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Microsoft has announced a new Beta channel for Windows 11 version 26H1 devices that will allow the company to split testing between experimental and beta features similarly to how Windows 11 version 25H2 already does. It's the first Beta channel that's fully compatible with Snapdragon X2 and RTX Spark PCs.
For those unaware, up until now, the Windows 11 Beta channel has only been available for PCs running Windows 11 version 25H2. Devices running Windows 11 version 26H1 have only been able to opt into the Windows Insider Experimental Channel, as no Beta channel existed for the version 26H1 release.
That means devices powered by Snapdragon X2 haven't been able to enroll into the Insider Beta Channel, as it just didn't exist as an option for them. Snapdragon X2 and upcoming RTX Spark devices aren't compatible with version 25H2, meaning they can only run 26H1 or newer.
With the new Beta channel for 26H1, users running that platform release can now choose between Beta and Experimental testing branches just like those on version 25H2 can. "This enables our goal of giving Windows 11 26H1 Insiders the same choice between Beta and Experimental development branches, with the associated differences outlined in our original blog announcing the program changes."
The difference between Experimental and Beta Channels is how Microsoft treats the features that are being tested in them. Features in the experimetnal channel are earlier on in development, meaning they are less stable, subject to change, and may never ship at all. Features that are present in the Beta Channel are still in development, but are much further along and are committed to ship in an upcoming feature release.
Windows 11 version 26H1 is a special off-shoot version of the OS designed specifically for Snapdragon X2 and RTX Spark devices. It's not a version that is being made generally available to all Windows 11 users, and can only be officially acquired by buying a new device. With that said, Insiders can choose to test 26H1 on their existing devices if they wish, but Microsoft doesn't recommend it.
"While Insiders do have the ability to specifically select Windows 11 version 26H1 under the Advanced options tab in the Windows Insider settings, Windows 11 26H1 is a targeted release of Windows supporting specific silicon launching this year, including Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Series devices. It is generally otherwise recommended to stick with the default Windows core version selected within Advanced options."
Right now, Windows 11 version 25H1 and 26H1 co-exist side by side Feature-wise, Microsoft is working to ensure both platform releases are at feature parity, meaning the experience between both should be identical. The only changes are under the hood, designed to bring up support for next-gen Arm SoCs like those from Qualcomm and NVIDIA.
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