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Expect to See a Lot More Cyanogen OS As it’s now Part of Qualcomm Reference Design Program

Remember Qualcomm reference design program? We saw a few QRD based Windows smartphones in India, but saving a few from Xolo, others didn’t get much attention. This doesn’t mean QRD was a bad move. In fact, it helped Qualcomm increase its market share in China with more than 40 manufacturers adopting QRD program and releasing over 170 devices.

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Recommended: Qualcomm Reference Design VS Android One – The Future of Budget Smartphones in Indian Markets.

It won’t be wrong to say that QRD works similar to Android One program but for Windows OS. Imagine how much hard hitting it will be with Cyanogen OS? (world’s most popular Android ROM). Yes, Qualcomm will now offer reference design for Cyanogen OS phones with Snapdragon 200, 400 and 600 series SoCs.

This means manufacturers can now save some R&D money and launch a Cyanogen OS device powered by Qualcomm chipset in budget or mid range segment in just 60 days. Does this mean we will be seeing a lot more Cyanogen OS smartphones post MWC?


At least, not in India. In India Cyanogen Inc has exclusively partnered with YU Yureka, which means its unlikely that other players will be allowed to use it. But this could definitely help Cyanogen a lot in Chinese and other emerging markets.

After hearing reports of Qualcomm taking heavy losses, Qualcomm has made several radical announcements at MWC. The company announced is 64 bit Krait equivalent Kyro cores, introduces a new high end Snapdragon 820, which we will see in flagship phones at next MWC and exciting Zeroth computing experience.

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Deepak Singh

The Author spent a significant chunk of his formative years resisting technology. He now keeps an eye on where the world is heading to, and drives a passive pleasure from this indulgence. His passion to write, learn and improve drives him each day. When his day ends, he enjoys the pleasant languor and detoxifies with family. You can connect with him on and Twitter

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