Dell incorrectly claims Windows 11 ‘version 24H1’ is coming in April

The next Windows version update is coming in in the fall, likely under the “version 24H2” moniker.

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What you need to know

Last week,Dell unveiled its new range of XPS laptops for 2024, complete with updated designs, anew Copilot button, and Wi-Fi 7 support. Curiously, support for Wi-Fi 7 is not yet in Windows, so customers buying this hardware now won’t be able to utilize that functionality until an upcoming Windows update adds it.

First spotted by@ChangeWindows, Dell has published information alongside the new hardware that explains this, but the details about the next Windows version update that are listed have raised some questions.

According to Dell, Wi-Fi 7 support will be available in the Windows 11version 24H1update, which it claims will be available to download in April. This runs opposite to what Microsoft has done with Windows 11 so far, only shipping new versions of the OS in the second half of the year under the “2XH2” version format.

This also doesn’t line up with what my sources have told me about theWindows roadmap for 2024, which is that the next major Windows OS update (codenamed Hudson Valley) won’t be finalized until sometime over the summer, with a base RTM build expected in April.

This is likely where Dell is getting its wires crossed. Even though an RTM build of the next major Windows OS update is expected in April, the RTM build isn’t the “shipping build” that the public ends up getting as an OTA update. Microsoft will continue working on version 24H2 over the summer, with general availability expected in the fall. This is exactly what Microsoft did withWindows 11 version 21H2back in 2021.

I reached out to Microsoft just to confirm, and a spokesperson said"nothing has changed in terms of annual version updates for Windows [and] that they come in the second half of the year,“seemingly confirming that “version 24H1” coming in April is incorrect.

HP also mentions Wi-Fi 7 support in its documentation, but attributes it to a more vague “Windows 11 2024” release. While it’s possible that Microsoft might backport Wi-Fi 7 support to the current in-market version of Windows, we know for sure that it will be part of the next major Windows OS release.

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For now, we are expecting that next major Windows OS release to be made generally available in September or October under the “version 24H2” moniker. We know it’s going to focus primarily on next-gen AI experiences, which you canlearn more about in my Hudson Valley report.

Zac Bowden is a Senior Editor at Windows Central. Bringing you exclusive coverage into the world of Windows on PCs, tablets, phones, and more. Also an avid collector of rare Microsoft prototype devices! Keep in touch onTwitterandThreads