Back in April, we reported that Microsoft had added a couple new chipsets to the Windows 10 Mobile minimum hardware requirements. The two in question were MSM8953 and MSM8998. As it turns out, those two have been removed, and it would appear that it might be for different reasons.
MSM8953 is the Snapdragon 625 and it was removed in late July. Microsoft could have removed it from the list for any reason, but it's probably just that the company didn't think it would fit its needs and that the Snapdragon 617 is enough.
What's more interesting is the removal of MSM8998, which isn't exactly a real product as of yet. All rumors point to it being Qualcomm's next-generation flagship chipset, the Snapdragon 830. Obviously, the company hasn't announced it yet. After all, it only announced details of the Snapdragon 821 today.
But while Microsoft notes the date that the Snapdragon 625 was removed, the 830 isn't even mentioned, perhaps because it wasn't supposed to be on the list at all. Confirming support for a chipset that hasn't been announced yet would also confirm the existence of said chipset.
But speaking of the Snapdragon 821, that's also not on the list, which now consists of Snapdragon 208, 210, 617, 808, 810, and 820. One must wonder where the next-generation chipsets have gone, as it would have been reasonable to assume that Microsoft would add, rather than subtract from the list.
The hardware requirements are for Windows 10 version 1607, which is the Anniversary Update. It's likely that they won't change until the next major update to Windows - Redstone 2 - arrives in the spring of next year.
Don't despair just yet though. Rumors are that Redstone 2 will have a renewed focus on mobile. You shouldn't expect to hear anything concrete about the Snapdragon 830 until next year, so don't worry that it's not supported just yet.
We've reached out to Microsoft to find out why the chipsets have been removed from the minimum hardware requirements. We'll keep you updated if we hear anything.
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