After the public release of Windows 11, Microsoft announced its ChromeOS competitor Windows 11 SE for low-cost, educational laptops in November last year. Now, Microsoft’s OEM partners, including Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, Dynabook, and others, have started shipping their Windows 11 SE-powered laptops in the global education market. Other companies like Fujitsu and Positivo are also looking to release their Windows 11 SE devices later this year.
OEMs Start Shipping Windows 11 SE Laptops
Now, for those unaware, Windows 11 SE is a bit different from the regular Windows 11 platform. It is primarily an education-focused OS and comes with various Office apps like Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and OneDrive pre-installed. Users can use the apps both online and offline using a Microsoft 365 license that comes bundled with Windows 11 SE.
Other than this, Windows 11 SE supports fullscreen app launch, controlled app installations, offers improved battery life, and more. You can check out how it compares with Windows 11 in our in-depth comparison article between Windows 11 SE vs Windows 11.
Now, coming to the Windows 11 SE-powered laptops, OEMs like Acer, Asus, Dynabook, and HP are started repurposing their existing low-cost devices and shipping them with the Windows 11 SE OS. “Our partners are building a broad portfolio of Windows 11 SE devices that are now starting to become available globally,” said the Corporate VP of device partner sales at Microsoft, Nicole Dezen.
For instance, Acer has updated its TravelMate Spin B3 laptop with Windows 11 SE. It is an 11.6-inch device that comes with bumpers for drop protection. The device is powered by an Intel Pentium or Celeron processor, a common CPU choice for such low-cost devices.
Dynabook, previously known as Toshiba, is shipping its E10 laptops series with Windows 11 SE to schools and educational institutes. These devices come with an 11.6-inch HD display, Intel Celeron CPU, and SSD storage. They also come with a spill-resistant keyboard and can be easily carried around in a backpack.
Asus has started shipping its BR1100F laptop, which comes with a 360-degree hinge, a touch-enabled display, and support for a stylus, with Windows 11 SE. Dell, on the other hand, has started shipping its Latitude 3120 notebook with Windows 11 SE and a quick charging feature that juices up the devices to 80% in an hour.
While other companies are shipping smaller-screen laptops with Windows 11 SE, HP has started shipping its 14-inch G9 Notebook with the said OS. It includes an Intel Celeron CPU paired with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of SSD storage. Other than this, HP has also started shipping its smaller 11-inch Pro x360 with Windows 11 SE.
JP IK, on the other hand, is shipping its Leap T304 laptop, which is a $219 device, packing an 11.6-inch display, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of SSD, with Windows 11 SE. While Lenovo has rolled out repurposed versions of its existing 100w, 300w, 500w, and 14w budget devices with Windows 11 SE.
Microsoft has also launched its own Chromebook competitor in the form of the Microsoft Surface Laptop SE. It will be sold exclusively to schools and educational institutes across the world when it releases later this year.
“There are many more Windows 11 SE devices coming this year, including releases from Fujitsu and Positivo,” further added Dezen. And they will most likely be available for schools and educational organizations instead of the general consumers.
