If you were hoping to see Intel-powered Windows Phone handsets, or perhaps Windows Phone handsets using NVIDIA, MediaTek, or even Samsung’s processors, you might be in for a wait because Microsoft has recently stated their commitment to Qualcomm’s chipsets and added that they have no plans on supporting other chipsets anytime soon.
This is according to Vineet Durani who heads up the Windows Phone division in Microsoft India. Durani recently spoke to the Times of India where he said, “We don’t have any plans to explore chipsets (processors and RAM etc) made by others… At this point of time companies making Windows Phone have to use the Qualcomm hardware.”
However Durani does not completely close the door on other brands by saying that he can’t comment on the future, but at the same time praised Qualcomm’s products by adding that there is no reason to look elsewhere right now. So why is Microsoft so strict about their hardware? Well just like Apple, Microsoft is hoping to control the hardware and software from start-to-end.
“Because you are adhering to a certain set of specifications, the performance of all Windows Phone devices is at a level that is acceptable to us,” said Durani. Qualcomm is currently the biggest manufacturer of chipsets used by smartphones and tablets around the world and is used in all levels of hardware, ranging from low-end smartphones to even high-end devices.
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