Windows 10 Mobile may become 64bit after Redstone update

Microsoft seems to want to add 64bit support to Windows 10 Mobile with its next major Windows 10 update, codenamed Redstone. Currently, the mobile OS runs on 32bit, even on devices with a 64bit soc.

Smartphones such as the Lumia 950 and 950 XL feature a 64-bit soc from Qualcomm, but Windows 10 Mobile currently runs in 32-bit on all ARM devices. That is about to change, according to a vacancy that Microsoft has posted on its career site. The company is looking for a Senior Program Manager for its Windows and Devices Group, who will supervise the upgrade to 64bit of Windows 10 Mobile on ARM devices.

The job description states that Windows is being primed to run on 64bit on all devices that use the ARM instruction set. According to the vacancy, many problems still need to be overcome to make this successful. A suitable candidate will need to develop a plan for ARM64 support, in line with Redstone. Under that code name is the next major update of Windows 10 known. The Redstone wave of updates is expected to start by the end of 2016. In fact, it should be the first ‘successor’ to Windows 10 and it is therefore compared to the step from Windows 8 to 8.1.

Because Windows 10 Mobile currently runs on 32bit, a maximum of 3GB of RAM can be used. That’s also the amount of ram used in the Lumia 950 and 950 XL. Should Microsoft want to release Lumias with more memory, a 64bit version of the OS is required. With an update to 64bit, the OS may also be able to make better use of the optimizations of the 64bit socs in smartphones.