14 DAY TRIAL // South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung is reportedly in talks with Microsoft for kicking off the development of a new Windows Phone 8 device.
In fact, it seems that Microsoft is highly determined to convince Samsung to climb aboard the Windows Phone 8 boat once again, and that it plans on paying the handset vendor good money for that.
A recent tweet coming from Eldar Murtazin of Mobile-Review claims that the Redmond-based giant could end up paying up to $1 billion (€726 million) to have Samsung on its team.
No confirmation on this has emerged until now, but chances are that the report will pan out, at least in what concerns Samsung’s return to the Windows Phone party.
In fact, reports that emerged online last week unveiled that the company indeed had a new handset in the works, and that it might load Microsoft’s mobile platform on it.
The device, sported online as Samsung SM-W750V, emerged on the website of Indian shipping company Zuaba, and it should feature a 5-inch touchscreen display when released.
Furthermore, info that surfaced on it at the time suggested that Samsung could price the smartphone in line with high-end Windows Phones out there, which implies that it might be released as a flagship device.
Confirmation on this handset has yet to emerge, yet it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Samsung indeed re-entered the Windows Phone market.
At the moment, Nokia is dominating the segment, with over 90 percent share, yet the platform is growing fast, and other manufacturers could also grab a good chunk of sales if they launched appealing devices.
Furthermore, as SamMobile notes, Microsoft is in the process of purchasing Nokia at the moment, a move that would make it the only large player in the WP area. Thus, it makes sense that it is trying to attract more vendors to its side.
Samsung could be among these companies, especially since it is leading the Android pack at the moment, with a vast family of Galaxy smartphones. Hopefully, it won’t be long before official details are unveiled on this, so stay tuned.