Microsoft is preparing for the Windows 10 Anniversary Update for Windows 10 Mobile devices, and it has just updated its minimum specs requirements.
Manufacturers planning to run Windows 10 Mobile on a phone can do so now on a maximum screen size of 9 inches. Raising the top screen size is a welcome opening from Microsoft, which previously limited the screen size for its Mobile OS to 8 inches.
A notable detail is that Microsoft encourages OEMs to land Windows 10 on laptops, tablets and PCs that are ultra-portable. Specifically, the minimum size of such devices must be 7 inches, down from 8. This could open up a series of opportunities for pocket-sized PCs.
But wait, there is more.
Mobile photography enthusiasts will be happy to know that the company now asks manufacturers to embed auto-flash on gadgets that support Windows 10 Mobile. Those who are puzzled by this information should know that not all phones carrying Windows OS had the feature. For example, the entry-level smartphone Nokia Lumia 520 (working on Windows Phone 8.1) had no flash in its default build.
Microsoft stayed true to some of the older system requirements for Windows 10 Mobile, such as the minimum of 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of default storage space.
For devices that run Windows 10 desktop version, the minimum RAM was increased from 1 GB to 2 GB.
"SoCs with integrated modems supported in devices that run Windows 10 Mobile," Microsoft says.
This means that integrated chipsets such as Snapdragon 208, Snapdragon 210, Snapdragon 617, Snapdragon 625, Snapdragon 808, Snapdragon 810 and Snapdragon 820 will play nice with the Mobile OS.
It is hard to imagine where a 9-inch Windows 10 Mobile gadget will be useful outside of a kiosk, but having pocket-sized PCs could be the next best thing in productivity and mobility.
Microsoft did not say when the launch of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update will be, but there is a high chance we are not so far from it. Windows 10 rolled out on July 29, 2015, so the company might sync the update release with the same date.
The Windows 10 Anniversary Update includes Windows Hello Expansion, Windows Ink and an enhanced version of Cortana. Check out details about each of them in our coverage.
