Windows 11 SE Education Devices Launch

Devices running on the all-new Windows 11 SE for education began shipping Tuesday. These include a new Surface SE device from Microsoft itself, as well as Intel- and AMD-based devices from Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo and others.

Windows 11 SE, introduced back in November, is a cloud-focused operating system purpose-built for education. It offers cloud management through Intune for Education, improved accessibility, simplified user experience and foreground application boost. The significant differentiators between Windows 11 SE and Windows 11/Windows 11 Pro for Education are: Windows 11 is upgradable from Windows 10 while Windows 11 SE is not; Windows 11 runs all Windows applications, while Windows 11 SE does not; and Windows 11 supports devices with greater than 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage, whereas Windows 11 SE does not.

As part of the new device rollout, Microsoft announced its own Windows 11 SE-based device, the Surface Laptop SE, a 2.45-pound, 11.6-inch laptop running on an Intel Celeron processor (N4020 or N4120). It offers 4 GB or 8 GB RAM, 64 GB or 128 GB embedded MMC card for storage, Intel UHC Graphics 600, USB-A and USB-C, a 1 megapixel front-facing camera, 2W speakers, mic, Bluetooth 5.0 SE and 2x2 802.11ac for WiFi. It starts at $249.

Several of Microsoft's partners have also launched new devices today.

Acer unveiled the TravelMate Spin B3, which offers support for Wi-Fi 6. It will be available in April for $329.99.

ASUS is offering the BR1100F with Windows 11 SE, which supports Wi-Fi 6 and 4G LTE in some configurations.

HP has launched a new line of education laptops called Fortis. The Fortis lineup comprises both Chromebooks and Windows 11/Windows 11 SE devices. The Windows 11 SE devices include the HP ProBook Fortis 14" G9 and ProBook Fortis 11" G9. They will come pre-configured with Windows 11 SE starting in April, according to information published by HP. The 14-inch model without Windows 11 SE is available now starting at $369; the 11-inch model currently starts at $399 without Windows SE. HP said pricing will be updated closer to ship time for the Windows 11 SE models.

HP's other new education devices in the Fortis line include the ProBook Fortis 11" G10 and 14" G10. Both of those will be available in April, with pricing to be announced later.

HP's 14-inch Fortis 14" G10 Chromebook is available now for $349. An 11-inch G9 Chromebook will ship in June.

Lenovo has launched two new models for education, the 10w Tablet and 10w Yoga. Both support Windows 11 and Windows 11 SE. The Lenovo 14w, 100w, 300w and 500w laptops are also now available with Windows 11 SE, according to information released today by Lenovo.

According to Microsoft, Dell will offer Windows 11 SE on the Latitude 3120 and 3120 2-in-1, although as of this writing, that is not a configuration option.

Microsoft also indicated that Dynabook is launching a Windows 11 SE version of the E10-S, which, as of this writing, comes configured with Windows 10.

Microsoft indicated that Fujitsu, Positivo and JP.IK are releasing Windows 11 SE devices as well.

Further information can be found on Microsoft's education blog.

About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .


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