Huawei denies plans to release dual-OS smartphone

Huawei, a top maker of smartphones, has denied plans to release a handset with two operating systems, Google Android and Microsoft Windows Phone. Instead, the China-based manufacturer intends to keep offering phones with Android and Windows Phone, but separately.

Last week it turned out that Huawei was going to release a high-end smartphone with both Google Android and Microsoft Windows Phone operating systems because of concerns that a handset only with the Windows Phone would be unpopular. While Huawei offers Windows Phone 8-based handsets in some African countries, such devices are not available in other parts of the world.

“If it is Windows only, maybe people will not find it as easy a decision to buy the phone,” said Shao Yang, chief marketing officer at Huawei, in an interview. “If they have the Android and Windows together, you can change it as you wish and it is much easier for people to choose Windows Phone.”

However, the plans of one of the world’s largest makers of smartphones seem to have changed recently. The company decided not to release a dual-OS handset due to unknown reasons.

“Huawei Consumer Business Group adopts an open approach towards mobile operating systems to provide a range of choices for consumers,” the company said in a statement partly published by FierceWireless. “However, most of our products are based on Android OS, [and] at this stage there are no plans to launch a dual-OS smartphone in the near future.”

The company did not reveal motives why it decided to scrap the plan with the dual-OS smartphone, but technical challenges and increased manufacturing costs cannot be excluded. Two operating systems entail expanded storage, use of an application processor that supports both Android and WP (Qualcomm Snapdragon only) and other hardware that supports both mobile platforms.

What is important is that Huawei promised to offer Windows Phone-based smartphones later this year.

“Microsoft is still a key global partner of Huawei Consumer Business Group. As long as the consumers continue to demand Windows, we will continue to supply them,” the statement by the company reads.

KitGuru Says: Two operating systems on one smartphone gives Microsoft ability to sell Windows Phone to users of Google Android. For the vast majority customers, it is like getting a tester when buying a fragrance in a retail store: you get what you want and get a taste of what you might like and want in the future. The main difference is that testers are supplied essentially for free since they are a part of certain companies’ promotion campaigns, whereas the costs of two operating systems (especially if Microsoft does not waive the WP licensing fee for Huawei, like it does in case of two Indian smartphone vendors) and development of a dual-OS smartphone are eventually transferred to customers, forcing them to buy something they may never need.

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