System upgrade next major version, stable edition

[Oulik]

I am relatively new to SparkLinux, so excuse me if I am asking what is maybe obvious.

I have an old laptop which is still in excellent condition, but its is running an old Celeron M 1.7GHz processor. (32 bit). 2GB ram, 120GB hard disk.
This means I can only run the 32 bit version, installed it and runs well (Dutch language).
I am planning to give the laptop away, so a good friend can learn Linux.

I have one question about upgrading.
When there is a next major version, can the system just be easily upgraded with Aptus? Is it a smooth process? Or is a new install necessary then.