Microsoft has been working on Windows 10X for quite some time now. It was unveiled earlier last year, along with the foldable Surface Neo laptop. It was supposed to launch in 2020 but the company decided to postpone the release to add some polish and new features to the OS. We have already taken a close look at Windows 10X on the Surface Neo, thanks to emulation, but Microsoft continues to add new features into the mix.
First spotted by WinLatest, Windows 10X will arrive with Modern Standby support. It is a special standby mode where the PC does not completely go to sleep. The Windows 10X laptop will be able to use data to download updates, refresh all your social media apps, and more while your laptop is asleep. It can perform tasks in the background.
Apart from downloading data, the Modern Standby feature will also enable mobile-like instant-on, always-on connected experience on ARM laptops. It has been officially confirmed by Microsoft’s documentation, which seems to have been quietly updated just recently. The company hasn’t made any announcements for the same.
Modern Standby was introduced in Windows 10. It is an expansion of Windows 8.1’s Connected Standby feature and will allow you to pick up where you left off simply by lifting the lid of your laptop. The device only needs to be connected to a cellular or Wi-Fi network while it is asleep.
This feature is essential part of Intel’s Project Athena initiative and could be a game-changer for ARM-based Windows 10X laptops in the future. The lightweight UI, new features, and the instant-on, always-connected experience could make for a reliable replacement for tablets.
