Berlin (dpa) – Microsoft’s new smartphone operating system Windows Phone 8 runs without problem on most phones, according to a recent test.
However, different phones might can take longer to start apps, with less powerful models taking a few seconds longer, reports German computer magazine c’t after testing nine smartphones running the new system.
Since the operating system doesn’t change between models, differences mostly crop up in factors like display, storage space and battery life. Shoppers who opt for models costing 200 euros (264 dollars) or less need to be prepared to make some allowances.
Note that most smartphone’s internal memory can be expanded with SD cards, though those can only hold music, videos and photos. Apps and other data have to stay on the phone’s internal memory with Windows Phone 8. But that memory can sometimes only be 1.6 gigabytes.
As for battery life, most models can last a whole day, but there were some that gave out after seven hours.
Displays were also a problem at times, since the cheaper models sometimes had screens that were too dark or too small for typing. In addition, Windows Phone 8 only offers three brightness levels.
