I toured Qatar's new Qsuite business class, which passengers are still waiting to fly. These are the 7 best upgrades.

The new Qsuite is impressive, and I particularly liked the two-person window suite and personal safe. Angelo De Guzman Qatar Airways hoped to debut the next generation of its famous Qsuite business class last year — with lockable drawers and two-person window suites — but it still hasn't flown a single passenger.The Doha-based airline unveiled its reinvented Qsuite at the UK's Farnborough Airshow in 2024, promising a new level of luxury for its Boeing 777-9 jets by 2025. The 777-9 is the larger variant of the 777X.But Boeing's new widebody still isn't certified. The 777X is seven years behind its original schedule, while Boeing continues to grapple with safety, quality, production, and supply-chain problems.Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said at a September Morgan Stanley conference that the 777-9 was still on track for 2027, but an engine issue discovered earlier this year could slightly push the timeline."I don't see that as a major challenge for us, but we still got a lot in front of us on the flight test program," Ortberg said. "Not done until we're done."Neither Boeing nor Qatar Airways responded to a request for comment from Business Insider.While passengers continue to fly in the original Qsuite — introduced nearly a decade ago and already considered one of the world's best airline business class cabins — I toured Next Gen at the Arabian Travel Market trade show in Dubai in September.Qatar Airways Group CEO Hamad Ali Al-Khater told Euronews the same month that Qsuite Next Gen is due in summer 2027, though the airline has not announced any specific routes.Upgrades include new combinable suites, improved tech, and smarter storage. Seeing these features up close revealed interesting differences that weren't immediately obvious.Here are the seven things that stood out most on the Qsuite Next Gen. The Companion Suite connects two window passengers. Even partly open, the movable screen changed how much of the neighboring seat I could see. Angelo De Guzman The current Qsuite lets passengers open center seats into shared configurations. Next Gen brings that concept to two window passengers with the Companion Suite.One faces forward and the other backward, situated diagonally from each other instead of directly opposite. I could see my companion without leaning or turning, with enough separation that we didn't feel unusually close. The screens are designed to latch fully aside, opening the sightline between both suites.I had plenty of personal space. The walls weren't close to my shoulders, and the curved architecture made the suite feel enclosed without becoming claustrophobic. The Quad Suite feels enormous. Each passenger keeps their own seat even when the four suites are opened into a single shared space. This feature is already on the current Qsuite but has been refreshed. Angelo De Guzman Next Gen redesigns Qsuite's existing four-person layout with larger shared surfaces, movable screens, bigger beds, and digitally controlled dividers.The open Quad felt massive. I could easily speak with someone beside or opposite me, while someone diagonally across required me to lean forward and speak up. I could imagine a family spreading a board game across the middle. The dining table felt solid and easily fits a large laptop, with room for phones and belongings.Climbing into the fully flat bed, my shoulders and feet had plenty of room, so that I could roll comfortably to my side. The 4K screens physically swing aside. The large display dominates the view before it moves out of the way. Angelo De Guzman Qatar upgraded Next Gen with 4K screens, though watching them disappear was more memorable.The Quad's screens looked bright and colorful, responded well, and moved smoothly as I operated them. I slid them until they met back-to-back, then swiveled them 90 degrees toward the rear-facing side and nested them into the surrounding architecture, fully opening the space.A separate touchscreen remote beside the seat provides another way to control the entertainment system. The Quad becomes private again with digitally controlled dividers. One or more of the quad seats can be closed off while the others remain open. The internal partition and aisle-facing door create two different layers of seat separation. Angelo De Guzman That openness is reversible. Digitally controlled internal dividers restore passenger privacy in the Quad. They rose quietly and slowly, extending above my head. With the screen returned to position and the divider raised, the enormous shared space felt like my own cocoon again.I discovered a useful safety feature when my hand blocked the rising divider's path: It stopped automatically. The aisle door remains manual and slides smoothly. It provides substantial privacy while seated, although you could still see taller passengers as they walked past. There's a small safe in the sky. A number pad locks the drawer. Two packaged refreshing towels inside gave me a useful sense of the drawer's depth and capacity. Angelo De Guzman One of my favorite additions was a concealed drawer secured by a four-digit PIN entered through the suite's touchscreen. There's easily enough room for valuables like my passport, a watch, and jewelry. It essentially gives passengers a small safe in the sky. Wireless charging and USB-C come to Qsuite. One wireless charging surface had a soft, cloth-like texture, while the other had a harder finish. Angelo De Guzman The current Qsuite uses USB-A ports, while Next Gen replaces them with USB-C and wireless charging. Sitting in different seats revealed another difference. The consoles around the forward- and rear-facing Quad seats aren't identical.I found the forward-facing configuration offered more usable surface area for a laptop, a phone, a menu, a book, or an amenity kit. The seat wasn't more spacious; I simply had more places to put my things, something I'd consider when choosing a seat.An open storage shelf and universal AC outlet sit underneath the main console. 'Make My Bed' makes turndown obvious. A touchscreen panel controls several cabin functions, including a dedicated "Make My Bed" option for turndown service. Angelo De Guzman I didn't press it, but I immediately understood its value. I've flown business-class products where passengers need to ask for turndown, and first-time flyers may not know it's available.Seeing "Make My Bed" removes that guesswork and lets passengers request the service without feeling shy about asking the crew. I liked the Companion Seat most. This is the seat I'd book once the new Qsuite finally flies. Angelo De Guzman After exploring the different configurations, I'd choose the forward-facing window seat in the Companion Suite. It feels more natural to me, with better surrounding surfaces and the option to open the space toward a companion when I want company.But getting a Qsuite seat comes at a significant premium. Round-trip fares in April between New York and Doha on Qatar's Boeing 777-300ER cost around $4,000 in business class, compared with about $600 in economy. Looking at the November and December peak season, Qsuite fares reach $9,000 or more.I'll still book it. I've now seen what Qsuite Next Gen can do; I just have to wait for Boeing's 777-9 to finally start carrying passengers. Read next Angelo De Guzman is a journalist covering luxury travel, hospitality, dining, and nightlife across the Middle East and Asia.Based in Dubai, Angelo brings experience from international hotel chains and Michelin-starred restaurants, alongside reporting on global festivals, artists, and electronic music culture. He has written for EDMNOMAD, NYLON Singapore, and produces social video content.Follow Angelo on Instagram (@heyangelodg) or visit angelodg.com to explore his latest work. Airlines Aviation