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Information about the end of support for Windows 10

Introduction

Windows 10 reached its official end of life in October 2025. Security updates are now only provided as part of the limited-time Extended Security Updates (ESU) program, which users must apply for.

Our current XMG and SCHENKER laptops are designed for Windows 11. This includes factors such as CPU architecture, BIOS firmware, firmware, drivers and power management. Windows 10 is therefore no longer supported on current models.

Some of these points are explained in more detail below. At the end of the article, we explain how to upgrade older models to Windows 11.

Lack of driver support

Due to technical circumstances, we no longer carry out internal testing with Windows 10 - neither on current nor on older models. We cannot guarantee that certain drivers (for example Control Center, audio or other peripherals) will run correctly under Windows 10, nor can we guarantee that future software, driver or Windows updates will remain compatible.

In addition, Intel has not offered official chipset support for Windows 10 since the 12th generation Intel Core. Current chipset drivers can still be installed. However, it cannot be ruled out that support will be discontinued entirely at some point. The situation is similar with AMD. Overall, the support periods offered by CPU manufacturers are shorter for mobile platforms than for desktop platforms due to the high degree of integration.

Lack of support for modern CPU architectures

Many modern CPU platforms rely on a hybrid architecture. They combine powerful performance cores (P cores) with energy efficient efficiency cores (E cores). This applies to virtually all Intel CPUs since Intel Core 12th Gen, but AMD is now also applying this principle in some (not all) AMD Ryzen mobile processors (keywords: Zen5 and Zen5c).

This "Big.LITTLE" principle can only work well when the operating system actively distributes the load between P and E cores.

Windows 11 is optimised precisely for this hybrid architecture. Basic support for such hybrid designs has also been available under Linux for several years.

However, Windows 10 cannot distinguish between P cores and E cores. As a result, tasks are assigned to the cores arbitrarily. This inevitably has a negative impact on battery life and performance:

  • Negative performance impact: when single thread heavy tasks are arbitrarily assigned to an E core. E cores offer less performance than P cores.
  • Negative impact on battery life: when less urgent background tasks are randomly run on P cores. These have slightly higher energy consumption under similar loads, which measurably and noticeably reduces battery life.

On some models, it is possible to disable the E cores via BIOS setup. This prevents negative performance effects in single threaded applications, but at the same time, you would be giving up a large amount of multi core performance, as fewer cores are available overall when the E cores are deactivated. The negative impact on battery life is even greater in this case, because all tasks are then executed on the P cores.

Recommended action

If Windows 10 cannot be set up satisfactorily with current or future software, driver or Windows updates, we recommend upgrading or performing a clean reinstallation of Windows 11. Instructions for this can be found here:

If, in the context of a warranty claim, it turns out that a reported problem only occurs under Windows 10 but not under Windows 11, an upgrade to or reinstallation of Windows 11 will be offered as part of the warranty fulfilment.

Upgrading older models to Windows 11

If you are still running an older device with Windows 10, you will find all the important information about the switch in a separate article:

Headlines include:

  • Hardware requirements for older laptops
  • Hardware requirements only optional?
  • Note on Secure Boot and certificates expiring in 2026
  • Tips for reinstallation or upgrade
  • License key

Windows 10 ESU: Temporary solution expected to last until 2026

For users who want to stay with Windows 10 for the time being, Microsoft is offering a free extension of security updates (ESU, Extended Security Updates) until 2026:

This support must be requested by the user. The user must be logged into Windows with a Microsoft account. Local offline accounts are not supported.

Alternatively, we are also happy to advise you on the purchase of a new device. You can find an overview of our current laptop portfolio here:

Additional information