Minimum hardware requirements for Windows Phone 8 revealed

Engadget in their review of Windows Phone 8 also appeared to have been briefed as to what exactly the Chassis requirements for a Windows Phone 8 handset will be.

The list reveals that a dual-core processor is in fact a fixed requirement, and that for HD screens a minimum of 1 GB of RAM is necessary, and 512 MB for WVGA phones.

The full list reads as below:

• Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor
• Minimum 512MB RAM for WVGA phones; minimum 1GB RAM for 720p / WXGA
• Minimum 4GB flash memory
• GPS and A-GNSS; GLONASS is supported if OEMs decide to include it
• Support for micro-USB 2.0
• 3.5mm stereo headphone jack with three-button detection support
• Rear-facing AF camera with LED or Xenon flash, optional front-facing camera (both need to be VGA or better) and dedicated camera button
• Accelerometer, proximity and ambient light sensors, as well as vibration motor (magnetometer and gyroscope are optional)
• 802.11b/g and Bluetooth (802.11n is optional)
• DirectX graphics hardware support with hardware acceleration for Direct3D using programmable GPU
• Multi-touch capacitive touch screen with minimum of four simultaneous points

Of note is that unlike the Windows Phone 7 chassis requirement, there is no requirement for a magnetometer/digital compass, and no minimum or maximum screen size size specified.

LiveSide notes that some Microsoft documentation suggests that for a fully functional Windows Phone 8 handset 1 GB is in fact the absolute minimum, with the official Windows Phone 8 “How-to” website  noting:

Memory (RAM). Some apps and features won’t work on phones with less than 1 GB of RAM. To see how much memory your phone has, check the manufacturer’s website or your phone’s documentation.

The only Windows Phone 8 handset which does not have 1 GB RAM is the HTC 8S, something to bear in mind when making a buying decision, as limitations may pop up later.

Do our readers think these requirements are flexible enough to address the full range of the market on both the low and high end? Let us know below.