Both Samsung and Nokia intend to release cheaper phones with Windows Phone in the foreseeable future. The Korean manufacturer even has cheaper models planned for this calendar year.
Until now, all smartphones with Windows Phone 7 with individual device prices of at least 450 euros belonged to the highest price segment. However, Samsung wants to make cheaper Windows Phone devices, according to the roadmap that the manufacturer showed to the press from the Benelux during MWC in Barcelona. At least three devices are planned, ranging in price from around 300 to 500 euros.
Nokia has the same plan, but for the longer term, as appeared from a slide in the manufacturer’s presentation. In addition, Windows Phone devices should eventually replace Symbian smartphones in all price segments. Nokia’s cheapest Symbians currently have a retail price of around 150 euros, sometimes even slightly lower. It is unclear whether Windows Phone devices will also become so cheap.
The prices of Windows Phone 7 devices are high, presumably because of the hardware requirements. Microsoft requires manufacturers to use a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and sets minimum memory requirements. Things like an FM radio, motion sensor, GPS and a compass are also mandatory to use the OS. So far, four manufacturers have released devices with Windows Phone 7: HTC, Samsung, LG and Dell. Acer will probably join them later this year. Acer made a test device that Microsoft used for demos for a long time, but had no device ready when Windows Phone 7 came out.
Microsoft announced a major update to Windows Phone for later this year in Barcelona. This includes limited support for multitasking. The multitasking menu is opened by long pressing the Back button. IE9 will also be ported to Windows Phone, which will give the browser support for HTML 5, among other things. The browser therefore supports hardware acceleration. In addition, Microsoft showed a demo of a combination of Windows Phone and Kinect.