Microsoft is killing off Windows 10 Mobile later this year, but the community is not ready to give up on Windows Phone yet as multiple videos posted online revealed Windows 10 ARM can be installed on a Lumia 950 XL.
According to independent developers, it is now possible to replace Windows 10 Mobile with a full-fledged desktop operating system. The overall performance of Windows 10 ARM on Lumia 950 or 950 XL is obviously not fast, but it does let you do some crazy things. For example, you can play the full Fallout desktop.
The video shows Windows 10 ARM, which is a version of Windows 10 that is designed to Snapdragon PCs, running on an old Lumia 950 XL handset. The discontinued Lumia 950 XL is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor and 3GB of RAM, and as per the video, the hardware is still good enough to run Windows 10 ARM.
Last week a Windows Phone user posted a video which shows the Fallout game running on a Lumia 950 XL. Following the publication of the video, another developer demonstrated the desktop operating system on Lumia 950 XL.
For people who still want a full Windows experience on a smartphone and are willing to install Windows 10 ARM on their Lumia handsets, there is finally a solution.
Installing Windows 10 ARM on Lumia 950 and 950 XL
Today, developer José Manuel Nieto has released a new third-party tool that allows you to install Windows 10 ARM on Lumia 950/XL and dual-boot with Windows 10 Mobile.
To port Windows 10 ARM to your Windows Phone handset, you’re supposed to unlock the bootloader of the Lumia 950 XL by using WPInternals tool and connect the phone to the PC with a USB-C cable.
Download Windows 10 ARM64 image, WoA installer and core packages from here. After downloading the files, run the tool, import core packages from the advanced settings, and follow the on-screen instructions to boot the OS on your phone.
“Please, notice the WoA Installer is only a tool which helps you with the deployment. WoA Installer needs a set of binaries, AKA the Core Packages, to do its job. These binaries are not mine and are bundled and offered just for convenience to make your life easier since this tool is focused on simplicity,” the page explains.
Developer José says that performance of WoA is actually decent on Lumia 950 XL, but the project also does a fine job on slightly underpowered Lumia 950.
It is, however, worth noting that nothing is guaranteed and if anything goes wrong, you might end up breaking your phone.
Disclaimer: We make no claims, guarantees about the accuracy or completeness in this article or linked pages, and shall not be held responsible for anything we say in this article.
