Apparently not content with its wide lead in the Android market or having its own Tizen OS backup plan, Samsung appears to be gearing up to launch a handset running yet another operating system.
SamMobile caught wind that the Korean firm plans to follow up its just-announced Ativ SE Windows Phone 8 device for Verizon with a second one a little further down the food chain.
Billed as the Samsung Ativ Core, the as-yet unannounced handset may be the manufacturer's first to run Windows Phone 8.1, which Microsoft made official during this week's Build.
The handset is reportedly far enough along the supply chain that it could land in stores around the same time as Nokia's latest Lumias.
Fair to middling
While Samsung's Ativ SE offers Verizon customers a pretty sweet assortment of Windows Phone 8-enabled technology, the Ativ Core appears to feature far less.
The report details a 4.5-inch display with a 720p resolution, 1GB of RAM and 2,100mAh battery, although there's no firm details on what kind of processing power is behind Ativ Core.
Ativ Core's camera may hold more promise, with tipsters offering contradicting claims of either 8MP or 13MP resolution, though it will probably wind up on the lower end of the snapper spectrum.
No word on carriers, pricing or other launch details have turned up yet, but we expect it to launch before long.
- Don't forget to check out our review of the new Samsung Galaxy S5!
