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Microsoft teases renewed HTC partnership – HTC One W8 coming soon?

Microsoft and HTC may soon collaborate on a Windows Phone device again. HTC is one of the few manufacturers that makes smartphones using Microsoft’s mobile OS, but for nearly a year, it has focused exclusively on building Android devices. Now, according to Microsoft, its partnership with HTC is better than ever. It looks like a new Windows Phone from HTC is on the way.

Nick Parker, the head of Microsoft’s OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturing) division told a crowd at Computex 2014 to expect new things from HTC and Microsoft in the coming months. When asked about the partnership, Parker couldn’t give any specifics, but he left little room for doubt that a new Windows Phone is coming.

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“I’d love to break some news here if I could,” said Parker. “But instead I’ll just say that Microsoft will continue to have a great relationship with HTC. New things are coming, so get excited.”

The Windows Phone in question could be the HTC W8, a mid-range device that leaked recently on Evleaks’ Twitter account. Evleaks says that the W8 will have BoomSound and Duo Cameras just like the HTC One M8, but that it will be running Windows Phone 8.1 instead of Android. Little else is known about this Windows Phone device, but it’s not expected to be a super high-end smartphone.

Microsoft also showed off a few low-end Windows-based smartphones from Prestigio, InFocus, Yezz, and others at Computex.

Malarie Gokey
Former Digital Trends Contributor
As DT's Mobile Editor, Malarie runs the Mobile and Wearables sections, which cover smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and…
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