Why doesn't Samsung make Windows Phones?

[RumoredNow]

(just like the Alacatel Idol 4S is recycled hardware that ran Android first)

It is and it isn't. It's a hardware refresh of an odd sort.

SD 820 (Windows) vs SD 652 (Android)
Adreno 530 (Windows) vs Adreno 510 (Android)
4GB RAM (Windows) vs 3GB (Android)
64GB storage (Windows) vs 32GB (Android)
1080p display (Windows) vs 1440p (Android)
21MP main camera (Windows) vs 16MP (Android)
4k vid capture (Windows) vs 2K (Android)
USB Type-C (Windows) vs microUSB (Android)
No NFC (Windows) vs NFC Yes (Android)

Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows vs Alcatel Idol 4s - Phone specs comparison


They worked it over pretty good. It's not a 1:1 like One (M8).

 

[anthonyng]

But still, I'm sure they can slap windows 10 on galaxy edge as is and people would buy it

This here baffles me TIZEN | EN Sure you get apps but no maintenance!

Why put that energy into a new OS. If you're worried about Google, start putting Windows on your hardware, can't be that much to lose and the structure is there anyways for people to code a certain way for all their platforms.

Maybe they are waiting and seeing how alcatel does... Well would be a no brainer if the alcatel & x3 sell well.

 

[fatclue_98]

As much as I loved my Ativ SE on W10M and Focus S from the WP7 days, I'd prefer Samsung stay away from Windows until they can find a way to keep their phones and washers from exploding. Now is not the time for bad press, we get enough from the bloggers as it is.

 

[Greywolf1967]

As much as I loved my Ativ SE on W10M and Focus S from the WP7 days, I'd prefer Samsung stay away from Windows until they can find a way to keep their phones and washers from exploding. Now is not the time for bad press, we get enough from the bloggers as it is.

If Samsung could put out a Note with Windows 10 for Mobile ( that does not catch fire), or a Galaxy, it could go a long way to building up trust among the Droid users who were burned ( sorry for that pun), forced to return their Note. Just a small sample of people in the news who had to return a phone said they would not get a Note 8.
So in one move Samsung could nail 2 birds with one stone, if they can regain control of the battery issue.

I am more them sure they have an eye on Alcatel and HP sales numbers....so even if they are too late for the holiday sales rush this year a quarter 2 intro (2017) is not a huge thing to do........demo models could be in the work as WC did have a story of a dual boot Sammy Galaxy.

 

[darius_robin]

Android currently has more features and apps and people prefer it above WP. Samsung earns more money through it.

 

[RumoredNow]

Android currently has more features and apps and people prefer it above WP. Samsung earns more money through it.

But even Uncle Sammy had to fight and scratch and claw their way into profitability with Android and much of that was literally exploded out of their accounts this year. Most reporting shows little to no profit for Android handsets and the manufacturers look for profit from accessories and services.

On the Windows Phone side, most manufacturers do not have the lowered cost per unit that Samsung can leverage by being at the top of the supply chain and the savings that buying parts in the volume that they purchase can command. Add in the reduced cost of the components they build in-house (without mark up) and at the same price point they can likely make more profit per device than any other OEM on this platform.

 

[darius_robin]

But even Uncle Sammy had to fight and scratch and claw their way into profitability with Android and much of that was literally exploded out of their accounts this year. Most reporting shows little to no profit for Android handsets and the manufacturers look for profit from accessories and services.

On the Windows Phone side, most manufacturers do not have the lowered cost per unit that Samsung can leverage by being at the top of the supply chain and the savings that buying parts in the volume that they purchase can command. Add in the reduced cost of the components they build in-house (without mark up) and at the same price point they can likely make more profit per device than any other OEM on this platform.

Most people prefer it over WP. But I think Samsung should experiment and keep atleast 1-2 Windows in their lineup.

 

[tgp]

Most reporting shows little to no profit for Android handsets and the manufacturers look for profit from accessories and services.

That's accounting P&L, which is not necessarily the same as real life numbers. If all companies except Samsung were consistently losing money on Android phones, then all companies except Samsung would stop producing them.

On the Windows Phone side, most manufacturers do not have the lowered cost per unit that Samsung can leverage by being at the top of the supply chain and the savings that buying parts in the volume that they purchase can command.

Why would Samsung use an OS that does not sell? They need to move devices, not promote an operating system.

 

[RumoredNow]

That's accounting P&L, which is not necessarily the same as real life numbers. If all companies except Samsung were consistently losing money on Android phones, then all companies except Samsung would stop producing them.

Right. The OEMs do make money, just not on the handsets per se. If Samsung can make a little profit on the hardware above what others can achieve that's another enticement to entry.

Why would Samsung use an OS that does not sell? They need to move devices, not promote an operating system.

Samsung has a rich history of alt OS maneuvers, most of them home grown or as part of a consortium. W10M is premade as a base saving R&D costs by limiting them to firmware. Cost to an OEM for W10M on a screen of 7" or less is free. Between the exploding Note 7 batteries and the exploding washing machines they need to make some highly cost effective moves to push their brand forward again in a positive light. It seems to be clear Tizen has failed to capture enough interest. Should they reinvent the wheel yet again?

 

[tgp]

Samsung has a rich history of alt OS maneuvers, most of them home grown or as part of a consortium. W10M is premade as a base saving R&D costs by limiting them to firmware. Cost to an OEM for W10M on a screen of 7" or less is free. Between the exploding Note 7 batteries and the exploding washing machines they need to make some highly cost effective moves to push their brand forward again in a positive light. It seems to be clear Tizen has failed to capture enough interest. Should they reinvent the wheel yet again?

Samsung is doing fine with Android. The exploding Note 7's had nothing to do with the OS. If they would have been running W10M they would have still exploded. And, I've read that many users burned by the Note 7 fiasco are eagerly waiting for the Note 8.

The long and short of it is that nobody wants a phone with WM on it. So what is your reasoning on why Samsung make it? "Look, the Lumia phones released with W10M took a year to become usable, and major apps are dropping like a rock. Sales are dropping like a rock. Looks like a gold mine!"

Their Android phones are selling just fine. Android is a well established, mature platform with a vibrant ecosystem. W10M doesn't check the box on a single one of these three points.

Don't worry; if Samsung thought they could make a dollar producing W10M handsets, they would do it. Why wouldn't they? The views by WM fans in this thread look like an attempt to rationalize wishful thinking. :eck:

 

[RumoredNow]

O... K...

Yes the battery had nothing to do with the OS. But the PR problems attach to Samsung independent of the OS as well.

Samsung has publicly stated they don't want all their mobile eggs in the Android basket.

They have produced Windows Phone in the past, left off after the dispute with Microsoft over unpaid licensing owed Microsoft on every Android sold due to patents held by Microsoft. That got patched up and, low and behold, they made a tablet running Windows 10.

Samsung recently patented a concept to run Android and Windows on a split screen.

I'm stepping back and looking at the bigger picture.

I'm not sure what part of thoughtfully observing history and current events is "wishful thinking."

Maintaining the status quo is what businesses do to create a slow decline into irrelevance. Adapting strategies and concepts that allow flexibility and brand growth are what they do to stay vital and drive into the future. Samsung strikes me as a company that strives for the latter.

I'm not saying they will go all in with W10M. I'm not saying they will reap huge rewards. I do believe that if they reenter the space they have the means to make it worth their while and the brand recognition that consumers will gravitate toward.