Microsoft is a hardware company these days, at least as a side venture beyond software and cloud. However, while the Surface range has done well in the PC market, the mobile scene has been harder to crack. The long-awaited and almost mythical Surface Phone could change that.
There is one problem. Microsoft has mostly turned its back on mobile. Well, at least the company is not interested in making smartphones and adding new features to Windows 10 Mobile. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has confirmed as much. Instead, Microsoft’s mobile output focuses on services for rival platforms.
So, what would the company be doing making a device powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor? In case you are in the dark, the Snapdragon 845 is Qualcomm’s upcoming flagship mobile CPU. It will power the next generation of top-end handsets.
German website WinFuture suggests Microsoft is developing a device with this spec. Of course, the natural speculation leads to use thinking Microsoft is going to launch a new flagship, maybe even the Surface Phone.
There is a problem with that theory, though. It would require Microsoft to launch an entirely new smartphone strategy and arguably an overhauled mobile platform. Windows 10 Mobile is largely dead and gone.
In other words, the Surface Phone is unlikely to be the first piece in a puzzle. If the company ever returns to the mobile market, it would be with the game-changing device Nadella has promised.
New Smartphone?
I have no doubt Microsoft believes it can change mobile through mixed reality innovation. However, that is unlikely to happen in the next generation powered by Snapdragon 845.
The most likely scenario for the new hardware is the company’s continued exploration of Windows 10 on ARM. This would allow the full version of Windows 10 to run on ARM chips, and in turn on mobile.
WinFuture found a job listing for someone with experience in smartphones. There is certainly speculation worth heading into with this story, so let us know what you think in the comments.
Last Updated on April 9, 2020 11:51 am CEST by Luke Jones
