Microsoft has its own mobile platform in Windows 10 Mobile, but that isn’t stopping the company from selling a new Android phone in its stores.
Microsoft is taking pre-orders for a Galaxy S8 Microsoft Edition in its stores. Both it and the Galaxy S8+ Microsoft Edition are similar to the standard GS8 and GS8+ in terms of specs, but what makes these phones different is that they’ll include a bevy of Microsoft apps.
When you buy the Galaxy S8 Microsoft Edition and connect it to Wi-Fi, the device will download Microsoft apps like Office, One Note, Bing, OneDrive, Outlook, and even Cortana, Microsoft’s own digital assistant. Microsoft says that these Microsoft Edition phones also offer “additional accessibility to other Microsoft owned applications such as LinkedIn, Wunderlist, and more.”
The Microsoft Editions of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are now available for pre-order in Microsoft’s retail stores. The phones will launch on April 21, just like the regular Galaxy S8 and S8+.
It’s kind of strange to learn that Microsoft is selling Android phones in its stores when it has a mobile OS of its very own. The move kind of makes some sense, though. Microsoft has been heavily pushing its services with Android apps lately, and the Galaxy S8 already comes with a couple of Microsoft apps, like Office. Now Microsoft can capitalize on the hype surrounding the Galaxy S8 by selling a version in its stores that’ll come with a ton of Microsoft apps, which will then expose the buyers to those apps and services.
