The first Windows 10 for phones preview was only available on a select few budget handsets, but the list of devices is getting much bigger for the next one.
When the first tech preview of Windows 10 for phones was released, there was heavy criticism that only the lower end budget models supported it. Now, in a recent blog post by Gabe Aul, it looks like there will be a lot more phones capable of running the next build.
As I wrote in the accompanying blog post, the reason for this is that we had to select from the set of phones that had sufficient system partition sizes configured by the manufacturer. This was necessary for us to be able to in-place upgrade the phones. I also talked about a feature we were working on called "partition stitching" that would allow us to re-size the system partition dynamically, allowing us to do the upgrade on a larger set of phones.
The post doesn't way when the next Windows 10 for phones build is coming, and it also states that if there's a major bug that comes up with certain models, those models may be pulled from the list. Gabe also notes that this is a preliminary list, and not 100% locked.
If you have a capable phone, and want to grab the tech preview, make sure to read our article on how to install Windows 10 for Phones. Also note that if you don't end up liking the tech preview, or it's too buggy on your handset, you can always restore it back to Windows Phone 8.1.
Maybe you don't want to play with a preview on your high-end Windows Phone and just want to wait for the official release. Or, if you're currently an Android or iPhone user, but want to see what Windows Phone has to offer.
In either case, consider getting a Lumia 635 which is only $49 off-contract on AT&T. It's actually a decent handset, you don't need to commit to a contract, and you can use the future mobile OS from Microsoft.
Brian it's time for you to use your association with people in the know at Microsoft to answer my pressing question.
Why has Microsoft ignored the HTC one M8 in the list of phones that will get the windows 10 phone build.
My HTC is very hurt that Microsoft has ignored it.