Microsoft is working on an inexpensive laptop with Windows 11, despite the fact that the system has little inclusive minimum requirements. How will it do it?
Also Microsoft will launch itself in the segment in which currently laptops with Chrome OS, the Chromebook, seem to have no rival, and moreover are booming.
Microsoft doesn't want to give too much ground to Google and its partners, so it would be ready to present a really cheap laptop, more than the recent Surface Go 3. Beyond whether or not Microsoft's next offering will be of interest, the news is that it will have Windows 11, the most selective operating system in terms of minimum requirements the company has ever made. It's news because the upgrade will be precluded to almost all low-end products, so Microsoft is making a special version of Windows 11 for cheaper products, and that's good for the whole market.
What Microsoft's budget laptop will look like
Of Microsoft's new Windows 11 budget laptop we already know some of the features, thanks to the same tipster who revealed about the work in progress. It will be a rather small device, which on the one hand will therefore be very portable with little effort and little clutter, but on the other hand will also have a screen size reduced.
We speak of a diagonal 11.6 inches with a resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels, then slightly higher than HD or 720p. The chip will be adequate to the hardware and price range in which Microsoft intends to compete, specifically it should be an Intel Celeron N4120 flanked by 8 GB of RAM.
In spite of the fact that it will probably be a very cheap product, at least by the standards set by Microsoft with the Surface devices, the next low cost laptop from Redmond will not miss a USB-C input of the latest generation, flanked by a USB "standard", then type A, an input for the 3.5 mm audio jack and another for the charger with traditional type connector.
Windows 11 SE
One of the perhaps most interesting aspects, especially if Microsoft's budget laptop were to arrive soon, while many are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Windows 11, is the presence on board of a specific version of the new operating system marked - it seems - by the suffix SE.
Microsoft would therefore intend to develop a "lighter" version of Windows 11 that can keep up with Google's Chrome OS. The requirements set by the company for the installation of the new operating system are quite strict and require a certain level of components, which probably a cheap laptop like the one Microsoft has in mind could not respect.
So Microsoft would have in development Windows 11 SE to bring the new experience even on mid-range products.
How much will Microsoft's budget laptop cost
According to the rumor, Microsoft's Windows 11 budget laptop would be almost ready, so it should be announced by the end of the year, although the chip crisis suggests caution about the timing. No information on the price, but it will certainly be lower than the cheapest Surface, so it will be under 449 euros.