Want Wi-Fi 7 on Windows 10? Forget it, Microsoft has confirmed it’s for Copilot+ PCs only

Microsoft has confirmed that the superfast wireless speeds that have arrived courtesy of Wi-Fi 7 – for devices and routers with support – will only be coming to the very latest version of Windows 11.

That’d be Windows 11 24H2, of course, and as you might know, this version is only currently available for Copilot+ PCs, but the big update for 2024 will roll out to all Windows 11 users later this year (maybe in September).

For now, though, the new Wi-Fi support is for Copilot+ PCs only, as Windows Latest spotted a Microsoft support document that confirmed this.

In the document on the latest wireless technology in Windows, Microsoft states: “Wi-Fi 7 is available starting with Windows 11, version 24H2.”

Now, that doesn’t mean that Wi-Fi 7 will always be limited to that specific incarnation of Windows 11 – 24H2 (or later) – just that Microsoft is kicking off availability with this version. It might be the case that it’s added to earlier versions of Windows 11 (well, 23H2) before too long.

However, it looks like Windows 10 users are out of luck though, as there’s no mention of the OS – as was the case with Wi-Fi 6E, the advancement on Wi-Fi 6 that previously came through.


Analysis: Wi-Fi 6E misstep unlikely to happen again

So, it seems like Wi-Fi 7 won’t debut for Windows 10, but that isn’t really a massive surprise. Firstly, Windows 10 runs out of support in not that much more than a year now, so it’s going to be limited in terms of new features being introduced anyway (though there will be some new additions into the mix, we know that much – enough to prompt Microsoft to resurrect the Beta testing channel for the OS).

And secondly, Windows 10 didn’t get Wi-Fi 6E as noted above, so it seems unlikely that it’d receive Wi-Fi 7 support. We can’t completely rule it out, of course – as it’s not explicitly stated that Windows 10 won’t – but that seems to be the heavy hint Microsoft is dropping by only mentioning Windows 11 versions.

Now, there is a slight twist here, in that Windows 10 did receive Wi-Fi 6E in what seemed to be a mistake with a single Intel driver that erroneously added support (somehow) – but that driver is reportedly buggy and not to be used (if you can find it at all). So, you could hope this might happen with Wi-Fi 7, but we’re betting it won’t – and Intel has learned from this mistake.

In short, don’t expect speedy Wi-Fi 7 for Windows 10, and of course remember that even on Windows 11, you need a router and PC that supports the new wireless standard to benefit from Wi-Fi 7.

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Google IO 2024 lineup confirmed – 5 new things we’re expecting to see, from Wear OS 5 to Gemini wizardry

Google IO 2024 is approaching fast, with the big G's festival for Android 15, Wear OS 5, Android TV and more kicking off on May 14. And we now have an official schedule to give us some hints of the software (and maybe hardware) announcements in the pipeline.

The Google IO 2024 schedule (spotted by @MishaalRahman on X, formerly Twitter) naturally doesn't reveal any specifics, but it does confirm where we'll see some big new software upgrades.

The keynote, which will be well worth tuning into, will kick off at 10am PT / 5pm GMT on May 14 (which works out as 3am AEST in Australia). But the details of the follow-up sessions give us a taster of what will be shown off, including our first proper look at Wear OS 5.

That's confirmed in the 'Building for the future of Wear OS' session, which will help developers “discover the new features of Wear OS 5”. Considering the smartwatch platform appeared to be flirting with the Google Graveyard not long ago, that's good news. We'll presumably hear more about a release date at the event, and maybe even a Pixel Watch 3.

What else does the schedule reveal? Android 15 was always a shoo-in for this year's show, so it's no surprise that the OS will be covered alongside “generative AI, form factors” and more at Google IO 2024. 

Thirdly, AI will naturally be a huge general theme, with Google Gemini a consistent thread across the event. Developers will discover “new ways to build immersive 3D maps” and how to make “next-gen AI apps with Gemini models”. Gemini will also power new apps for Google Chat and create new content from images and video, thanks to Google's multi-modal Gemini Pro Vision model. 

Fans of Android Auto will also be pleased to hear that it'll likely get some upgrades, too, with one developer session titled “Android for Cars: new in-car experiences”. Likewise, Google TV and Android TV OS will get a mention, at the very least, with one session promising to show off “new user experience enhancements in Google TV and the latest additions to the next Android TV OS platform”. 

