These are the apps running on Windows 10 for ARM64

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors currently power some of the world’s most popular smartphones. And since mobility is the new norm, Microsoft has  dabbled in the idea of mobile PCs running Windows 10. Last week, the software giant entered into an agreement with Qualcomm to build Windows 10 PCs powered by its Snapdragon processors.

At the WinHEC event in Shenzhen, China, Microsoft also announced that ARM64-based devices would be getting the Windows 10 operating system. The company even showcased a Windows 10 version that runs the Snapdragon 820 processor. Future ARM-based chips will also be able to power old Win32 applications.

First compiled apps for Windows 10 on ARM64

That being said, there’s now a recompiled set of Windows apps for ARM64, courtesy of security researcher my123. The compiled apps (python-woa64.zip) are now available to download from XDA Developers, where the researcher shared them. On top of the compiled apps, the Microsoft enthusiast also managed to compile 7-ZIP and ARM64 PuTTY, which will run only if you run Windows 10 on cellular PCs based on ARM64.

ARM64-powered Windows 10 devices also support Win32 x86 apps with a smooth run even though these apps are not compiled for ARM64. Microsoft’s x86 emulation on Windows 10 makes it possible for Win32 x86 apps to run on ARM64 Windows 10 devices.

While the arrival of Windows 10 on ARM64 is still far off, Microsoft and Qualcomm’s partnership offers hope that devices running ARM64 processors will see the light of day some time in 2017. Bringing Windows 10 to ARM64 devices also promises improved battery life. It’s anybody’s guess this time how Windows 10 runs on ARM64-based devices.

Will you be grabbing Windows 10 devices powered by ARM64 once they roll out in the near future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Read also:

• Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 835 processor increases performance by 27%
• Windows 10 Mobile no longer supports Snapdragon 625, 830