Windows 11 is getting a new look according to a leak - but it might be exclusive to AI-powered PCs

New leak ahead of Microsoft Build 2024 reveals new Windows 11 wallpaper

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It looks likeWindows 11could get a new official default wallpaper, according to leaked images that have emerged just beforeMicrosoftBuild 2024, the company’s annual conference for developers - where it’s expected that we’ll see some big debuts showing off the fruits of collaboration betweenMicrosoft,Qualcomm, and other partners.

Microsoft has been pretty tight-lipped about what it plans to show off, and hasn’t even officially announced the new wallpaper, although it’s already available for download in high resolution.

This wasuncovered by German tech blog WinFuture, whose sources leaked information aboutSamsung Galaxy Book4 Edge Pro laptops with ARM chips. The leak included multiple photographs of the laptop from a variety of angles, as well as the new wallpaper, which joins the series ofWindows 11signature Bloom wallpapers (Neowin hasa collection of othersyou can view and download).Neowin speculatesthat the newAI-focused PCs will ship with the new background.

New Windows wallpaper that will be flooded on Monday.From Inside Windows Telegram group pic.twitter.com/DbNuVG6kIAMay 18, 2024

Accompanying the leak, X user @cadenzza_shared a high-resolution versionof the brand new Bloom wallpaper variation (apparently shared in a privateWindows InsiderTelegram group originally) that you can download by saving the image below or from @cadenzza_’s post, and set on your device.

Microsoft’s lips are sealed and it’s got our attention

It’s interesting how closely Microsoft’s been guarding what it’s about to share, with this static wallpaper being one of the things that we can confirm at all. Neowin has proposed that Microsoft might be crafting new desktop background effects for Windows 11, perhaps making use of the next-generation devices’ AI capabilities, and creating effects simulating depth, and possibly making the background reactive to how you move your cursor.

We’ll have to see if this is the case at some point in the next few days as Microsoft Build goes on. We expect the announcement of consumer versions of theSurface Pro 10andSurface Laptop 6laptops with Qualcomm Snapdragon X processors, and whatever AI innovations Microsoft wants to bring to our attention. Another new hardware introduction we expect is aCopilotkeyboard button, which has been discussed for a while now. Other Copilot-related news could have to do withOpenAI’s recent debut ofGPT-4o, and possibly a souped-up Windows Copilot AI assistant.

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Kristina is a UK-based Computing Writer, and is interested in all things computing, software, tech, mathematics and science. Previously, she has written articles about popular culture, economics, and miscellaneous other topics.

She has a personal interest in the history of mathematics, science, and technology; in particular, she closely follows AI and philosophically-motivated discussions.

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