14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is expected to announce several Windows Phone handsets later in the coming months, and at least two of them will belong to the high-end tier.
The Redmond-based company also reiterated its strong support for Windows Phone, even though it will start launching less devices in the coming months.
That's because Microsoft is now relying on its partners to launch mid-range and entry-level Windows Phone handsets, while its focus will switch to high-end devices.
Obviously, there's a chance that Microsoft's partners won't continue launching Windows Phone handsets in the coming month, but fans of the operating system should rest easy since the company announced that it would start making wallet-friendly smartphones itself if OEMs won't do it.
Rumor has it that Microsoft might launch around 6 new Windows Phone handsets per year, each belonging to another category tier. This means we should expect two flagships, two mid-range and two affordable smartphones coming from Microsoft each year.
One or two affordable Lumia smartphones will be launched this year as well and rumor has it that Microsoft might announce them as early as September 24.
No front-facing camera, but quad-core CPU
Today, a new affordable Windows Phone handset has been spotted at GFXBench. Codename Nokia ID313, the smartphone will be powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.
Sadly, the chipset's model is unknown for the moment, but we do know it packs an Adreno 305 graphics processing unit.
Aside from that, Nokia ID313 will sport a 4.2-inch capacitive touchscreen display that supports 800 x 480 pixels resolution. It also packs 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal memory.
On the back, the smartphone features a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and HD (720p) video recording. Nokia ID313 does not seem to support front camera, though.
Along with the Nokia RM-1130 that leaked a few days ago, the ID313 might be announced this fall and will probably make it to market by the end of the year.