Microsoft is gearing up to ship a new version of Windows 11 exclusively for PCs powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X2 platform. This next release, dubbed version 26H1, is the first version of Windows 11 to be released only for one particular platform architecture.
I theorised this would be the case when Microsoft first announced version 26H1, and now it’s confirmed. ASUS tells me its upcoming ZenBook A14 and A16 powered by Snapdragon X2 will ship with version 26H1 pre-installed, whereas their new ZenBook S14 and S16 with Intel and AMD chips will ship around the same time with version 25H2 instead.
Microsoft did a similar thing with version 24H2 in 2024. That version released first exclusively on Snapdragon X PCs, which began shipping in June, much earlier than the usual release cycle for new versions of Windows 11. Version 24H2 would launch later in the year for everyone else, but for a number of months it was exclusive to Snapdragon PCs.
With that said, I think it’s unlikely we’re going to see version 26H1 ship to everyone later this year. I believe version 26H1 will remain exclusive to new PCs that ship with Qualcomm’s (or NVIDIA’s) upcoming Arm-based chips, with a version 26H2 shipping in the fall as usual for everyone else instead.
While version 26H1 will only officially launch on Snapdragon X2 devices, that doesn’t mean you can’t run 26H1 on your own PC if you want to. It’s already available to test in the Windows Insider Program, and you can install it on any Intel, AMD, or Snapdragon PC running Windows 11 today if you want to try it, though you won’t find much to be different as all the changes are underlying.
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