Microsoft first tried to break into the smartphone operating system market in 2002. At that time, the first version of Windows Mobile was released. Although the system looked like Windows on a PC, the underlying software architecture was completely different. Since 2010, there has been another variant of the mobile operating system, Windows Phone. But in early 2020, they gave up and stopped their support. Since then, exciting concepts have emerged for Windows Mobile 11 and Windows Mobile 12, but it is no longer possible to install and use an officially supported variant of a Microsoft operating system on your smartphone . However, the Renegade Project is a free tool with which it is possible to install a full version of Windows 10 and even 11 on your own cell phone. Renegade Project is a UEFI firmware for mobile devices powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC and aims to provide a viable EDK2 UEFI environment for these devices. It can be used as a boot manager to boot Linux, Android and even Windows on some SoCs. Now, a user on Reddit reports that he managed to install a full version of Windows 11 on his Mi Poco X3 Pro with the help of Renegade Project. Even though some touch-ups were necessary, the result is definitely impressive. According to the user, Windows 11 ARM version works fine.
However, only a handful of devices are supported by Project Renegade, mainly from LG, OnePlus and Xiaomi. If you want to install a working Windows 11 on your smartphone, you must first check the list of compatible smartphones. Anyone interested can find a complete installation guide directly on the Renegade Project website. As with all unofficial versions of Windows, caution is advised here. For safety reasons, it is best not to install it on a device used daily for important work. But if you still have an old smartphone in your drawer, you can carry a full-fledged Windows 11 in your pocket. However, the Reddit user also has to admit that there are still some difficulties with touch controls at the moment. The smartphone battery is also under great strain and can only be charged very slowly due to the lack of drivers for fast charging. The device also becomes very hot during operation. Overall, Windows 11 on smartphones “does not offer the best user experience”.
