Windows 11 early benchmarks reveal possible performance boost

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Leaked Windows 11 build gets better performance out of a Core i5 CPU in new benchmarks

Windows 11 early benchmarks reveal possible performance boost
(Image credit: ADeltaX/Microsoft)

A developer build of Windows 11 leaked online this month ahead of Microsoft's big June 24 Windows press event, and thanks to some independent testing of that build, we have reason to believe the next version of Windows could deliver a notable performance boost for some PCs.

Though we won't know for sure until the full product launches and we can test it for ourselves, some recent benchmark tests run by the folks at Hot Hardware suggest that you can get better performance out of a PC running Windows 11 than one running the latest version of Windows 10.

Specifically, Hot Hardware took a Galaxy Book S laptop packing an Intel Core i5-L16G7 CPU — one of Intel's Lakefield hybrid chips, which pair high-performance cores with high-efficiency cores — and ran it through some CPU benchmarks, first using the latest build of Windows 10 (Windows 10 21H1) and then using the recently-leaked developer build of Windows 11.

Windows 11 early benchmarks reveal possible performance boost

In addition to rounded corners and a centered Start menu, Windows 11 could deliver some under-the-hood performance boosts (Image credit: The Verge)

The results are promising: even though the leaked build is unfinished, in just about every benchmark the Galaxy Book S running Windows 11 performed as well as or better than it did running the latest version of Windows 10. 

Most notably, these tests suggest Windows 11 may have some under-the-hood improvements that boost browser speed, at least on Intel's hybrid Lakefield CPUs: in a set of custom tests that measure how fast Chrome can execute a series of sample projects written in real-world JavaScript frameworks like Angular and React, the Galaxy Book S performed over 10% faster while running Windows 11. 

The fact that even an unfinished build of the next Windows is delivering minor CPU performance boosts over Windows 10 is good news. We'll have to wait and see if such improvements are still present in the final build, and if they manifest as clearly on non-hybrid CPUs. Windows 11's roots in the mobile-focused, touch-friendly Windows 10X variant could account for why it seems to make better use of the Galaxy Book S and its Core i5 Lakefield CPU than Windows 10.

If you want to wait and watch alongside us, check out our guide to how to watch the Microsoft Windows 11 event on Thursday, June 24 at 11 a.m. ET.

Alex Wawro
Alex Wawro
Senior Editor Computing

Alex Wawro is a lifelong tech and games enthusiast with more than a decade of experience covering both for outlets like Game Developer, Black Hat, and PC World magazine. A lifelong PC builder, he currently serves as a senior editor at Tom's Guide covering all things computing, from laptops and desktops to keyboards and mice.