Hands on: Windows 10 Mobile review

OUR EARLY VERDICT

Windows Phone 10 is a big step for Microsoft's usually overlooked operating system but I don't feel it'll be the step to make it the major player it wants to be.

FOR

• Fantastic new design
• Intuitive new settings menu
• Smart Universal app collaboration

AGAINST

• Project Spartan still missing
• New features require other Microsoft products
• Can't connect to Cortana

Microsoft unveiled a new version of its operating system last year breaking the mould and skipping ahead right to the number 10.

Windows 10's main aim was to connect its ecosystem of devices using the same apps across desktop, tablet, smartphones and even its own Xbox One.

All Microsoft devices from here on out are likely to run with a certain version of Windows Phone 10 installed, even the mega exciting Microsoft HoloLens reportedly runs in conjunction with the OS.

Windows 10 was made available at a press event before allowing our friends over at TechRadar Pro to have a go on it, but that was mostly with the desktop version of the system. This is primarily for the mobile version, yet there is a little crossover as both platforms are so closely interconnected.

Microsoft shared some more details of the platform at MWC 2015 by revealing any device currently running Windows Phone 8.1 will be upgradeable to Windows Phone 10 by the end of the year.

We managed to get a bit of hands-on time with the developer version of Windows Phone 10 at MWC.

The biggest change I found in Windows Phone 10 is the look of the OS. Each page has a translucent background meaning if you place an image as your background it'll follow you through whilst not being too distracting from the content in front.

It does add a different flavour to the design and makes it all look that little bit nicer than the boring solid colour backgrounds within WP 8.1.

The Settings menu has had some touch up changes organising it in a way you'd expect to see on desktop. Quick settings have also expanded this time around adding in a few more useful options that can be accessed within a couple of taps.

A swipe right will still get you to the list of all installed apps, but now at the top is a new section called the 'Download Tank'.

This is where all the recently installed apps will sit to make sure it's easy to access the newest software additions to your phone. It's a novel idea but I can't help but feel this section of the menu could have been better used as a selection of favourite apps.

I would prefer this space to be used for apps that I don't want to install as live tiles on the home screen but I also find easy to access, especially if they're toward the end of the alphabet and it takes what feels like forever to scroll down and find them.

Microsoft's main push with Windows 10 is the collaboration aspect meaning all Windows devices can interconnect. Universal apps means all the applications will look the same and sync across mobile and desktop devices instantly.

We managed to play around with one connected and the action center, what Microsoft calls notifications, was updated in real time. I think it's great news as it can be properly frustrating to check a notification on your phone but it doesn't notify your tablet that you've already seen it and you have to dismiss it twice.

Using the cloud you can even begin typing out a new document before picking up where you left on another device seamlessly.

When doing the hands-on though the Microsoft representative made it clear it's not certain whether Windows Phone 10 will be updated at the same time as desktops. I hope it will as the whole point of the system is collaboration between the two but there may be a bit of a delay to get it on mobile devices.

Then there's Project Spartan. Microsoft's new internet client is being kept a bit of a secret and on the few different Windows devices we used it wasn't present.

Cortana has also undergone some more upgrades to ensure it acts as the personal assistant Microsoft wants it to be.

Sadly as our experiment with the handset took place in Spain, a territory currently not receiving access to Cortana's voice control, it wasn't set up properly meaning we couldn't try out any of the new features or voice recognition software.

Windows 10 will be launching in the UK, USA and China later this year, there is still no news on when it'll arrive in Australia.

Early verdict

A brief amount of time with the Windows Phone 10 platform shows some real promise and everything is taking a step in the right direction for the OS that always feels like it's playing catch up. Windows Phone is looking the best it has ever done and it offers more functionality than ever before.

The main focus of the new upgrade is to connect it with our Microsoft products and if you haven't got one it won't feel like the substantial update the mobile platform deserves.

For those who do have Windows 10 devices it will offer a lot more collaboration functionality meaning it'll strengthen itself as a mobile operating system but I don't think it'll ever compare to the big guns of iOS or Android.

WHAT IS A HANDS ON REVIEW?

'Hands on reviews' are a journalist's first impressions of a piece of kit based on spending some time with it. It may be just a few moments, or a few hours. The important thing is we have been able to play with it ourselves and can give you some sense of what it's like to use, even if it's only an embryonic view.