Windows 11 vs Windows 10: Check Out the Differences Before Upgrade
Through detailed analysis and comparison of Windows 11 and 10, this article attempts to answer the most burning question, “Is Windows 11 better than Windows 10, and whether you should upgrade to it or not.”
Released in October 2021, Windows 11 feels like a fresh breeze to all users. But is it worth leaving the comfort of Windows 10? Well, let us answer this and many more questions in this article that clear the air about what is new in Windows 11 and how it is different from Windows 10.
We have used Windows 10 for quite a long time (over 5 years). And have been using Windows 11 since its release. Hence, we can assure you of a fair comparison between Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Through this Windows 11 vs Windows 10 analysis, we attempt to help you answer the question, “Should I upgrade to Windows 11 or not.”
Before beginning with the differences between Windows 10 and 11, let us first have a quick walk-through of Windows 11 and its core features to give you a better understanding.
What’s New in Windows 11 (Core Features)
Below is a closer look at the new features Windows 11 brings to the fore so that you can judge the Windows 11 vs Windows 10 battle fairly.
Android Applications
One of the most striking features and perhaps a major difference between Windows 10 and 11 is the availability of Android applications from the Amazon App Store. You can install or even sideload your favorite Android applications on Windows 11. To support Android apps, Windows follows the WSL 2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux) approach. Another cool thing about this feature is that it works on both AMD and Intel processors.
Integration with Teams Chat
Windows 11 has finally brought the much-needed Teams Chat integration. You can now connect with your family and friends from anywhere in the world through audio and video calls/chats effortlessly via Teams Chat on the taskbar. We find it to be a pretty amazing feature, particularly, in this remote working era.
Focus Sessions
The Focus Sessions on Windows 11 really help keep your concentration intact and boost your productivity. From to-do-list linking for easy task management to Spotify integration for better focus (delightful news for all music enthusiasts!), it has everything in place to ensure your attention does not wander anywhere.
Moreover, to ensure you remain energized during long working hours, you can set timers for breaks that keep you recharged and disciplined simultaneously. Furthermore, there is a dashboard and a quick glance widget to track how well you are focusing on the task at hand.
Above, we looked at features that bring a fresh vibe to your experience with Windows. Now, let us do a head-to-toe comparison between Windows 10 and 11 based on their top features and other crucial parameters.
Windows 11 vs Windows 10: A Detailed Comparison
“Is Windows 11 faster than Windows 10”, “Is Windows 11 better than Windows 10”, and most importantly, “Should I upgrade to Windows 11”, if these are the questions that linger on your mind, the below comparative analysis will help you find answers and reach meaningful conclusions.
Design elements and interface
The design of Windows 11 seems very much Mac-inspired. It gives you the same Mac-like feel with round corners and soothing colors. Moreover, unlike the standard design of Windows 10, the start icon on Windows 11 is positioned in the screen’s center (we think it facilitates accessibility). However, you can reposition the start icon to the left if that suits your requirements. Talking about the interface, it is clean and smooth as you may expect.
Mobile and desktop integration
Nowadays, the scope of a mobile phone and desktop computer is not very much different. These two devices are often used together to accomplish various work and personal tasks. Hence, the perfect integration between these two devices was the need of the hour. And Windows 11 blends these devices better with features like the Android apps on the PC. Though Windows 10 also supported Android apps for Samsung Galaxy phone users, it is quite a hassle to use them.
In addition to this, the Your Phone app (that comes preinstalled on both Windows 10 and 11) also got sort of a makeover on the new operating system. It has a revamped design with the notification feed placed on the left and the navigation bar positioned on the top.
Ease of multitasking
We often have to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously. For example, on one hand, we are composing this article, and on the other, we are chatting with our peers for their input to make it better. Hence, Windows 11 seems to cater to our multitasking needs perfectly with its Snap Layouts.
Snap Layouts stacks groups of windows together and saves them on the taskbar for easy access and better multitasking. You can hover your mouse pointer over the maximize button to view and tile them in different sizes.
Talking about Windows 10, it has a conventional snap feature. But it needs you to tile the windows manually.
