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Windows Phone 8.1 to support only Qualcomm processors

Windows Phone 8.1 Qualcomm exclusive
Windows Phone 8.1 to be Qualcomm exclusive
Support for MediaTek's chips would help Windows Phone quickly gain a lot of users but it seems Microsoft decided to keep it Qualcomm-exclusive for now.

Gaining a solid share of the mid-range market where smartphones powered by MediaTek chips are very popular is a natural move for Microsoft, yet the company seems to hold back for now. Although Chinese phone maker NEO announced a MediaTek-powered smartphone called NEO M1 and an image of the device running Windows Phone 8.1 leaked online shortly after that, a recent report shows that Windows Phone 8.1 could only arrive with support for Qualcomm processors.

A screenshot leaked by Justin Angel on Twitter confirms that Windows Phone 8.1 will only support Qualcomm chips and is accompanied by the following message that makes everything clear: "The WP8.1 Emulator VHD contains the definitive list of supported CPU/SoC in WP8.1: Snapdragon 200, 400, 800 and S4."

Users of MediaTek-powered smartphones can only enjoy Android for now but it is only a matter of time until Microsoft focuses on these devices as well. It remains to be seen when will this happen, since the first step has just been taken by making Windows Phone free to use by handset makers earlier this month.

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Codrut Nistor, 2014-04-10 (Update: 2014-04-13)