You might have already got an idea how the Windows 11 looks like. That ISO file leak might not have revealed other major improvements other than aesthetics. Yes, the looks just got a huge jump up from Windows 10 for sure, but what about other areas? Is this new version of Windows a huge upgrade over existing versions, or just a gimmick? Let’s find out all the top features and major changes Microsoft revealed in its virtual launch event of Windows 11 in this quick article.
1. Aesthetics/Looks
The looks feel different, kinda like macOS to be honest. It has got that translucent glass finish in Start Menu. Speaking about the Start button, it is now in the middle of the taskbar by default. The whole interface gets slightly rounded corners, as compared to sharp edges in Win10. In addition, Windows Explorer and all other icons try to match the wallpaper chosen automatically. You can now adjust the snap layouts for multitasking pre-defined grids. Meaning, managing more than one task on a single screen will be easier and faster.
[Picture of home screen, start menu, windows explorer]
2. Support For Android Apps
This is one of the biggest features this year. Now, you can run all the android apps that are present in the Amazon store. In Microsoft Store, you will get to install the amazon store as a stand-alone app and install all those apps present there. So, basically, they are not from Google Play Store but from Amazon’s app store. For end-users, this should be a lot easier than installing some third-party emulator to run native Android apps. Among all the top features of Windows 11 this has to be the best one!
3. External Display Organization
If you have ever worked with an external display with Windows 10, you might have noticed how the apps organized on that display resets when unplugged. This has changed in Windows 11. Now, it remembers the organization of apps or windows and maintains it after re-plugging the display.
4. Improvements In Gaming
The Auto HDR feature in Windows 11 enables HDR mode in games you are playing if you have the capable hardware. In addition, DirectStorage is a feature previously implemented in Xbox series that loads game assets directly into the graphics card without bothering CPU usage. This improves load times of games and reduces CPU usage increasing the throughput of the machine. Now, the Xbox app is directly present in Windows 11, no need to install it. For Game Pass subscribers of Xbox, you can live stream from the cloud using xCloud technology. Also, it enables gamers to run games on Microsoft’s servers and also, you can stream audio and video back to your computer. It should let players with medium specs run heavy games.
5. Widgets
The widgets are back. Windows 11 gets a separate widget button to manage all your widgets in the taskbar. You can now edit and manage all your widgets in one place, which is much more convenient.
Conclusion
There are other improvements too, like in touch department with improved haptic feedback and much more. Microsoft has promised that Windows 11 will be the free upgrade over Windows 10 and will start rolling out later this year. Analyzing all the features and improvements, we can safely say that it is not just a minor upgrade over Windows 10 but much more is going on under the hood. However, this is just our first look at the new OS. We have to test it thoroughly once it comes out officially to give a verdict.
