It’s finally upon us. The update of all updates – Windows 11.
In this article we have covered Windows 11 Review, and explain why one must update it, or why they can wait for a while.
Windows 11 brings about a change in the overall structure, layout, and most significantly the look and feel of the operating system. It’s a direct response to what Apple has done with macOS and what Google is doing with their ChromeOS. With the advent of these two operating systems, the undisputed crown held by Microsoft’s Windows Operating System is slowly slipping away and they had to do something about it.
With the launch of Windows 11 – Microsoft has managed to keep everything that Windows 10 did and then went on and added a lot of new features and optimizations. To be candid here, a lot of it felt like repositioned furniture to us.
It’s only fair to say though that this isn’t necessarily all that bad. Windows 11 is what Microsoft envisions the next generation of personal computing would look like. It is a bold endeavor, to say the least.
The OS feels much more refined and the ideation behind a lot of user experience decisions is well-justified. This is also the first time, that they’ve moved from the traditional bottom-left placement of their hallmark “Start button” and instead moved it front and center. We’re not going to lie – it does give it an absolute macOS-esque look.
Other than the “in your face” attribute of having moved the start button – every other feature and improvement boasts of a certain nimble subtlety. Most of these aren’t going to come as a shocker to you. You may not even notice them unless you specifically look for them. But they’re there; improving your experience and making you more productive.
How to get Windows 11?
– Windows 10 Users with newer, eligible hardware will receive free upgrades.
– Windows 11 Home version will be available for direct download.
– Windows 11 Beta Testers will receive a full-upgrade.
The official launch date for Windows 11 was October 5th, 2021.
If you’re a Windows 10 user, and your PC or Dell Laptop meets the minimum system requirements, you’ll be getting a free upgrade from Microsoft (be prepared with a Microsoft account, as you’ll need it during the upgrade). They aim to complete this in its entirety by mid-2022. From what we’ve heard, these updates will prioritize newer systems that are arguably more adept at running the new version of Windows.
The incredible folks at AdDuplex ran a survey for April 2022 and we can see that Windows 11 is already at 19.7% global usage. That’s almost 20% of 1.3 billion devices that are Windows PCs globally.
For users who’ve been running the beta version of Windows 11 – their systems have been upgrade-ready from the launch date itself.
Windows 11 will also be sold as part of OEM devices with Microsoft Partners.
Windows 11 Home is also available as a Standalone download for a price of $139.00
Note – Microsoft has stated that the Windows 11 update roll out will prioritize newer machines first with more optimum hardware. So, if you’re waiting for an upgrade, you may receive it by the end of 2022.
What are the system requirements of Windows 11?
– If you have a PC or a laptop that’s more than 5 years old, you’re most likely out of luck.
– Windows 11 has a higher minimum requirement than most of its predecessors.
– Microsoft’s CPU Compatibility list only mentions CPUs released after 2018.
Now Minimum System Requirements and Recommended System Requirements are two terms that most manufacturers love playing fast and loose with. Minimum System Requirements are the absolute bare minimum you need to run a particular software on your system. While Recommended System Requirements are the company recommended specifications for your hardware that can ensure optimum usage of the software to its full potential.
Like any other software, this stands true for Windows 11 as well.
Here is what you need at the very minimum to be able to run Windows 11 –
CPU – At least, 1 GHz or faster with a minimum of 2 cores. The cores need to be on a 64-Bit processor (here’s a list)
RAM – At least 5 GB
Storage – 64GB or more
System firmware – UEFI, Secure Boot capable
TPM – Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0
Graphics Card – Compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver
Display – High definition (720p) display that is greater than 9” diagonally, 8 bits per color channel
Internet Connection – If you’re using Windows 11 Home Edition – you’ll need a valid Microsoft Account and Internet to be able to set up the device.
To check if your system is compatible with the new OS, we recommend that you download the official PC Health Check App. It’s a simple, lightweight app offered by Microsoft that lets you know where your system stands vis-à-vis upgrading.
Moving forward in the article, we’ll be talking about the new offerings of the OS. If you feel like there’s some feature or function that you absolutely need to have – then by all means go for an upgrade.
What’s new in Windows 11?
With it being a major update, Windows 11 brings with it a multi-faceted update. Here we try to break down the most notable ones in this Windows 11 Review guide –
Design
– Completely redesigned icons – taskbar icons and system icons.
– Rounded menu à la macOS.
