It’s official. Windows 11 will be released October 5 as an upgrade or pre-installed on new PCs

It official! Windows 11 will be available from October 5 as a free upgrade if you already own a compatible PC or if buy a new desktop or laptop computer with Windows 11 pre-installed.

PC with Windows 11 pre-installed will also go on sale on October 5 from brands including Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo as well as Microsoft’s very own Surface tablets and laptops.

For those who already own a Windows PC, the Windows 11 upgrade will be rolled out in phases with the newer eligible devices receiving the upgrade first.

The upgrade will then rollout over the coming months to other devices based on their eligibility, age of device and other factors like memory and processor power and speed.

To upgrade to Windows 11, existing Windows computers will need at least 4GB RAM, more than 64GB storage space, DirectX 12 compatible graphics, a display 9-inches or larger with at least 720p resolution, secure boot capability and TPM (trusted platform module).

Microsoft will soon release a PC Health Check App that will be able to analyse your PC to see if it can run Windows 11.

Microsoft shared 11 highlights of Windows 11 on its blog:

1. The new design and sounds are modern, fresh, clean and beautiful, bringing you a sense of calm and ease.
2. With Start, we’ve put you and your content at the centre. Start utilizes the power of the cloud and Microsoft 365 to show you your recent files no matter what device you were viewing them on.
3. Snap Layouts, Snap Groups and Desktops provide an even more powerful way to multitask and optimize your screen real estate.
4. Chat from Microsoft Teams integrated into the taskbar provides a faster way to connect to the people you care about.
5. Widgets, a new personalized feed powered by AI, provides a faster way to access the information you care about, and with Microsoft Edge’s world class performance, speed and productivity features you can get more done on the web.
6. Windows 11 delivers the best Windows ever for gaming and unlocks the full potential of your system’s hardware with technology like DirectX12 Ultimate, DirectStorage and Auto HDR. With Xbox Game Pass for PC or Ultimate you get access to over 100 high-quality PC games to play on Windows 11 for one low monthly price. (Xbox Game Pass sold separately.)
7. Windows 11 comes with a new Microsoft Store rebuilt with an all-new design making it easier to search and discover your favourite apps, games, shows, and movies in one trusted location. We look forward to continuing our journey to bring Android apps to Windows 11 and the Microsoft Store through our collaboration with Amazon and Intel; this will start with a preview for Windows Insiders over the coming months.
8. Windows 11 is the most inclusively designed version of Windows with new accessibility improvements that were built for and by people with disabilities.
9. Windows 11 unlocks new opportunities for developers and creators. We are opening the Store to allow more developers and independent software vendors (ISVs) to bring their apps to the Store, improving native and web app development with new developer tools, and making it easier for you to refresh the look and feel across all our app designs and experiences.
10. Windows 11 is optimized for speed, efficiency and improved experiences with touch, digital pen and voice input.
11. Windows 11 is the operating system for hybrid work, delivering new experiences that work how you work, are secure by design, and easy and familiar for IT to deploy and manage. Businesses can also test Windows 11 in preview today in Azure Virtual Desktop, or at general availability by experiencing Windows 11 in the new Windows 365.

Some of the new Windows 11 PCs to look out for include:

ACER SWIFT 5 (SF514-55)

An ultra-thin and light 14-inch notebook is powered by the 11^th Gen Intel Core i5 and i7 processors with 17-hours of battery life and a touchscreen display.

ACER SWIFT X (SFX14-41G)

The 14-inch Acer Swift is powered with discrete graphics and includes the AMD Ryzen 7 5800U Mobile Processor and has 16GB RAM.

ASUS ZENBOOK FLIP 13 OLED UX363

The ASUS ZenBook Flip has a NanoEdge FHD OLED display and a 360-degree Ergolift hinge. It’s just 13.9mm thick and has a wide range of ports for easy connectivity.

ASUS ZENBOOK 14 UX425

The ZenBook has an all-new design that’s 13.9mm thick with as four-sided NanoEdge display that has 90 per cent screen to body ratio. It is powered by the latest 11^th Gen Intel Core i7 processor.

DELL ALIENWARE X15 and X17

These laptops provide the highest level of performance for gamers. It has a CNC-machined aluminium chassis and feature HyperEfficient voltage resolution technology to perform consistently at the highest level.

DELL XPS 13

Crafted from premium materials, the Dell XPS 13 has a durable and lightweight design and has a larger InfinityEdge display.

HP SPECTRE X360 14

The 2-in-1 design offers added versatility along with superb performance with the latest Intel Core processors and extended battery life.

HP ENVY x360 15

This is a mobile creative powerhouse powered by AMD’s Ryzen or Intel’s Core processors and also includes Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5 for even faster connectivity.

LENOVO 2-IN-1 YOGA 7 SERIES

Available in 14-inch sizes with Full HD IPS touchscreen displays with a choice of either AMD’s Ryzen or Intel’s Core processors.

LENOVO YOGA SLIM 7i PRO SERIES

These include NVIDIA GeForce MX450 graphics to improve your content creation and 14-inch OLED displays so you can watch your content in high quality as well.