makes it more in line with modern Intel devices. The Surface Pro 9 with 5G can also be configured with up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage for a high-end experience across the board.

One of the highlights of the Surface Pro 9 with 5G is the display, which is a 13-inch panel with a very sharp 2880 x 1920 resolution for a great viewing experience. What's more, the 120Hz refresh rate makes everything, from transitions to animations, appear much smoother.

Above that display, there's a 5MP webcam with support for Windows Studio Effects, adding features like portrait blur, eye contact, and voice focus to make video and voice calls even better. Windows Studio Effects should be supported on most PCs with Arm processors. The front-facing camera also supports Windows Hello facial recognition, and on the back, there's a 10MP camera capable of recording 4K video.

Design-wise, the Surface Pro 9 with 5G is essentially the same as the regular Surface Pro 9, measuring 9.4mm thin and weighing 1.84 pounds for the sub-6GHz model, while the mmWave variant (available in the U.S.) is slightly heavier at 1.95 pounds. The 5G model only comes in the classic Platinum color, however, unlike the Intel-based counterpart. Otherwise, it's everything you expect from a Surface, with a clean and sleek look and an optional detachable keyboard.

As for ports, the Surface Pro 9 with 5G isn't amazing. It only comes with two USB Type-C ports, specifically supporting USB 3.2 Gen 2, and there's not even a headphone jack. You'll probably need adapters or a docking station if you want to connect many peripherals to your laptop, and because there's no Thunderbolt support, your options are a bit more limited when it comes to the docks you can buy. Of course, there's also a slot for the nano-SIM card if you want to use cellular connectivity.

It does have a big drawback with that port selection, but the Surface Pro 9 is easily one of the best Arm laptops around, and you can buy it below.

Best clamshell laptop: Lenovo ThinkPad X13s

A close runner-up to the Surface Pro 9 is the Lenovo ThinkPad X13s, which was the first Windows laptop to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3. That still makes it one of the fastest devices in this category. Plus, the iconic ThinkPad design is also here, making it ideal if you want to try new technology with the looks you've been used to for years.

The Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 processor is a massive leap in performance from the previous generation, and it makes this a laptop you can actually use for multitasking and more demanding office work, even if you have to run some emulated apps. This laptop can also be configured with up to 32GB of RAM, something you won't find on almost any other Arm-based laptop. Storage goes up to a 1TB SSD.

Moving on to the display, the ThinkPad X13s has a 13-inch panel, as the name suggests, and it comes in the 16:10 aspect ratio, which means you get more room for reading and writing documents, spreadsheets, and anything else. It comes in Full HD+ resolution (1920 x 1200), and you can add touch support if you want to. There are no upgrade options for the resolution, though you can choose a low-power display option that goes up to 400 nits of brightness, a bit better than the base model's 300 nits.

Above that display, there's a 5MP webcam, which is one of the best you'll find on this list. The base configuration doesn't include Windows Hello support, but it is an optional upgrade. You can also add Computer Vision, which allows the laptop to detect when you approach it or walk away from it and wake up or lock itself accordingly.

In terms of design, the Lenovo ThinkPad X13s is exactly what you'd expect from a ThinkPad, for better or worse. It's great to see, as there weren't any ThinkPads with Arm processors until now, so if you wanted that iconic design with an Arm CPU, you finally have that option. However, this is a look not everyone will love, so it's up to your personal preference. The laptop is fairly thin at 13.4mm, and it weighs just 2.35 pounds, so it's very easy to carry around anywhere, and while it has a bit of an old-school look, it's definitely modern in that regard.

As for ports, you get two USB Type-C ports, a headphone jack... and that's about it. This is a common limitation for Arm-based laptops, but you can add more ports with a USB-C hub if you want to. There's also a nano-SIM slot, which is optional and included if you add 5G connectivity to the laptop. If you do, you can choose to get just sub-6GHz 5G or also add mmWave support, which is something you only really see in Arm laptops. Intel or AMD models only support sub-6GHz.

For the performance alone, the Lenovo ThinkPad X13s is worthy of being the best Arm-based Windows laptop. Still, on top of that, you get a great display, a fantastic webcam with optional facial recognition, and the iconic ThinkPad design that we're seeing for the first time in an Arm laptop.

Best Arm convertible: Acer Spin 7

If you'd rather have a convertible than a tablet or a classic clamshell, the Acer Spin 7 is still your best option, despite its age. It still has a capable processor, but it's old enough that it's getting increasingly hard to find for sale, so we recommend checking out the first two options unless you absolutely need this form factor.

As any premium Windows Arm laptop would until 2022, the Acer Spin 7 comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 chipset, featuring 8 cores running at up to 2.84GHz. It also comes with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage, so you should get solid multitasking capabilities and plenty of space for your files over time. What helps it stand out the most, though, is it promises up to 29 hours of battery life, making this ideal for long trips when you're away from an outlet for extended periods.

