- Windows 11 26H1 will be only for Snapdragon X2 laptops
- Those Snapdragon X2 PCs will not receive the 26H2 update, which will be kept separate for other Windows 11 devices
- This is apparently part of Microsoft’s plan to avoid the scenario seen with the 24H2 update, where changes for Arm PCs caused chaos for other devices.
We already knew that the Windows 11 26H1 update wouldn’t come to most PCs, and was only for Arm laptops, but Microsoft has now confirmed that it is only for Snapdragon X2 devices, while also providing more details about the update.
This includes the fact that these Arm PCs, which are not yet on sale but are imminent, will not receive the 26H2 update later this year.
VideoCardz noted Microsoft’s confirmation in a blog post that said: “Windows 11, version 26H1 is a specific version that supports some of the new device innovations coming in 2026.
“That means that this version is not available through broad channels, but is only intended for those who purchase these new devices. At this time, devices with Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 series processors will come with Windows 11, version 26H1.”
Microsoft clarifies that 26H1 is based on a different underlying core codebase than the current version of Windows 11, which is 25H2, and that as a result, 25H2 users will not get an upgrade to 26H1.
Likewise, those who buy a Snapdragon X2 laptop this year with 26H1 on board will not receive the 26H2 update later; this will be for PC 25H2 only.
Analysis: a somewhat confusing, but prudent turn
This means that Microsoft is keeping existing Windows 11 PCs on a completely different path for new versions of the operating system than the new incoming Arm-based Snapdragon X2 laptops. These separate builds will not be merged in the update later in the year (26H2).
This is quite different from the direction Microsoft took with the original Snapdragon
If you remember, that led to 24H2 being very buggy and a real headache for non-Arm PCs, and this is what presumably led to Microsoft’s decision here. It keeps the new underlying platform that Windows 11 needs for Snapdragon
With this in mind, you might be wondering: when will Windows 11 26H1 Snapdragon X2 PCs receive their next update? It won’t be until next year, and perhaps not until the second half of 2027 (with 27H2), if Microsoft is going to unify these separate builds at that time, which is apparently the case.
Essentially, the idea is to keep ‘Bromine’-powered builds of Windows 11 distinct from the existing incarnation of the operating system until Microsoft has had much more time to fix any bugs the new platform may cause with AMD and Intel (non-Arm) CPUs. This should avoid a repeat of the bug-fest that was 24H2, and Microsoft appears to have learned its lesson from that disastrous series of bugs.
The downside is that it’s certainly confusing for consumers to have these separate versions of Windows 11, and it could leave Snapdragon X2 laptop owners a little upset as to why they’re missing out on the 26H2 update later this year. (Note that they should not be left out on the sidelines with new features, which can still be delivered with monthly cumulative updates.)
Also worth noting here is that the Snapdragon X2 chips are highlighted in Microsoft’s blog post, but only that silicon; there is no mention of Nvidia’s N1X chip. This rival Arm CPU was rumored to arrive in the first quarter of 2026, i.e. next month, but with nothing said about Nvidia’s processors in this clarifying post about the 26H1, it now seems like a shakier idea.
Maybe we shouldn’t make too much of this, but still, it certainly casts a shadow of doubt for the moment.
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