Samsung's next Windows Phone might be outdated by the time it arrives

Samsung Ativ SE
The Samsung Ativ SE is said to resemble the Galaxy S4

Word is Samsung is planning to ship a new Windows Phone handset in April, but that it won't be packing Windows Phone 8.1 out of the box.

The major Windows Phone update is expected to arrive during the month, but Samsung's next Windows Phone could be stuck on Windows Phone 8, according to The Verge.

The site spoke with "sources" who said Samsung's new Windows Phone device, previously referred to as "Huron," will be called the Samsung Ativ SE, and that it will ship in April on Verizon.

But while it may not arrive with WP 8.1 already installed, the update will go out for the handset when it's ready; Microsoft has already confirmed that all Windows Phone 8 smartphones will eventually be updated to WP8.1.

Playing favorites

Samsung has focused its efforts on Android lately, with its extremely successful Galaxy S series in many ways becoming the flagship for Google's mobile OS.

The Korean company has for months been rumored to have a new Windows Phone in the pipeline, though most reports predicted it would launch with Windows Phone 8.1 this spring.

The Ativ SE is said to be similar in specs to the Galaxy S4, with a 5-inch 1080p display, a 13MP camera, and the same brushed "metal" texture on the back (visible in the image above).

In addition this report says it will sport a quad-core Snapdragon 800 chip, 16GB of storage, 2GB of memory and a microSD slot.

Expect to see much more of the Ativ SE in April.

Michael Rougeau

Michael Rougeau is a former freelance news writer for TechRadar. Studying at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Northeastern University, Michael has bylines at Kotaku, 1UP, G4, Complex Magazine, Digital Trends, GamesRadar, GameSpot, IFC, Animal New York, @Gamer, Inside the Magic, Comic Book Resources, Zap2It, TabTimes, GameZone, Cheat Code Central, Gameshark, Gameranx, The Industry, Debonair Mag, Kombo, and others.


Micheal also spent time as the Games Editor for Playboy.com, and was the managing editor at GameSpot before becoming an Animal Care Manager for Wags and Walks.