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Windows Phone may be essentially dead, but that doesn’t mean that Microsoft Corp. is not interested in selling phones. The tech giant is returning to the market with its own version of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.’s Galaxy 8.
Unimaginatively dubbed the Samsung Galaxy S8 Microsoft Edition and Samsung Galaxy S8+ Microsoft Edition, the phones are currently available on pre-order from Microsoft retail outlets and will go on sale April 21. They have Microsoft apps on the home screen and include more Microsoft apps than a standard Galaxy S8, including apps for Microsoft-owned services such as LinkedIn and Wunderlist.
Microsoft said in a statement that the devices will be unboxed and connected to Wi-Fi in each store to be customized for the customer to ensure a “best-in-class productivity experience with Microsoft applications” such as Office, OneDrive, Cortana and Outlook.
Samsung and Microsoft have had an interesting relationship over the years. Microsoft sued the Korean phone maker over patent licensing despite Samsung itself being one of the largest makers of Windows Phone devices at the time. That dispute was settled in 2015 under confidential terms, but Samsung bundled Microsoft apps onto its phones starting with the Galaxy S6 the same year.
For Microsoft, selling its own version of the Galaxy S8, albeit one whose hardware is identical to a standard Galaxy S8, is a no-brainer. Although it’s unlikely millions will be flocking to Microsoft stores to buy one, Microsoft can at least now offer appealing phones that work with the Microsoft ecosystem from its own stores.
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