5 Exciting Windows Phones for 2013

The new year is rife with smartphone rumors and launches. Already, we’ve see two high end devices in the Sony Xperia Z and the HTC One launch and in the months ahead we should see some more of what 2013 has to offer including the iPhone 5S and the Samsung Galaxy S4. Those all in addition to phones like the iPhone 5, Galaxy S3 and Nokia Lumia 920 that are already on shelves. However, those flagship Android devices and the new iPhone won’t be the only exciting devices to touch down in 2013. No, Microsoft and its Windows Phone platform should have some tantalizing releases as well.

Read: 15 Exciting Smartphone Rumors for 2013.

Last year, Microsoft took the curtain down over its biggest mobile software update since the arrival of Windows Phone 7. Windows Phone 8 arrived at the end of the year and with its new look and powerful features backed by some powerful hardware, the operating system quickly established itself as a legitimate threat to the status quo.

2012 saw the releases of the HTC Windows Phone 8X, a gorgeous Windows Phone 8 smartphone that combined a sleek design with some truly capable hardware. We also saw the release of the Nokia Lumia 920, the successor to the Lumia 900, which brought a larger display, a faster processor, and an upgraded camera that remains one of the best on the market.

Windows Phone 8 didn’t launch until the end of last year though so that means that Microsoft isn’t done putting out phones with its operating system on board. Indeed, 2013 is already rife with both confirmed and potential Windows Phone 8 smartphones.

While the rumors haven’t been as plentiful as the likes of the HTC One, iPhone 5S, and the Samsung Galaxy S4, that doesn’t mean that the rumored Windows Phones for 2013 are any less exciting.

In fact, those who are thinking about picking up Microsoft’s operating system will likely have some fantastic options to choose over the course of the next year.

Here now are the devices that we feel are five most exciting Windows Phones that have either been confirmed or rumored for 2013.

Sprint Windows Phone

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While Sprint wasn't one of the launch carriers of Windows Phone 8, the carrier finally confirmed that it will be carrying a Windows Phone device this year. The carrier remains mum on specifics though it does say that a device will be arriving this summer and that it will be supporting two Windows Phone smartphones, one from HTC and one from Samsung. We imagine that one of those devices will likely be the Windows Phone 8 powered HTC One X and that the other could be the Samsung ATIV S. Neither are confirmed at this point but the prospect of Windows Phone 8 running on Sprint's 4G LTE network is exciting nonetheless.

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