The one device to show Windows 10 Mobile to the world.

ShinraCorp

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Alright this is the 2nd opinion post about Windows Phone that I made. This is an extremely long post so if you want the summary of it, scroll all the way down.

The One Device to show Windows Phone to the world.

This time around I wanted to talk about the one device to wow people. The one phone that will go up against the best of the best from Android and iOS. This isn't a "dream" phone per say but let's place ourselves in the realm of realism so that we can figure out their next "flagship". So let's imagine they release the phone at the same time as Windows 10 does (Fall 2015). Since Qualcomm is hurrying up with their Snapdragon 810 SoC, (all thanks to Apple's A7 64-bit SoC that was added in the iPhone 5S.) there might be a slim chance we will be seeing that. While Windows Phone was always praised for it to run on just about any hardware, even the lowest of hardware and yet still be fluid in performance doesn't mean they should focus on just low-end devices either. We the tech enthusiasts and the Windows Phone evangelists need to show the world what our device can do.

The words Snapdragon 810 I used before may sound like it's a useless thing, but it's far from it. It's the next logical step in mobile computing. It's the beginning of 64-bit computing for Windows Phone (and Android of course) the same thing the PCs have been benefiting from since 2003. The advantage of 64-bit computing besides having a larger amount of memory (RAM) is that Windows itself can reserve more memory for itself for the kernel. We all have that resuming and loading issues correct? A think of the past with 64-bit computing, of course that's only if Microsoft plans to support 64-bit versions of it (it would be a very big mistake if they do not.) They're more advantages to 64-bit computing so for those interested I suggest reading this Wikipedia article: 64-bit computing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So why am I talking about 64-bit computing? Well the one major disadvantage to it is that it takes up more memory. So we can safely assume that if they add a 64-bit processing chip inside the phone the amount of memory should be minimum 3 GBs, heck perhaps we will see 4 GB DDR4 for the first time in a smartphone in 2015.

The phone will have a minimum of 3 GB of RAM

Of course as I wrote earlier, 64-bit computing takes up more memory so that also includes internal memory. We will probably see a minimum of 32 GB of internal memory for it

The phone will have a minimum of 32 GB Internal Storage

Will it have an SD Card slot? It's a tricky question, why? With the blazing speed of 64-bit computing, DDR4 RAM, the device shouldn't be slowed down by an SD Card while the fastest card can transmit 312 Mbyte/second. The average SD card sold are not that fast. Unless there's a way to connect a USB 3.0 Mass Storage device on it (or is there?), I don't think that there will be an SD Card replacement. Besides with OneDrive, why wouldn't you upload your data to the cloud? Besides you know... lack of an internet connection, data caps and the general insecurity people have when uploading it to a server.

The phone will not have an External Storage available.

The display was always a strong point on the high end Lumia devices, the ClearBlack while it seems like pure marketing does prove to show the darkest blacks on a screen. And the readability in sunlight is just brilliant, I wouldn't imagine the new Lumia flagship removing these anytime soon. In terms of resolution, it's a tricky one, while the Snapdragon 810 can display a 4K resolution, I don't think that'll happen, we will probably see a 2560x1600 or something near those resolutions. Since there's absolutely no reason to project a 4k screen in something smaller than 6 inches. Speaking of screen size, the flagship will probably not be a "phablet" size phone, instead it'll be between 5 to 5.5 inches, why? Phablets are nice I won't lie, but as from most of the people here know, holding it with one hand is easy.... using it however is another story, you're thumb will probably never reach the top left or top right side of the screen without a 2nd hand. The next paragraph will solve the problem for those who question the screen size.

The phone screen will contain the ClearBlack tech, the same sun readability you've been used too in Windows Phone 8, screen resolution will be 2560x1600 around and measures 5.0 to 5.5 inches.

What about those who love phablets? Why can't they have the 6 inch screen? Well this also ties in with 64-bit computing, you almost have a PC in your pocket. Of course you can't play games like LoL or Battlefield 4 but think of it this way, Microsoft could release a docking station equipped with Ethernet, USB ports and an HDMI port to plug it into your monitor, and voila. You already have office "Touch" preinstalled in your Windows 10 mobile device (I imagine anyway.) so then it expands to fit your monitor. You'll be able to do presentations, document work or spreadsheets all via your phone. This would probably be great for professionals and businesses, even for personal usage if video games can adapt screen sizes as well.

