Samsung interested in making Windows Phone 8.1 OS based handsets

Samsung has shown some interest in making more Windows phone handsets running on Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8.1 platform. The last Windows phone manufactured by the company was the Samsung Ativ SE , which had released early 2014.

Korea Times  reported that Samsung has been running pilot programs on the stability of Windows Phone 8.1 software on devices. The company plans to stick to manufacturing budget phones for this market segment interested in Windows Phone OS based phones.

This deal can only move  forward if Samsung resolves their legal spat with Microsoft. According to the report, it is believed that this could be achieved as soon as the third quarter of 2015.

The report states that Samsung’s handsets with the Tizen platform, which is being developed by Samsung and Intel has not drawn a strong support from content developers. The plan for the Windows phone will depend on ongoing royalties disputes.

Earlier reports suggest that Microsoft had sued Samsung over unpaid Android patent licensing royalties. The South Korean smartphone maker refused to make a royalty payment on patent licenses after Microsoft announced its intention to acquire Nokia’s handset business.

Microsoft is trying to compete in the mobile market with products that run on Android. As part of that landscape, Microsoft has tried to raise the costs for Android handset makers by convincing them to pay Microsoft patent royalties.