About half of Microsoft’s Surface lineup shall be ineligible to improve to Windows 11, the corporate confirmed Thursday after asserting the brand new working system.
When PCWorld requested which Surface units could be eligible for Windows 11, a Microsoft consultant responded through electronic mail with the names of simply 5 legacy units, in addition to probably the most fashionable revisions of every of Microsoft’s Surface lineup. To date, Microsoft has shipped twenty-five totally different Surface fashions, excluding the Surface Duo.
Microsoft didn’t touch upon why it was excluding a lot of its Surface units from Windows 11, however the purpose most probably corresponds with the minimal Windows 11 {hardware} necessities listed earlier immediately, and presumably the necessity for a TPM 2.zero coprocessor.
Of the 25 Surface system households that Microsoft has shipped thus far, solely 13 shall be eligible for Windows 11. Most of Microsoft’s Surface Pro tablets received’t be eligible for an improve. Microsoft didn’t record the Surface Hub or Surface Studio amongst these eligible for an improve, both. Simply put, in the event you personal a Surface system that was shipped earlier than 2017, chances are high that your system received’t be eligible for the Windows 11 improve.
“The following devices meet the minimum hardware requirements to test Windows 11 by joining the Windows Insider Program,” the Microsoft consultant mentioned in an announcement. Customers can use the PC Health Check app to see if their system meets the minimal system necessities, she added.
The Surfaces that may improve to Windows 11
According to Microsoft, the Surface units that are eligible to improve to Windows 11 embody the next record. We’ve added every system’s launch date in parentheses.
- Surface Book 3 (May 2020)
- Surface Book 2: solely the fashions with Eighth-gen Intel CPUs (Core i5-8350U or Core i7-8650U, not the Core i5-7300U) (Nov. 2017)
- Surface Go 2 (May 2020)
- Surface Laptop 4 13.5” (Apr. 2021)
- Surface Laptop 4 15” (Apr. 2021)
- Surface Laptop 3 13.5” (Oct. 2019)
- Surface Laptop 3 15” (Oct. 2019)
- Surface Laptop 2 (Oct. 2018)
- Surface Laptop Go (Oct. 2020)
- Surface Pro 7+ (Feb. 2021)
- Surface Pro 7 (Oct. 2019)
- Surface Pro 6 (Oct. 2018)
- Surface Pro X (Nov. 2019)
Separately, PCWorld has begun testing our Surface units available to see whether or not they conform to the Windows 11 necessities.
Gordon Mah Ung / IDGPCWorld’s Surface Pro Three unit failed the Windows 11 compatibility take a look at.
Gordon Mah Ung examined the Surface Pro 3, the system that put the Surface Pro lineup on the map, and located that it didn’t go Microsoft’s compatibility checker.
While Microsoft has implied that you just’ll wish to improve to Windows 11 with these cool, surprising Windows 11 options, it’s additionally implied that you just’ll have loads of time to maintain engaged on Windows 10 in the event you’d like. Windows 10 will exit of help and into “retirement” in 2025. Still, for a PC trade that thrives on supporting legacy units, it’s disappointing—particularly in the event you’ve invested in a premium Surface system and hoped to get some extra mileage out of it.
