Older Windows on ARM PCs will be left out of the new Windows 11 ARM-led push this Fall

Microsoft’s weeks away from unveiling its new Surface PCs that will presumably be marketed as ushering in a new Windows on ARM future, but the upgrade path for older WoA devices may be cut short in the process.

For owners of Microsoft’s earlier WoA attempts that include the Surface Pro X, X 2, and Lenovo’s ThinkPad X13s, the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite-led Windows on ARM party will be a ‘new PC’ only attended affair.

According to official documentation, the specs to run this newer version of Windows 11 on ARM will be locked to physical hardware in the form of a Snapdragon 850 processor or newer.

The next version of Windows 11 scheduled for release, version 24H2, will require a minimum spec of ARM v8.1 to operate, which will exclude devices sold from 2016 up until last year.

Some users online have already begun testing the proposed minimum specs from Microsoft on devices such as retrofitted Lumia 950XL smartphones that have been jerry-rigged to run versions of WoA operating systems with ARM v8.0 processors.

Unfortunately for those testing the limitations, booting Windows Insider builds starting with 25188 has resulted in system crashes.

There has been little discourse from Microsoft as to how Windows on ARM has evolved from its previous iterations that could be upgraded across older SoCs, but perhaps the new push for ambient AI features could tax older chips that were not designed to accommodate dedicated processing.

Microsoft’s upcoming ARM-led Surface PC showcase will come a day before the company hosts its annual developer conference where it’s expected that it will go into more details about its even stricter Windows 11 specifications since its initial rollout.