Windows 10 Free Upgrade: Simple Steps To Update Your PC With Microsoft's New OS
Windows 10 Free Upgrade: Simple Steps To Update Your PC With Microsoft's New OSblogs.windows.com

It's been a little over 24 hours since Microsoft officially released the Windows 10 PC OS. Now, the company has announced the list of smartphones slated to get the new update.

"The following Lumia smartphones will receive a free upgrade when available: Lumia 430, Lumia 532, Lumia 535, Lumia 540, Lumia 640, Lumia 640 XL, Lumia 735, Lumia 830 and Lumia 930," said the company.

The message created ambiguity among Lumia phone owners, with many thinking that these 10 smartphones will be the only eligible devices to get the new Windows 10, while other models may have to stay put with Windows 8.1 (& 8.0 series) OS.

Responding to the confusion, Microsoft clarified that it will indeed release the Windows 10 to all the Windows 8.0-based phones later in the year. The aforementioned list of devices is just the part of the first wave of the Windows 10 rollout process.

Also read: Microsoft Releases Windows 10 OS Update; How to Download Software on PC via Windows Update Tool

"This is an initial list of in-market devices to receive the Windows 10 update. It is our ambition to bring Windows 10 to all Lumia devices running Lumia Denim software, noting that some features will vary, based on the hardware specifications," Neowin quoted Microsoft's official spokesperson as saying.

Also read: Microsoft to Skip IFA 2015, Host Lumia 950, 950 XL Launch Event in NYC

We would like to point out that Microsoft had released Windows 10 Technical Preview to 35 Lumia series and one HTC One M8 (with Windows) in May [More details, HERE]. So, we can be rest assured that Microsoft will roll out the new firmware sooner or later. But some of the features may vary due to the limitation of the hardware in select phones, especially the ones with less than 1GB RAM.

Key features of Windows 10 for mobiles:

  • Full-size Background Image for Start: New option to customize wallpapers; the start screen will now have a full-fledged background image
  • More Quick Actions in Action Center: Microsoft has increased quick-action option counts in the new OS. Windows Phone 8.1 has four programmable quick actions, but with Windows 10, you also get an expanded view that can now have up to three rows
  • Interactive Notifications: Notifications are now interactive, allowing you to take action directly like dismissing an alarm, or viewing images for maps. For example, for text messages, when the toast pops, you can quickly reply inline via text or voice
  • Significantly enhanced speech-to-text capability: You can talk to virtually any data field you choose. Your words show up as you speak them and punctuation appears automatically. This feature is smart enough to understand when to use 'two' – the number — instead of 'too' as in 'also'
  • More powerful Photos app: From your very first launch, Photos will show the aggregated set of all your local photos and all your OneDrive photos.