It might have a docking station as an accessory you can purchase.

Photography was always a strong point in the Lumia line up. The camera could be literally anything here, it could be something similar to the 1020 and have a huge "bump" on the back to make it look more like a camera, or it could be smaller than the 1020 like the 1520. Whatever it is it'll probably be minimum 25 Megapixels. I am no photographer so most of the terms I have no idea what they mean. Or what exactly makes a good camera. The front camera could borrow from the 735 aka the "selfie" phone. Since according to the owners of the 735, it's a really decent front camera so why not?

The camera will have a minimum of 25 Megapixels (if it's not going for the 1020 look) probably a maximum of 50 Megapixels (if it's trying to be a successor to the 1020), front camera could probably be the same as the 735.

The case itself is hard to say but it'll definitely be polycarbonate, until the research for graphene is complete for commercial usage I doubt we'll be seeing that anytime soon. Polycarbonate has so many advantages, it's cheap, durable, flame and heat resistant properties, colorful (if we're talking about Lumias anyway.) It'll have a metallic frame similar to the 928 or the 830, so the case design will probably have a very minimal change.

The case/shell will be polycarbonate and have a metallic frame like the 928 or 830, the only difference will be the back for the camera.

Finally there's the pricing. The pricing for something that's completely new in the mobile industry (DDR4, 64-bit) will go beyond 700$ that's for sure. Of course if this phone is to succeed it needs to be available at all major carriers. They'll probably offer a 200$ price tag for it. If I have to guess it'll land at the 800$ figure for this device. If they offer multiple storage solutions (64 GB and 128 GB for example) then it'll pass the 1000$ mark easily... And you guys thought the iPhone was expensive.

Let's place it all together and the phone specs would look like this:

  • Snapdragon 810 SoC
  • Either 3 or 4 GB of DDR4 RAM
  • Between 5.0 and 5.5 inch screen running at 2560x1600
  • If it follows the Lumia 1020 then a 50 MegaPixel camera, if not then a 25 MegaPixel camera.
  • Polycarbonate case with a metallic frame similar to the Lumia 928 or 830.
  • It'll have a docking station accessory for you to enjoy multimedia or do some productivity work.
  • Pricing starts at 800$ off contract, can go up to over 1000$ if they have multiple storage options.
  • There won't be an external storage device since you can plug in your USB device into the docking station (it's a way for them to make money.)

What makes this special compare to the other phones? Probably the docking station. It doesn't have to be a fancy high-tech feature that will sell the product it just has to be something that seems extremely practical but yet no one thought of it yet.

Total time to write this? 3 hours.... most of the time was researching to be honest.

So what do you guys think? Of course I would love some constructive feedback or suggestions on this.
 

bo_woods

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I like it!! sounds like the Lumia i've been waiting for, but when you talk about the metal frame i think you mean the the lumia 925 and 830, not the 928 and 830 as the 928 does not have a metal frame..The 928 has a completely polycarbonate casing. The only Lumias with metal frames are the 925 being the first,the 930/icon coming out second,and lastly the 830
 

a5cent

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You're making promises on behalf of 64bit computing, that 64bit computing can't keep. You are expecting hardware (or more specifically, one single aspect of CPU technology) to solve software related problems, when all that can do, at best, is cover those problems up (make them less noticeable).

Explain to me WHY you think a 64bit CPU will make resuming delays a thing of the past, and I'll tell you why you're mistaken. Note that you'd also have to explain why Android doesn't suffer from the resuming delay, despite running on 32bit hardware. Is WP the only OS that can't launch/resume apps quickly without?

The docking station is the only exciting thing on that list. WP needs many more features like that. Instead of emphasizing the tired and trodden "bigger specs", (where WP will never outmatch Android, since all OEMs have access to the same components) WP must emphasize what the hardware lets you do, and at least some of those things need to be very compelling and unique. In terms of WP's market position, matching Android's specs is just like treading water. It prevents you from drowning, but it doesn't get you back on the boat.
 
