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Windows Central
Windows Central
Technology
Sean Endicott

Weekly Windows Wrap: Windows 11 is a dumpster fire — and only a fake Windows Phone can save us

NexPhone with Windows 11.

Windows 11 is in a rough spot right now, at least when it comes to headlines and public perception. It feels like each week we cover an increasing number of negative stories.

I chatted last week about the need to hold a mirror up to Microsoft when the company needs to improve. That being said, it's tiring to write about bugs, issues, and systems crashing.

This weekend, I shared some of the reasons we love Windows 11 and still use it daily. I also asked for people from the community to chime in and share ways they enjoy Windows 11 and rely on the OS in their daily lives.

Unfortunately, that's largely where the good news ends. While I personally enjoy covering positive news, this past week was full of frustration and concerns for Windows 11 users.

Microsoft has had a disastrous January when it comes to Patch Tuesday updates. The company had to issue multiple emergency out of band updates and tell people to uninstall the KB5074109 update.

While it's common to run into issues after a Patch Tuesday, they are often related to niche use cases. That is not the case with some of the bugs that crept into Windows 11 recently.

One issue makes apps unusable when working with files saved to the cloud. Considering how hard Microsoft pushes OneDrive and integrates that cloud service into Windows 11, that's a significant issue.

Weekly Windows Wrap: The Big News

It's 2026, and a new Windows phone is coming soon (Image credit: Windows Central)
Windows 11 update KB5074109 is causing issues — and Microsoft now says to uninstall it (Image credit: Future | Edited with Gemini)
Disastrous Patch Tuesday: Microsoft releases TWO out of band security updates for Windows 11 (Image credit: Getty Images | SOPA Images)
Microsoft unveils wave of new Windows 11 features in Paint and Notepad (Image credit: Windows Central | Zachary Boddy)
Lenovo could have the world's first NVIDIA N1X-based gaming laptop (Image credit: Windows Central | Zachary Boddy)
Microsoft is the world’s favorite brand... for phishing scams (Image credit: Future | Edited with Gemini)

On a much happier note, Windows phone is back! Well, kind of. Note the capitalization. Windows Phone the OS is still dead. A company did announce a phone that can run Windows.

The NexPhone is a smartphone that runs Android, Linux, and Windows 11. In some ways, it fulfills the vision we got a taste of with Continuum. The device can run Android apps and then with a restart swap over to Windows 11.

The NexPhone is an Android phone that can become a Windows 11 PC when docked to a monitor, but it's also more than that. It also has a shell interface for Windows 11 that mimics the look and feel of Windows Phone.

Over the years, we've tried to find ways to talk about Windows Phone — many of us miss it. But you can only write so many stories about Android launchers and hardware that kind of looks like a Windows Phone.

The NexPhone is the first piece of Windows Phone-related news I've seen in a while to garner genuine interest and excitement from our readers.

I admit I'm concerned about the processor in the NexPhone. I also worry about how smoothly having multiple operating systems on a small device will go. But count me as intrigued.

Weekly Windows Wrap: How-tos

Several of our guides this week walk through how to handle the latest Windows 11 issues, including the 0x803f8001 error code caused by Windows 11 update KB5074109. Our how-to expert also shared some handy tips for maintaining and setting up your PC.

Sales on Windows 11 PCs

Windows 11 had another rough week, but there are still great PCs on sale and accessories that can improve your workflow.

Follow Windows Central on Google News to keep our latest news, insights, and features at the top of your feeds!

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