Windows 10 flagship phone on the way, says Microsoft

Lumia 640 event
Microsoft's Stephen Elop on stage at MWC.

If you've been watching the Microsoft news coming out of MWC 2015 then you'll know that the Redmond firm has been showing off two decent but very mid-range handsets to the crowds. So where's the flagship device?

On the way, that's where. The company has confirmed that several high-end Microsoft phones are in the pipeline, though it wants to make sure Windows 10 is set to go before revealing them.

We've waited a long time for a new top-end, high-spec, Windows-powered phone but it makes sense that Microsoft wants to bring it into the light of day at the same time as its next major software update.

Upgrades for all

Executive Vice President of Microsoft Devices Stephen Elop said Windows 10 phones would be coming "later this year" and also confirmed that any handset rocking Windows Phone 8.1 would get a free upgrade, including the just announced Lumia 640 and 640 XL.

That's good news if you're using an existing phone, but be warned - Elop said that some features may not be available on older hardware (presumably in the same way Apple hobbles iOS on the less powerful iPhones).

Elop also spoke about providing solid Microsoft experiences on iOS and Android, and emphasised the ease with which Windows 10 can jump from one device to another. We're expecting to see Windows 10 sometime in the summer or the autumn.

David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.