Microsoft's new update for Windows Phone 8 added support for larger phones and higher-resolution screens, a move analysts hoped would soon put the operating system onto small-sized tablets, a market Microsoft and its hardware partners have largely ignored.
Last week, Microsoft announced that Windows Phone 8 Update 3—like many from Redmond, a mouthful—will roll out to current customers in the next several months. While Update 3 included several additions and enhancements, the one Microsoft chose to tout first was support for larger-sized Windows smartphones.
"The update paves the way for future Windows Phone devices with 5- and 6-inch touchscreens," said Darren Laybourn, who leads the Windows Phone engineering team, in a blog post. Update 3 also supports 1080p displays with resolutions of 1920 by 1080 pixels, nearly a doubling of the current resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels.
Next Lumia expected to stretch
Microsoft's update to Windows Phone came just a week before an October 22 event slated by Nokia, where it's expected to unveil the new 6-inch Lumia 1520—a so-called "phablet"—sporting a 1920-by-1080-pixel screen, the first for a Windows Phone device.
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