Last month, Coship publicly voiced concerns about the future of Windows 10 Mobile, citing Microsoft"s retreat from the mobile hardware market, and the shrinking global market share of the smartphone OS, which fell to just 0.6% this summer, according to data from Gartner.
Coship offers several devices under its own "Moly" brand, but it also builds Windows handsets for several other companies around the world, such as Freetel, Funker and Yamada Denki. But the company said in October that it was uncertain if it should continue investing in Windows phone development, adding that it would gauge the level of interest for its next device by crowdfunding its launch.
It"s now launched the crowdfunding campaign for its next handset on Indiegogo - but the "new" device is actually rather familiar. Coship calls it the "new Moly X1", but it"s really just a light refresh of the existing X1 that it launched earlier this year, and which it originally revealed in early 2015.
According to the Indiegogo page, the new model will support more 4G bands for users in the US, Europe and Australia, along with other "improved functionality". In a post from October on its Facebook page, the company also said that the device will come with "a new build of Windows 10", which means it will likely come with the Anniversary Update pre-installed. The current X1 launched with the original Windows 10 Mobile release - known as Version 1511, with build numbers in the 10586.xxx range - but three months after the Anniversary Update began rolling out, the device still hasn"t received that update.
Perhaps the most important change for the new X1 will be its price. The first-gen model launched at $299.99 in the US, but the refreshed version is being offered for as little as $179 for the earliest backers of the crowdfunding campaign. The campaign has a goal of $100,000, and with 19 days left, it had reached 2% ($1,739) of that target at time of writing, with 14 backers worldwide. Deliveries of the new model will begin from next month.
The new Moly X1"s key specs remain unchanged from the original model, including:
- 5.5-inch display with HD (1280x720px) resolution
- Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoC (MSM8916)
- 2GB RAM
- 16GB onboard storage (plus microSD card support up to 128GB)
- 13MP rear camera with auto-focus and LED flash
- 5MP front-facing camera
- Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
- Non-removable 2600mAh battery
- 154.8 x 78.6 x 6.9mm; 139g
- Comes with USB charger, USB cable, SIM card tool, cleaning cloth and screen protector
Notably, the Moly X1 is also one of the few Windows phones to include dust- and water-resistance - quite an appealing feature given its low price. However, it"s also worth pointing out that the handset"s modest specs mean that it doesn"t support Windows 10 Mobile"s PC-style Continuum mode.