Continuum for Windows 10 Phones will Require New Hardware for Dual Screen Support

Continuum was one of the biggest announcements for Build 2015. Ability to turn an existing Windows Phone to a Desktop took a lot by surprise and impressed many more. However, we all missed one point when it was being announced. When a device needs to render its display at two places,  TV and Phone in this case, it means you need the right hardware for it.

When Windows 10 was announced, it was clearly mentioned that some of the features will work only in few phones, and some might just work on new generation of device. Continuum is one of those features. When  Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore showcased this feature, he made it clear hat new phone hardware is needed.   These are new capabilities in the Qualcomm processors that can drive two screens separately in new phone devices.

This was further clarified by Gameriel Aul, on twitter.

@misangenius @HalbeisenT No, it will require new hardware for Continuum for phones

— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) May 2, 2015

That said, Should you be buying a phone right away? or wait for devices that can support all 10 features ? Honestly, it depends when you need a phone and how often you can change, but if you are looking for next generation of phone, I would suggest you to re-think and decide if you can survive for next 6 months.

Since this is totally dependent on hardware, dont get your hopes high that someday Microsoft will make it available on all devices.