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ShinraCorp

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The resuming and loading issue involves the application being in a "sleep" mode when it's not being used or when you launch it for the first time, usually it's not to store to much into memory, but with the huge quantity of memory available (if it goes 3 GB or higher) there's not much of a point in putting the application in sleep mode since the session can be saved in memory if you go to another application or the home screen, also it depends if the developer supports it (we'll see how Windows 10 API and libraries will look it). As far as I know, Android doesn't necessarily place the applications in "sleep" mode when going away, it's stored into memory until it is needed again. Which is why you see mid to high tier Android devices running at around 2 GB of RAM. Now I never looked at the Android API so take my example as a grain of salt, I've done JAVA before but not for Android.

But yeah I'm glad you love the docking station idea, it would be fantastic if that were to happen.
 

a5cent

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but with the huge quantity of memory available (if it goes 3 GB or higher) there's not much of a point in putting the application in sleep mode.

True. Just note that the improvement you mentioned is a result of increased RAM capacity, and that those 3GB of RAM are addressable even on a 32bit CPU. Beyond 4GB you could obviously argue that 64bit'edness indirectly contributes, but even then the crucial role would be played by the increase in RAM capacity.
In either case, I don't think it's fair to say that the 64bit'edness of the CPU is the important factor. In the later it's an enabler, and in the former (the 3GB scenario we're talking about here) it's irrelevant.
Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against a 3GB WP device, nor am I against WP supporting the shiny new ARMv8 CPUs. Both are good and necessary and will bring nice improvements, but primarily for reasons unrelated to bit'edness of the CPU.
 

ShinraCorp

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Well I'm not expecting day 1 benefits from a WP with ARMv8 either (besides OS performances) it'll take a while before apps support the 64-bit side of it. Hopefully the W10 preview for ARM will allow devs to develop before the official release (and carrier approval of course)
 

tgp

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As far as I know, Android doesn't necessarily place the applications in "sleep" mode when going away, it's stored into memory until it is needed again. Which is why you see mid to high tier Android devices running at around 2 GB of RAM. Now I never looked at the Android API so take my example as a grain of salt, I've done JAVA before but not for Android.

I'm not a developer, but from what I understand Android operates from the premise that unused RAM is wasted RAM. That's why the RAM on an Android device is usually nearly fully used. It keeps apps stored in RAM, as you said, until they're used again, unless they need to be removed from RAM to make room for other apps. We're used to looking at RAM usage on Windows where it's only partially used.
 

a5cent

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^ Same applies to WP.

Well I'm not expecting day 1 benefits from a WP with ARMv8 either (besides OS performances) it'll take a while before apps support the 64-bit side of it. Hopefully the W10 preview for ARM will allow devs to develop before the official release (and carrier approval of course)

No. Most of the apps in the store are already 64bit apps. Or more precisely, they are neither 32bit or 64bit apps. They automatically take on the bit'edness of the system they run on. Developer involvement is not required. Java apps on Android work in the same way. Only native apps require porting efforts to leverage 64bit technology (on WP and Android these are mostly games).
 
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rhapdog

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In terms of speaking of a Docking Station, I had actually thought of that myself.

Of course, the OS would need to support whatever you want to hook to that docking station, such as things you have mentioned such as USB and HDMI. Minimally you would want to be able to hook up a keyboard, mouse or touchpad, touchscreen HDMI monitor, and a nice, fast, external USB 3.0 SSD, and perhaps a LAN cable for the work network on your job, should you decide to use it that way.

What I would really like to see here, though, is fully functional Windows 10 that can go from Phone Mode to Tablet Mode to Desktop Mode, depending on how it is docked. Having the desktop and being able to run desktop apps from an external SSD would be quite nice. All your computing needs in just one device. That means we'll need better processors than what will be out in 2015, but the phone you talked up would be a step in the right direction to prepare users for the day that it does finally come. We'd need a good x64 processor from Intel to run the full computing environment, all in a package that will fit in a 5" phone without overheating. Tall order, but I'm not saying it should be done by next year. just saying, eventual natural progression of things.

This would blur the lines to obscurity between computers and phones, and is a day I would look forward to.
 

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