The display is a 14-inch panel and it comes with a 16:9 aspect ratio — which isn't the most modern for a high-end laptop — and Full HD resolution. However, the Acer Spin 7 doesn't get quite as bright as others, reaching a maximum brightness of 300 nits. Being that it's also a convertible, the Acer Spin 7 also supports pen input, and it comes with a pen built right in, which you can store inside the laptop itself, so you never lose it.

The webcam is a bit disappointing, being that it's a 720p webcam without Windows Hello support, though that's par for the course with Acer, especially when this laptop came out. That's not to say there's no Windows Hello support, however, as there is a fingerprint reader on the keyboard deck, so it's still fairly easy to unlock the PC.

The Acer Spin 7 has a somewhat more striking design than other laptops on this list, thanks to the dual-tone look. The main body of the laptop is a dark blue color, but accents like the Acer logo on the lid, the hinge, the keyboard key labels, and the edges of the trackpad use a gold color to accent them, giving the device a hint of personality. It's a fairly thin device at 15.9mm, and that's one of the common benefits of Arm laptops. It weighs 3.09 pounds, making it one of the heavier laptops on this list. It should still be very portable, however.

The Spin 7 suffers from the same problem as the laptops above in terms of ports, featuring just two USB Type-C ports and a headphone jack. The Acer Spin 7 also supports 5G, with both sub-6 and mmWave networks supported.

All things considered, the Acer Spin 7 is a great Arm-based laptop, offering great performance, a beautiful dual-tone design, and potentially the best battery life of any device on this list.

Best extra-thin Windows on Arm tablet: Surface Pro X

Arguably, one of the most prolific Windows on Arm devices is Microsoft's Surface Pro X, which represented the company's big push for Windows devices powered by Arm processors. It was first introduced in 2019, and while it has been succeeded by the Surface Pro 9 with 5G, there are still advantages to this older model, specifically the portability.

Performance-wise, the Surface Pro X doesn't stray far from other premium Windows devices with Arm processors before 2022. It's sold with either the Microsoft SQ1 or SQ2 processor, and these are essentially tweaked versions of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx and 8cx Gen 2. They're slightly faster, but not by a lot. It also comes with up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage, which still puts it among the more premium devices running Arm processors. The 16GB of RAM can make a big difference in multitasking performance, so it's great to have that option.

One of the best things about the Surface Pro X is its display. It's a 13-inch panel and it uses the typical 3:2 aspect ratio that all Surface devices have. Just like the newer Surface Pro 9 with 5G, the resolution is a super-sharp 2880 x 1920, but the Pro X doesn't have a higher refresh rate, so you're stuck at 60Hz. Depending on who you are, that may not make a huge difference, but it's worth keeping in mind. The camera setup is also the same as what the Surface Pro 9 with 5G has. You get a 5MP camera on the front with Windows Hello support, and n the back, a 10MP camera with 4K video support.

The design is also a point in favor of the Surface Pro X, and where it really stands out from the Pro 9 with 5G. This is an extremely thin and light tablet, measuring just 7.3mm in thickness and weighing 1.7 pounds. Even if you add the Surface Pro Signature Keyboard with a Surface Slim Pen 2, you're looking at 2.35 pounds in weight and a thickness of 13.6mm where the Surface Slim Pen 2 is stored, making this significantly more portable than the Pro 9.

The port situation, however, is the same as the newer model. The Surface Pro X has two USB Type-C ports, and that's it; it was actually the first Surface PC not to have a headphone jack, and that later spread to the Pro 9 family. Some models of the Surface Pro X support LTE connectivity, though some configurations only have Wi-Fi now.

Even with its successor on the market, the Surface Pro X is still deserving of some attention due to the ultra-thin design plus the big discounts you can find on it nowadays. It's a great way to get into the Windows on Arm ecosystem if you can find it at a discount. You can also turn it into a more typical laptop experience by adding the Surface Pro Signature Keyboard with the Surface Slim Pen 2.

Best budget Windows on Arm PC: Samsung Galaxy Book Go

In a sea of premium Arm-based devices, the Samsung Galaxy Book Go is a breath of fresh air, aiming for the entry-level market with features you just can't get on other laptops at this price point.

It's a traditional clamshell form factor and it comes packing a Snapdragon 7c Gen 2, and it was one of the first consumer devices to do so. That's not quite on the same level of performance as the Snapdragon 8cx laptops we've looked at so far, but compared to other laptops in its price range, it's not bad at all. It also comes with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and for a laptop at this price, that's acceptable. It's obviously not going to be a mind-blowing experience, but if you're shopping in this price range, it's about as good as you'll find anywhere else.

That all applies to the base model, but you can spring for the 5G model, which costs more than double the price. That does add a more powerful chipset (the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2), 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. It also adds 5G support, while the base model has no cellular connectivity whatsoever. You can check out the 5G model on Samsung's website.