Lastly, ChromeOS will get some upgrades, with a session promising “new” features and some new “world-class experiences” for Chromebooks. Surprisingly, even Google Pay gets a mention in the schedule, even though it will officially be discontinued a few weeks after Google IO 2024 on June 4, in favor of Google Wallet. Who knows, perhaps we'll even be treated to a tour of the Google Graveyard, including its latest inhabitant, Google Podcasts.

Will there be hardware at Google IO 2024?

A phone on an orange background showing the Google IO 2024 homepage

(Image credit: Google)

Because Google IO 2024 is a developer conference, its sessions are all themed around software – but we'll almost certainly see lots of new hardware treats announced during the keynote, too.

On the phones front, the Google Pixel 8a has now almost fully leaked, pointing to an imminent announcement for the mid-ranger. Similarly, we've also seen leaked photos of the Google Pixel 9 alongside rumors of a Pixel 9 Pro (both of which could deliver iPhone-style satellite connectivity).

This week, rumors about a refreshed Pixel Tablet (rather than a Pixel Tablet 2) suggested it could also make its bow at Google's conference. A Google Pixel Fold 2 is also on the cards, though we have also heard whispers of a Pixel 9 Pro Fold instead.

As always, we can expect some surprises too, like when Google teased its live-translation glasses at Google IO 2022, which then sadly disappeared in a cloud of vaporware. Let's hope its new ideas for this year's conference stick around a little longer.

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Realme X50 Pro 5G confirmed to have 65W SuperDart charging

Realme X50 Pro 5G is shaping up to be a spec-beast as we learn more about it. It is now also confirmed to have one of the fastest charging speeds on a phone.

Fast charging has become common fare on Realme smartphones, even in the budget segment. It originally borrowed Oppo’s VOOC charging and continued to stick with it as newer generations became available. With the X50 Pro 5G, it is looking to bring the SuperVOOC 2.0 tech to its arsenal. 

A teaser by its European arm confirms that the Realme X50 Pro 5G will feature “SuperDart Charge”, which is its version of 65W fast charging. There probably will be no official confirmation if it is the same as Oppo’s, but knowing the company’s history, it’s a rather safe bet.

For context, the Oppo Reno Ace has a 4,000mAh battery with support for 65W SuperVOOC 2.0. It takes only about 27 minutes to go from 0 to 100%, which is the fastest seen on a smartphone. A five-minute top-up is said to take the battery to about 27%. 

The rest of the specifications are no slouch either. The Realme X50 Pro 5G will be powered by the Snapdragon 865 chipset with up to 12GB of RAM. IT will natively support 5G at both NSA and SA standards. It will also run on Realme UI over Android 10 out-of-the-box.

The phone was originally slated for unveiling at MWC 2020, but since the event got cancelled, Realme will be moving to an online unveiling for the X50 Pro 5G. It will now be launched online globally in Madrid on February 24th. 

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POCO X2 confirmed to launch on February 4 in India

POCO X2 is officially the successor to the POCO F1, the company announced on Monday. Xiaomi recently revealed that POCO now functions as an independent entity with dedicated teams for production and marketing. 

After the massive success of the POCO F1 which was launched in India in August 2018, the company didn't announce a successor until today. The social media handles of POCO shared the announcement with a link to its website. While the on-paper specifications of the POCO X2 have been kept under wraps, here's what the website reveals about it.

POCO X2: What to expect

POCO X2 was earlier spotted on Geekbench and its scores were very similar to the Redmi K30 lending some credibility to the argument that Xiaomi could announced the Redmi K30 as the POCO X2 in India.

The website states that the phone will have an "extreme refresh rate" for a great gaming experience, a versatile camera setup, Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, liquid cool solution and an efficient battery life.

As for the Redmi K30, it features a 6.67-inch Full HD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels) resolution screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10 playback. It is powered by Snapdragon 730G with Adreno 618 GPU and is paired with upto 8GB RAM and 256GB storage with an option to increase the storage by upto 256GB using microSD card.

The 64MP quad camera setup on the back consists of a primary 64MP sensor with an f/1.9, 8MP ultrawide angle lens, 2MP macro lens and a 2MP depth sensor. On the front, there are two selfie cameras– 20MP and 2MP depth sensor, housed within the dual punch-hole screen.

The fingerprint sensor is placed on the side and the phone has a 4,500mAh battery with support for 27W fast charging.

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