When responding to a question on Twitter, the official Visual Studio Code account confirmed that the M1 Mac version will be faster and will use less resources.

It is unclear why Microsoft has gone down this route, but ultimately, once you install the appropriate build for your computer, you should not have to worry again about future updates. Even the Windows on ARM version of Visual Studio Code has a separate version that needs to be installed to take full advantage of native support. A Universal binary means that the same app works with both Intel and M1-chip based Macs.

Unlike other Apple Silicon compatible apps, Microsoft has not yet created a Universal app for Visual Studio Code for Mac. Visual Studio Code for Apple Silicon M1 Macs is now available for insiders