Microsoft's $80 Windows 10 Mobile phones with Snapdragon 210 expected in Q4: Report

The San Diego-based chip maker Qualcomm, is working closely with Microsoft for inexpensive phones powered with Windows 10 Mobile, suggests a new report.

Carrying a price tag of $80 or even cheaper, the upcoming Windows 10 Mobile devices are expected to enter mass production in the third quarter, followed by a release in the fourth quarter of 2015, claims DigiTimes.

Qualcomm is planning to use MSM8909, which is a Snapdragon 210 chip, featuring a quad-core processor, and supports 4G LTE.

While the report does not provide hardware details about the Windows 10 Mobile devices, we can get some understanding of it from the processor.

The Snapdragon 210 chip with four ARM Cortex A7 cores is clocked at 1.1GHz, and paired with an Adreno 304 graphics unit. In terms of connectivity, it supports Bluetooth 4.1 and Wi-Fi 802.11n. Besides, it has a display of up to 720p resolution, camera up to eight megapixel, 1080p HD video playback and Qualcomm Quick charger 2.0 support.

As chip makers do not need to pay licensing fees to Microsoft for using Windows 10 Mobile OS, the cost for these entry-level devices will be comparatively competitive than the ones on Android.

Qualcomm has also reportedly partnered with China-based Allwinner Technology to release Windows 10 Mobile low-end smartphones and tablets with phone functionality. The chip manufacturer's new move is aimed at improving its shipments by expanding its mobile business through partnerships.