Still, the base $350 model has some great selling points like the display. it's a 14-inch panel, and it's got Full HD resolution. That's the same as many of the premium laptops on this list, and while some might consider Full HD the bare minimum, many laptops at this price don't have that. The screen quality itself isn't on the same level as those premium laptops, of course, and while it has a somewhat large bezel where the camera is, it's still 720p without Windows Hello. In fact, there's no form of Windows Hello here.

One area where the Galaxy Book Go outshines the premium laptops we've looked at so far is the ports. It comes with two USB Type-C ports, one USB Type-A, a headphone jack, and a microSD card reader. You don't see USB Type-A ports on most Arm laptops, so it's nice to have it here for peripherals that still need it.

It's still a very portable laptop, too, measuring just under 15mm in thickness and weighing 3.04 pounds for the base model. The overall design feels premium, even though it's still made out of plastic. In our review of the Samsung Galaxy Book Go, we even noted that it felt like metal, and it was the spec sheet that said otherwise.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Book Go isn't a mind-blowing laptop, but it's very impressive for its price. If you want a taste of Windows on Arm without breaking the bank, this is one of your best options.

Best budget tablet for business: Asus ExpertBook B3 Detachable

If you want a tablet that's a bit cheaper than something like the Surface Pro 9 with 5G or even the Pro X (at MSRP, at least), then Asus has the ExpertBook B3 Detachable. As you might be able to guess from the branding, this is a business-oriented device, and it's not a particularly high-end one, but it's a solid budget option if you need it.

At the heart of the AsusExpertBook B3 Detachable is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2, an entry-level processor, just as we've mentioned above for the Samsung Galaxy Book Go. It still has eight cores (two for performance, six for efficiency), and it can boost up to 2.54GHz. It can handle basic web browsing, but it's not meant for demanding workloads. It also comes with just 4GB of RAM and 128GB of eMMC storage, so this is undoubtedly for users who don't need a lot of performance.

One thing the Asus ExpertBook B3 Detachable does well is the display. It's not mind-blowing, but this 10.5-inch panel comes with a tall 16:10 aspect ratio, so it doesn't feel outdated. It's also fairly sharp at 1920 x 1200 resolution. It even has a smooth 144Hz refresh rate, so everything appears smoother on screen, and while it's not overly bright at 320 nits, it does have solid color coverage, so you get a nice viewing experience as long as you're not using it under sunlight. The cameras are also fairly good, with a 5MP front-facing camera for video calls along with a 13MP rear camera for pictures and video recordings when you need them.

Asus also did a solid job with the design, making the tablet weigh just 1.3 pounds and measure 9mm in thickness. Combined with the small 10.5-inch display, this makes for a very portable device you can slip into a bag easily. Unlike most tablets, the ExpertBook B3 Detachable is sold with the keyboard cover included, so you can use it as a laptop out of the box, which makes the price tag a lot more appealing. It also includes a garaged stylus for Windows Ink.

Finally, for ports, there are two USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 1 ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack, which aligns pretty closely with what we've seen from other Arm devices. It's not great, and the USB ports are pretty slow, but none of that is too surprising.

Sold at $599.99, including the stand cover and stylus, the Asus ExpertBook B3 Detachable is a decent budget option, though one that's hard to recommend if you plan on doing anything mildly intensive with the device. You can check it out below.

Bonus pick: Windows Dev Kit 2023

This somewhat illustrates the meager selection of Arm laptops available on the market now, but we've included a pick for those who might want something to use at their desk or for development purposes. The Windows Dev Kit 2023, originally known as Project Volterra, is an Arm-powered development kit, and it's a great way to try out Arm PCs if you want powerful performance and already have a screen lying around.

Just like the latest premium Arm laptops, the Windows Dev Kit 2023 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 chipset with eight cores and boost speeds up to 3GHz, which delivers pretty strong performance for all kinds of day-to-day tasks, especially with apps optimized for Arm. It also has a whopping 32GB of RAM, ideal for software development, and a 512GB SSD for storage.

It's an extremely compact machine, coming in at just 8 inches wide, 6 inches deep, and 1.1 inches tall. Plus, it weighs just 960 grams, so you can easily take it anywhere you need your setup to be. It also has a decent selection of ports, including two USB Type-C ports, three USB Type-A ports, mini-DislayPort, and Ethernet. It's the best selection of ports on a Windows Arm device, though that's basically a necessity with this being a desktop PC.

At $599.99, the Windows Dev Kit 2023 is a great way to test the fastest Arm CPU on a Windows PC without splurging for an expensive laptop. It even includes a Windows 11 Pro license, making that price even more reasonable.

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That covers most of the current Windows on Arm laptops (and one desktop), which still shows a lacking ecosystem compared to Intel and AMD products. Still, there's variety in form factors, design, and even price points. We picked the Surface Pro 9 with 5G as the best option because it has the fastest processor along with a phenomenal display and premium design, but there are other great options available if you want something different.

You might not want an Arm laptop, though, because there are many limitations. For example, Arm laptops don't have Thunderbolt, so you can't use a Thunderbolt dock for expansion. We have a list of the best Thunderbolt-enabled laptops if that's something you need.