Is there a new version of Windows 10 called “Ultra”?
Microsoft and its PC partners may be ready to take the wraps off a new Windows 10 Home edition that potentially would work on more powerful PCs than those which ship with regular Windows 10 Home.
Microsoft looks to be adding another new Windows 10 edition to its line-up. Dell mentioned a Windows 10 Home Ultra edition in its specs for the next XPS 13 2-in-1 device it announced at Computex on May 28.
I first saw the mention of Windows 10 Home Ultra thanks to this post on Neowin.net. As Neowin.net notes, the coming XPS 13 will include the upcoming 10th-generation Intel “Ice Lake” processors, which means the devices should get a significant performance boost.
Microsoft has yet to officially announce a new Home Windows 10 variant called Home Ultra. I asked officials for information on what’s included in Home Ultra, but no word back so far.
Update: A Microsoft spokesperson has told Neowin that “There is no new version of Windows called Windows 10 Home Ultra.” My bet is there is some higher-end version of Windows 10 Home, but its name may not end up being “Ultra.” I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this higher-end Home edition of Windows 10 keeps surfacing.
I asked Microsoft if there is a new version of Windows 10 Home coming out that is not necessarily named “Ultra.” Is there a coming higher-end Windows 10 Home edition (which may go by a different name)? And if so, when will it be available? A spokesperson told me: “Regarding your additional questions, Microsoft has nothing further to share.”
Last year, leaked documents indicated that Microsoft was planning to introduce a new Windows 10 variant called Windows 10 Home Advanced. Back in February last year, Microsoft was predicting the first high-end PCs running Home Advanced would begin rolling out in May 2018. But that never happened.
Last year, it seemed as though Windows 10 Home Advanced would be similar to Windows 10 Pro for Workstations — meaning a variant that was designed to work on more powerful, higher-end hardware than the systems running the “base” Windows 10 Home (or, in Workstations’ case, Windows 10 Pro) editions. Microsoft declined to comment last year on feature differences between Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Home Advanced (or on Windows 10 Home Advanced at all).
Dell says the new Dell XPS 13 devices will be available starting in July, starting at $1,000. However systems featuring 10th-generation Ice Lake CPUs aren’t expected until this holiday season, so it’s not clear when the first of the new XPS 13s with Home Ultra might be available for purchase.
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