A quick search for the term “dual boot” will turn up dozens of articles about how Intel, Asus, Samsung, and many other companies have at least explored the concept of dual-booting Windows and Android, or even Windows Phone and Android, only to eventually end up canceling these projects.

With a number of companies and, potentially, consumers interested in the idea of dual booting, why do these projects never seem to work out?

For one thing, Google reportedly doesn't approve of the idea and, considering the pull it has over OEM's. Microsoft is also said to have reservations about the concept, even if to a lesser extent. That’s not stopping Chinese company Elephone from jumping into the ring with a dual-booting phone, however. After all, Elephone doesn’t have the same Google-restricted relationship that OEMs like Samsung and Asus are in, leaving Elephone free to do just about whatever it wants.


Elephone's upcoming (currently unnamed) handset will ship in two versions, one with only Android 5.0 Lollipop, and the other with Windows 10 and Android 5.0 Lollipop running in dual-boot. The former will arrive sometime in May, with the dual-boot option arriving in June.

The Elephone handset is expected to offer a 5.5-inch display with a 2560 x 1440 resolution. The Android only version will offer a 64-bit MediaTek MTK6795, while the dual-boot variant will be powered by an Intel Atom chip. Cameras will also differ, with the Android-only model featuring a 21MP IMX 230, with the dual-boot version offering a 20.7-megapixel Sony IMX 230 camera. Regardless of whether you’re getting the dual-booting model or the Android version, you’ll get a massive 4GB RAM, a fingerprint scanner, and a battery that’s “more than 3,800mAh”. Not bad specs at all.


It’s unclear exactly how much the Elephone dual-booter will cost, but we imagine it will be pretty affordable, despite the high-end specs. Of course, we also wouldn’t expect it to be widely available outside of China.

That said, if you really are intrigued by the idea of dual-booting, getting your hands on one through an import site probably won’t be terribly difficult. As for those unfamiliar with Elephone, it typically doesn’t produce the most impressive devices on the market.

What do you think, would you pick up such a device, if the price were right?

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