HTC ditches large-screen Windows Phone plans: report

HTC has scrapped plans to develop and manufacture a Windows Phone with a large screen due to resolution issues.

According to Bloomberg, the planned Windows Phone would have a lower resolution than other models available on the market, and so would not necessarily be a competitive force against smartphone makers including Apple and Samsung.

The Taiwanese firm has therefore ditched the idea, citing the reason that Windows software does not support resolutions that are as high as Google's Android operating system, according to "a person familiar with the project."

Whereas Windows software supported a screen resolution of 720 horizontal lines, the Android OS is able to support 1,080 lines on smartphones and tablets.

The reports of HTC CEO Peter Chou's decision to cut the project short means that the Taiwanese handset maker is left with only Android-enabled smartphones that measure over 5-inches diagonally, and if Microsoft has lost a model which held the appeal of an extra-large screen, it may result in a further blow to the Redmond firm's aim to gain more of the smartphone marketshare.

The large-screen Windows Phone was due to be launched next year. However, smaller HTC models using the Windows operating system have recieved strong reviews, and so other features may be enough to sway smartphone users to giving Microsoft and HTC's offerings a go.