The latest build that has been officially announced by Microsoft as Windows 11 26H1 has a very limited caveat: it is not coming out as a general-feature release to all PCs. Rather this version is aimed at machines only, which operate on next-generation silicon.
Microsoft says that the version 26H1 is no longer a feature update to version 25H2 but solely platform changes to support particular silicon. That is, otherwise, you will not upgrade to version 25H2 (or its standard upgrade path), as long as your PC has either current Intel or AMD architecture. The 26H1 version will be released early in 2026, instead--and only on some ARM-based or Copilot+ PC-class devices that use chips like the Snapdragon X2 or Nvidia N1X.
The cause of this split release: these more recent chips will necessitate underlying platform modifications in windows, such as kernel, scheduler or architecture modifications, which the current platform (codenamed Germanium) on which version 25H2 is based can not provide fully. The release of the new platform is named Bromine. Users with supported ARM hardware will receive version 26H1 pre-installed, and all other users will receive all the new features in version 26H2 later in the year, which will support all hardware.
this is not a typical Windows feature update, it is instead a dedicated platform update to accommodate new silicon. The version 26H1 will not be visible to most Windows 11 users and there is no need to worry. To the average user base, the next 26H2 is the big milestone to look forward to.
Post a Comment