Taking the multitasking capabilities a notch up, Windows 11 records the way you had kept your external monitor’s windows. And displays them in the same state when you plug the external monitor into the computer again. It is something Windows 10 does not offer.
Virtual desktop setup
Many times, we need to use a virtual desktop for various reasons. Unlike Windows 10, Windows 11 lets you set up and switch between multiple desktops easily. We really like this feature in the new operating system.
Action Center
The Action Center is also a core factor determining the result of the Windows 11 vs Windows 10 battle. On Windows 11, you get an overhauled Action Center you can access with a click on the single icon for volume, battery, and WiFi.
The controls on Windows 11’s Action Center include all necessary items, such as sliders for brightness and volume. Moreover, you can add more controls (like you used to do before Windows 11).
Talking about responsiveness, we found the Action Center on Windows 11 to be more responsive and bug-free than on Windows 10. In addition to this, it lets you pair your Bluetooth device much more easily without entering the settings. It also features clean and uncluttered notifications.
Availability of widgets
Do you like widgets, like those on Windows Vista? If yes, widgets are a major difference between Windows 10 and Windows 11. Much like Google Assistant’s Snapshot, widgets on Windows 11 let you access all the information with a single click.
Additionally, these Windows 11 widgets are customizable to offer you a lot of information, such as news, stock prices, OneDrive photos, sports scores, etc.
Gaming and overall performance
Let us now talk about the most important factor of the Windows 11 vs Windows 10 analysis. Performance is definitely one of the most important deciding factors.
As Microsoft claims, the new features like faster logins using Windows Hello, snappy web browsing, and swifter wake-up from the sleep mode contribute to making Windows 11 better performing. However, we expect some more speed improvements in the operating system.
Talking about gaming, Windows 11 boasts some Xbox console features, such as DirectStorage and HDR to ensure a top-notch gaming experience. To test the gaming performance, we played Forza Horizon 4 for quite some time and encountered no lags with it.
In addition to the ones mentioned above, factors that may influence your decision include an improved touchscreen, gesture support, voice commands and typing, and pen support with haptics.
After knowing how Windows 11 is different from Windows 10, you may go through the next section to clear any doubts you may have.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below we try to answer all frequent queries about Windows 11 and its differences from Windows 10.
Q1. Is Windows 11 any better than Windows 10?
Above, we discussed the differences between Windows 10 and 11. You may go through them to decide whether the new OS is better than Windows 10 or not. In our opinion, the newly added features make it somewhat superior to Windows 10.
Q2. Is Windows 11 good for gaming?
In our view, Windows 11 performs superbly when it comes to gaming. It gives games complete access to high-performance cores. Whereas, the efficient cores handle the background tasks and gaming applications such as Discord for a better experience.
Q3. Is Windows 10 much faster than 11?
Windows 11 is not very much slower than Windows 10. However, we would love to see some speed enhancements in the future.
Q4. Is upgrading to Windows 11 worth it?
After making a thorough Windows 11 vs Windows 10 analysis, upgrading to Windows 11 is a good decision if you want a modern interface, improved security, updated applications, and widgets.
Q5. What are the system requirements of Windows 11?
If you decide to upgrade to Windows 11, your computer must fulfill the following requirements.
Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with two or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or system on a chip (SoC).
RAM: 4 gigabytes (GB) or greater.
Storage: 64 GB* or greater available storage is required to install Windows 11.
Graphics card: Compatible with DirectX 12 or later, with a WDDM 2.0 driver.
System firmware: UEFI, Secure Boot capable.
TPM: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0.
Display: High definition (720p) display, 9″ or greater monitor, 8 bits per color channel.
Windows 11 vs Windows 10: The Final Conclusion
In this article, we analyzed the differences between Windows 10 and 11 to decide which one is a better choice. We hope this write-up helped you decide whether you should upgrade to Windows 11 or not.
If you ask our opinion, we think Windows 11 is an excellent transition from Windows 10 for its slick interface, top-notch security, and application updates.
Moreover, if you have any questions or suggestions about this write-up, we are happy to discuss them in the comments section. We will be back with another interesting and informative tech article soon. Until then, you may read our other articles to dive deeper into the tech world.
