Talk about under the radar - Wileyfox, a British smartphone maker, announced an upcoming Windows smartphone last month and no one noticed! Admittedly, the time frames for production were vague and there are some worryingly inaccurate terms quoted, but Wileyfox now has a track record to protect, so don't dismiss this story too lightly.

From the news piece:

Wileyfox has confirmed it will launch a new B2B focused smartphone by August this year. The new device wasn’t unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as it is still in development with Global Certification Status (GCF) needed before ranging with networks, but will be sold exclusively through network partners.

The firm confirmed the UK will see the device first with other European territories to follow. Wileyfox currently operates in 15 countries including: France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands to name a few.

Wileyfox said last year it intends to range its portfolio with networks before the end of Q2 this year, and also confirmed it is not in talks with networks with own-brand devices.

The manufacturer initially launched all devices with the Cyanogen operating system since the release of the Storm and Swift at the end of 2015. It has since moved all new and current devices to stock Android, as Cyanogen will no longer receive new updates since December last year.

The B2B Wileyfox smartphone will instead run Windows Phone operating system, citing encrypted security as the main factor for this decision. It will also feature a large battery capacity.

'Windows Phone', eh? Not 'Windows 10' or 'Windows 10 Mobile'? Not a good start, but as the guy quoted below was in sales and not in engineering, we'll let this one slip.

Wileyfox vice-president of sales, Andy Lee, said: 

“Windows is much better for security that’s why it’s more suited for B2B. Android can be opened up. Increasingly people are screaming for costs to come down and want a good affordable device. If businesses are going to buy thousands of devices to kit out their work force, they need a good price point. That’s where we’re going to hit it out.

“Most firms can’t afford to spend £500 per device. But with us they can be assured quality and the right features. For example, courier companies can use it to scan products and save money which is of course what they want. That is the benefit of Windows and how it’s adaptable for B2B.”

The Wileyfox phones have been pretty decent in my own reviews (e.g. here) and tend to frequent the £100-£200 sector. With good design and build and now Windows 10 Mobile inside, this might work out very interesting. Only three or so months to wait and then we'll know for sure.