Qualcomm reminds us that dual-core Windows Phone 8 is coming

Nokia Lumia 900 runs Windows Phone 7. It has a chip with only a single-core processor like other Windows phones.

(Credit: Nokia)

Windows phones will finally be able to support more than one processor when the next version of Microsoft's mobile operating system hits, Qualcomm suggested Wednesday at Computex.

With Android phones already making the jump to quad-core it seems to be almost a throwback to the dawn of smartphones that Windows Phone 7 devices are still single core.

Generally, dual-core devices perform better than those with only one processor core -- as Microsoft and Intel know well in the Windows laptop world -- so it would be logical for Redmond to finally offer support for more processors in the Windows Phone 8 OS.

At a Computex Qualcomm briefing that CNET Asia attended, Rob Chandhok, Qualcomm's SVP and president of Qualcomm Internet services, confirmed that its dual-core Snapdragon S4 chip has been certified for Windows Phone 8.

Oddly, he added that even if a phone supplier plops an S4 into a phone, that doesn't necessarily mean "both cores would be used".

Well, let's just hope Qualcomm is being coy. No matter how much Microsoft tries to justify the power-efficiency attributes and good-enough performance of single-core phones, dual-core will eventually be the baseline standard on Android as it already is for Apple.

And carriers these days are quick to highlight this in advertising.

(courtesy:cnet.com)