14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has already expressed its commitment to Windows 10 Mobile on several occasions, and while the company isn’t talking too much about new hardware, it is certainly more focused on improving the software side of its mobile strategy.
And one way to do that is by pushing Windows 10 Mobile to 64-bit, which would allow for more powerful hardware to be used on devices running the operating system and thus achieve better performance figures on flagships.
The 32-bit architecture limits Windows 10 Mobile devices to 4 GB of RAM and this is quite a major drawback if Microsoft wants more partners to join this effort and create phones running its OS. A 64-bit OS would bring a long series of advantages, including support for new hardware that’s already available on rival platforms.
Surface Phone and Redstone 2
For example, the Snapdragon 820 CPU is already supported by Windows 10 Mobile, but its performance is limited by the lack of 64-bit support, so the same chip can achieve better figures on Android - where it’s currently available on several models, including the Samsung Galaxy Note 7.
Bu this is all going to change, according to Microsoft, as the company is already working on rolling out 64-bit support for Windows 10 Mobile and thus come in line with Android and iOS, which are both using the same architecture since a few years ago.
Jason Whitehorn, partner software engineer manager of the Windows and Devices Group at Microsoft, said at Ignite that the firm would thus continue supporting Windows 10 Mobile, but also build new devices, despite rumors that the Lumia brand is dead.
This could be a hint that the Surface Phone is indeed on its way, and with news that 64-bit is part of Microsoft’s mobile vision, the debut of the new flagship would just be the perfect time to make this happen. People with knowledge of the matter said the Surface Phone could go live in the spring or sometime next year, and Redstone 2 could be the update pushing Windows 10 Mobile to 64-bit.