- Windows 11 gets new ‘Low Latency Profile’ feature
- Gives the CPU a brief boost to help apps and menus load faster.
- It’s just a rumor and still in early testing, but we’re told we shouldn’t worry about it having a detrimental impact on the laptop’s battery life.
Windows 11 is getting a feature designed to speed up performance when the system faces spikes in demanding activity, such as the workload created by opening an app, by briefly stepping on the accelerator with the CPU.
Windows Central reports that this is apparently part of the so-called Windows K2 project, also known as ‘This year’s big push to fix everything that’s wrong with Windows 11.’
There’s a lot of focus on improving performance with K2, and according to leaker Zac Bowden, the new processor-boosting trick is already being tested with the Windows Insider program. In fact, Windows Latest already enabled it (via a configuration utility) and tested the functionality.
Sources within Microsoft told Bowden that the feature is known as ‘Low Latency Profile’ and is activated, briefly increasing the CPU frequency (between one and three seconds) while performing more important operations. That includes launching an app or opening parts of the Windows 11 interface, for example the Start menu or right-click context menus.
The result is up to 40% faster startup times for Microsoft apps like Edge and Outlook, and we’re told that menus load up to 70% faster. Third-party (non-Microsoft) apps running on Windows 11 should also benefit from this low-latency functionality.
Based on Windows Latest testing, it appears that the feature provides an impressive increase in loading speeds.
The low latency profile will work perfectly in the background and automatically come to life when needed. It’s not yet clear if there will be a switch to enable or disable it, but that is not currently the case.
Analysis: Laptop Concerns and General Skepticism
Windows 11 apparently feels much more responsive with the new low latency profile implemented and based on the percentages claimed for speedups, although they are best case scenarios, I imagine it would work. Menus opening at nearly twice the speed is the kind of performance tweak that Windows 11 could really use, and should make the overall experience of using the operating system much more pleasant.
File Explorer will presumably benefit from this, as it’s technically an ‘app’ for Windows 11 or a process that feeds your desktop folders, but it doesn’t mention it (neither Bowden nor Windows Latest), so it’s unclear. Mind you, Microsoft is already working hard to speed up File Explorer anyway.
One obvious concern is the effect of these brief CPU boosts on battery life in the case of Windows 11 laptops, but Bowden notes that sources who leaked the details say any impact on battery life is “minimal.”
This is still in early testing, Bowden reminds us, so the concept could change considerably before it becomes a reality. In any case, it clearly illustrates that Microsoft is thinking in some depth about how to make Windows 11 much more performant so that it feels meaningful in daily use.
One thing I would caution is that if people are concerned about the thermal impact this feature may have on an older laptop with, say, a faulty cooling system, it seems like a sensible idea to include that switch to disable the low latency profile.
Skeptics also remain on the topic of how good this feature could become. As one Redditor observed: “‘I’ll only believe it when I see the results, but I really hope it’s true, I miss the old Microsoft.”
We all hope it’s true, let’s face it, and it looks promising according to early testing by Windows Latest. (Although it is true, we must take this with some caution, since it was a limited use of the function in a very early state, within a virtual machine.)
The best laptops for all budgets
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to receive news, reviews and opinions from our experts in your feeds.
