Despite being deployed on Copilot+ PCs — Windows 11 24H2 won't be hitting x86 PCs until 'later this year'

If you didn't know it by now, Windows 11 24H2 has already been deployed to the public. The only caveat is that it has only been deployed to Copilot+ PCs (namely Snapdragon X Elite laptops and 2-in-1s). Microsoft has confirmed that update 24H2 will not be making its way to x86 PCs anytime in the immediate future, with the trillion-dollar company confirming it will be arriving "later this year."

Later in the year could mean anything, but Microsoft's wording suggests we won't see Windows 11 24H2 anytime soon (as in weeks). Realistically, we are probably looking at an August 2024 release date at the soonest — realistically, it might not even launch until later in the Q4 timeframe.

This all but confirms that Microsoft put most of its 24H2 development resources into the Windows 11 on ARM variant of 24H2, to meet the deadline of its Copilot+ PC debut. Windows 11 24H2 is the only version of Windows that supports this new category of PC right now, along with the bevy of AI-assisted features 24H2 also comes with locked exclusively to these systems. Such as the ill-fated Recall feature.

If you really want to get your hands on the x86 flavor of 24H2, Microsoft has switched the Canary and Dev insider preview channels to the new version. But be warned, these two channels are the most experimental tiers in Microsoft's line-up, so expect bugs and crashes. The beta and release preview channels are still based on the outgoing version of Windows 11, 23H2.

The good news is that — besides any of the "killer" AI features implemented or being implemented into 24H2, there aren't any game-changing additions outside of AI making it into 24H2. The vast majority of these changes are quality of life improvements, such as Wi-Fi 7 support, 7-zip and TAR support in File Explorer, support for the "sudo" command in the command line, and a re-designed Copilot experience that puts the AI assistant into a regular app that can be pinned to the taskbar. Microsoft is also adding checkpoint cumulative updates that will improve the download speed and install duration of Windows updates.

Phone Link is also getting a major update that sees it live as part of the start menu, but we aren't sure if that will be coming in the 24H2 update specifically.

Regardless, the good news is that most people won't be dying to try out Microsoft's latest patch, so it's not really going to impact the Windows 11 user base much (if at all) if Windows 11 24H2 is delayed by several extra months for x86 users. Remember that many of the AI-focused features 24H2 comes with are locked to the Copilot+ PC ecosystem.