Samsung is ready to enter a Windows Phone device into the 4G LTE market.
The company, the largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world, has launched dozens of devices that can connect to high-speed LTE networks, but so far none of them has been built on Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform.
Enter the Samsung Focus 2. It packs a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, a 5-megapixel rear camera and VGA front camera, a 1.4 GHz processor, and all the requisite components like USB, SD, and all that good stuff.
The stats aren’t incredible, but that is because Samsung is playing into what has become the Windows Phone market – low-end smartphones for budget-conscious consumers who don’t want to buy a $200 Android phone or iPhone.
So with a two-year contract, customers will be able to buy a Focus 2 for just $50.
The choice of AT&T to launch a new LTE milestone is also a boost for the carrier, which is still working to develop its new high-speed network. It currently covers around three dozen markets in the US.
So this will be a test not only for Samsung, and not only for Windows Phone, but also for AT&T. It should be interesting to watch.
Samsung hasn’t created a strong-selling Windows Phone before and AT&T’s LTE network is still waiting for a big boost. We’ll see if the Focus 2 manages to achieve either of those goals.
The device goes on sale on May 20.