– Subtle use of Transparency
We’ve been playing around with the new Windows 11 ever since the beta came out and we can confidently say that Microsoft has avoided “breaking” anything that worked and has spent a lot of time and effort re-imagining the aesthetics.
At first glance, it appears both a bit familiar and downright alien simultaneously. The starkest redesign is the placement of the Start button and the taskbar – they’re now centered – which reminds us a lot of ChromeOS.
We’ve also noticed the rounded corners of each Window and the menu area – very much like macOS.
The new design clearly wants to work on the usability front – Microsoft wants Windows to be easier to use. Beyond that, they’ve introduced several tweaks, features, and tools to enhance your productivity and introduce a slew of new features.
Apart from the start button, every upper-level interface now boasts fresh newer animations, redesigned icons, and even sounds. There’s also a beautiful consistency flowing across every interface. Nothing looks out of place – they’ve all been redesigned and reimagined to complement each other.
From what we’ve experienced, it’s clear that Microsoft wishes to ‘declutter’ its new offering. You have to understand that while they battled with the likes of macOS and ChromeOS and even Linux back in the day, today their target audiences are mostly comprised of more casual PC users – people who’ve been using Android and iOS most of their lives.
Productivity Features
As with everything else, Microsoft has brought about a whole slew of productivity features to Windows 11.
Let’s discuss a few –
Desktop –
This is a feature most Mac users are quite familiar with. This lets you have multiple iterations of your desktop on the same screen. A productivity behemoth for many.
Right next to the Start menu, you’ll see icons with two contrasting rectangles overlapping. Clicking on this brings up your Desktop options, where you can move around and create new desktops.
Your icons stay the same across multiple desktops. But you can now segregate your desktops based on the work you’re doing. We personally like to keep one for mailing, one for surfing the web, and another for writing. We also may or may not have more desktops for things we’d rather not mention in this article.
Oh! And every desktop can have its own unique wallpaper and even theme. Isn’t that cool?
Teams
This one is a big one for people using Microsoft Teams in an official environment. Teams now comes integrated with Windows 11. Like the above feature, this is now accessible from the Taskbar.
We’ve all come to rely heavily on Teams (or similar software) during the pandemic. And it doesn’t look like we’ll be giving up on it anytime soon.
We, personally, found it easier to access with it being right there. The look and feel of the software also have improved making it more user-friendly and accessible.
This doesn’t mean they’re forcing it down your throat either. It’s just there – most for Power users. And can be easily removed and uninstalled.
Layouts & Groups with Snap Assist
One of the features of Windows 11 – that we absolutely love and have been using, nay, overusing is Snap Assist. This nifty little feature allows you to have all your open apps arranged in Layouts or Groups.
You may remember something similar from Windows 10, but this one builds on top of it. In Windows 10, you dragged and pulled the Window to have it “snap”. Here you hover over the “minimize/maximize” icon on the top right of the window and a smaller window pops up that lets you select how you’d like to snap the existing window.
This feature doesn’t stop here. If you snap any window to either 50/50 or 50/25/25 or even let them have a third of the screen, Windows lets you fill in the rest. It even remembers your arrangement and then lets you maximize everything at once.
With laptops getting less bulky, and consequently their screens getting smaller, this is prime screen real estate management.
macOS has something similar called “Spaces” – and this is a very welcome addition to Windows, in our opinion.
Finally – Windows 11 Start Menu
This was such a major and refreshing change that we figured it deserved its own section.
Yes, it’s no longer on the bottom left. Stop looking for it there. It’s now in the front and center.
And it’s not alone, it has the familiar frequently used taskbar icon – pinned right next to it.
Once you click on the menu, you’re greeted with what could be the most prime example of Microsoft’s new Fluent Design Standard. A beautiful start menu with rounded corners, big-bright completely redesigned icons, and most notably a search bar displayed very prominently at the very top.
Then you have your pinned apps, neatly arranged in three rows and eight columns. And right below is the brand new “Recommended” section consisting of files or folders that the system thinks you may want.
Widgets panel
This is another of Microsoft’s borrowing from macOS. Widgets are nothing but dynamic tiles on your home screen that can help you with the weather, emails, time, calendar, etc.
Remember Desktop Gadgets that came along with Windows 8? Yes, Widgets are just a little brushed-up version of them. While Gadgets showed up on your home screen, Widgets are hidden in a sidebar and can be accessed from a button right next to the Start Icon (another borrowing from MacOS)
Since they’re in their infancy, we were not very impressed with them. Though, we’re sure, as they grow, and more and more widgets are introduced they’d be something to look forward to.
