14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft remains the top manufacturer of Windows phones and although several other companies have already joined the Windows 10 Mobile bandwagon, there’s no doubt that there’s still a lot of work before Redmond could even think of competing against the Android ecosystem.
One step in this direction, however, is currently under consideration, a report by German site WinFuture reveals, as Microsoft is working to add support for MediaTek chips in Windows 10 Mobile.
It appears that the company has confirmed at the Mobile World Congress 2016 in Barcelona that Windows 10 Mobile is fully compatible with MediaTek chips and it’s just a matter of time until the first phones powered by these processors and running Microsoft’s platform hit the shelves.
MediaTek opens the door for more affordable devices
For starters, MediaTek chips are more affordable than the Qualcomm CPUs that 99 percent of the Windows phones are using right now, and this translates to possibly cheaper devices available for buyers.
Qualcomm is manufacturing the Snapdragon series that’s powering Microsoft’s Lumia phones and come with excellent optimizations for performance and battery life, but benchmarks have shown that MediaTek aren’t really that far behind.
With a lower price and performance that’s close to Qualcomm’s, MediaTek has the opportunity to become a popular chip on Windows 10 Mobile, thus leading to a new wave of devices running Microsoft’s platform.
Undoubtedly, the Chinese manufacturers will be among the first to adopt cheaper processors, and although that clearly helps expand the Windows phone lineup, it is a double-edged sword. While affordable phones do help gain market share, and Android is the living proof in this case, high-end devices are still necessary, especially to compete against flagships running Android and iOS.
Under the current plan, Microsoft would be the one in charge of building these high-end phones, while everyone else could build low-end and mid-range devices that come with a more affordable price. Certainly, it all sounds very exciting on paper, but it takes time for this new strategy to succeed and nothing can happen overnight.