Features for Gamers
Windows 11 brings along with it, two new features aimed primarily at gamers – Auto HDR and DirectStorage. Move over Xbox Cloud gaming, PC gaming is back with a bang.
Auto HDR will make your games look much, much better if your display has HDR compatibility. It uses Machine learning to increase the spectrum between the darkest and the lightest area of DirectX games that don’t natively have this built in.
Although, we must mention that HDR monitors are not entirely mainstream, for now.
The second feature, DirectStorage, adds value only if you have an NVMe SSD. It basically pushes active game data straight to the graphic, bypassing any additional load on the CPU. This works on games that use the DirectStorage API coupled with an NVMe SSD.
These are common in most PCs, so you should definitely see faster gameplay.
Windows 11 & Apps for Android
We know you’re most likely here to read about Microsoft’s new operating system supporting Android Apps downloaded straight from the Microsoft Store. So far there have been no major strides. We could run a single phone app on our system. Disheartening!
Yes, we all saw the event announcing the capability of the Windows subsystem to run Android apps. We also saw the TikTok app being available in the Microsoft Store. We found it too, only to realize it’s a native web app and not a complete app.
There are some ways though. Like downloading the Amazon App Store from the Microsoft store and then using that to download any Android app – but the complete compatibility promised to us hasn’t surfaced yet. I mean, we’re using Windows apps to launch apps – Really?
We’re all here with crossed fingers checking out the Microsoft Store several times a week to see if android apps arrive there.
What are the Pros of Windows 11?
- The new design is incredible. It feels fresh and extremely comfortable.
- The fluid design standard by Microsoft is something we’ve come to appreciate.
- The Productivity improvements in the OS are absolutely perfect.
- Cortana doesn’t come in by default (Yes, it irritated us too).
- The Start menu redesign is refreshing.
- The Microsoft store app is finally usable.
- The Snipping tool and MSPaint have been upgraded
- The OS feels extremely hands-on and is completely decluttered.
What are the cons of Windows 11?
- The system requirements are a little intense for a lot of users.
- Still waiting on Native Android App support.
- Widgets are not really that impressive.
- Microsoft Account is an absolute necessity. Offline accounts not available in Home Edition
- Pushes Microsoft Edge a lot – making installation of other browsers extremely obtrusive.
Should I update to Windows 11? – The Verdict.
– Windows 10 is going to be supported by Microsoft for a long time.
– Older Microsoft Windows users should absolutely consider an upgrade.
– Some users may require a newer machine or a hardware upgrade.
– The new look and feel may require some adjusting.
This is more of a discretionary affair. A lot of our users prefer jumping on major upgrades almost as soon as it arrives, the others prefer waiting for the OS to smoothen out and become a little more bug-free before they proceed with their updates.
From our standpoint though, we’ve loved this new update. We’ve been using Windows 11 ever since the beta and after a brief adjustment period, we can safely surmise that the OS is pretty damn good. We look at it as a more refined Windows 10 (an OS we loved) without compromising too much on usability.
As we stated before, they’ve taken the best parts of macOS, Android, iOS, and ChromeOS and amalgamated them into one operating system. Everything from the file explorer, to the installed apps, Windows 11 Settings app, the search app, and even Internet Explorer, uh, I mean Microsoft Edge, their default browser looks and works just better. Even the snipping tool and other built in apps have improved.
Also, it depends on what version you’re using right now –
If you’re on Windows 10 – and are apprehensive about a major upgrade, it’s alright if you choose to wait. Since Microsoft plans to support Windows 10, well into the year 2025.
For someone using Windows 8.1 – the end of life (the period when Microsoft officially stops supporting the product – that means no more security patches or bug resolution) is slated to be January 10, 2023 (which is all but 8 months away)
If you’re still on Windows 7, the support ended in January 2020 (more than 2 years ago) – so we strongly suggest you consider an upgrade.
Additionally, it’s important to understand that with the new update, Microsoft has announced a higher MSR (Minimum System Requirement) – so you may need to invest in some new hardware.
And finally, we’d like to reiterate that Windows 11 boasts a completely new look and feel. This means that there may be some adjustment period for you, coming from a previous version of the operating system.
Final Words
In conclusion of Windows 11 Review, we recommend updating only if the new features and design overhauls impress you. If your current workflow, in your current operating system, is at its optimal levels – there is really no reason for you to update.
You can wait for a while, as Microsoft quashes the bugs and introduces more features and can then consider an update.