Windows Phone is somehow making a comeback in 2026

• The return of Windows Phone
• Phones are getting fun again

Nex Computing, the company behind the NexDock series of laptop-shaped phone docking stations, has just unveiled a brand-new hardware product it calls the NexPhone. As its name implies, the NexPhone is a smartphone-shaped mobile gadget, but it comes with a major twist: it’s powered by a nifty NexOS multi-boot solution that runs Windows 11, Android 16, and Linux Debian all at the same time, and all natively.

Pitched as being a “smartphone that works as a PC,” the NexPhone provides a Samsung DeX or Windows Continuum-esque docked mode experience when plugged into an external monitor, complete with a proper desktop PC computing environment to boot. When paired with a keyboard and a mouse, the NexPhone provides full access to Linux Debian, alongside the ability to run Android apps in this mode.

Additionally, the NexPhone is compliant with Windows 11 PC hardware requirements — it offers an optional multi-boot configuration for Windows 11 on ARM, which is facilitated by its PC-compatible Qualcomm QCM6490 processor.

“QCM6490 is a different class of processor, built for a new level of efficiency. NexPhone is designed to run three operating systems natively on the same hardware, without compromising the core experience,” says Nex.

Aside from the processor, which offers platform support from Qualcomm up through 2036, other key NexPhone specifications include a 6.58-inch 1080 x 2403 resolution 120Hz LCD display, a 5,000 mAh battery, 18W fast charging, wireless charging, a microSD card slot, a fingerprint sensor, dual 5G SIM networking, a 10-megapixel selfie camera, a 64-megapixel wide-angle rear sensor, and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide rear shooter.

According to the company, the NexPhone will launch in Q3 of this year at an asking price of $550. The product is up now for reservation directly from the company’s official storefront for a refundable deposit of $200. There appears to be a single, dark gray colorway currently on offer, with a single 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage hardware configuration available.

The return of Windows Phone

With a dash of Android and Linux for good measure

Beyond its dockable nature, the NexPhone has another unique trick up its sleeve, and it’s one I’m particularly intrigued by. When set up to run Windows 11, the device offers up a dedicated, touch-friendly user interface called the Windows Mobile UI for use while on the go. Yes, you read that correctly: Nex has essentially resurrected Windows Phone, providing us with a peak of what Windows 11 Mobile could’ve been had Microsoft not canned Windows for mobile back in 2017.

When running Windows 11 on the NexPhone’s screen with its Windows Mobile UI, it very much resembles the Windows Phone interface of yore. It looks a lot like Square Home or Launcher 7 for Android, but with full-blown Windows under-the-hood instead. Tiles dominate the main home screen, an alphabetized all apps list is a swipe away at all times, there’s an optimized multitasking screen, and there’s both status and navigation bars at the top and the bottom of the screen, respectively.

…if a company like Nex can craft a purpose-built mobile user interface for Windows 11, why doesn’t Microsoft itself get in on the action?

Of course, Windows 11 doesn’t natively support mobile-friendly applications, and so Nex recommends installing your favorite websites and services as progressive web apps (PWAs) directly from a browser. Of course, with an unlocked bootloader and native Android 16 also at the helm, mobile apps should still be readily available when switching off of the Windows Mobile UI experience.

All of this has me thinking: if a company like Nex can craft a purpose-built mobile user interface for Windows 11, why doesn’t Microsoft itself get in on the action? ARM chips are much more powerful than they’ve ever been, the PRISM translation layer makes compatibility less of an issue than in the past, and the Xbox Full Screen Experience (XFSE) proves that Windows can operate in non-traditional computing environments. If Microsoft were to create a dedicated phone shell for Windows 11 that nixes superfluous startup services, it could once again attempt to court mobile app developers and perhaps even reinvigorate interest in Windows on mobile.

Phones are getting fun again

Pocket computers don’t have to be drab slabs

For the longest time, smartphones have been marching towards total conformity. Most handsets look roughly the same on the outside, and both iOS and Android have been converging in terms of their feature sets, navigational paradigms, and fluidity. Even foldable phones, which were once new and exciting, have settled into a predictable rhythm without much in the way of excitement.

This has all begun to change over the past year or so: while it’s true that Microsoft’s innovative dual-screen Duo line has kicked the can, other unique devices in the sector are thriving, like the Boox Palma 2 with its E Ink display, the Clicks Communicator with its BlackBerry-style physical keyboard, the Light Phone III with its emphasis on digital minimalism, and even Nothing with its Matrix-clad Phone 3.

For $550, the NexPhone is a unique proposition that might well punch above its weight class.

The NexPhone isn’t quite as physically daring as, say, the Clicks Communicator from a form factor standpoint, but it’s still refreshingly distinct in a world dominated by glass-and-metal-sandwich phone flagships. The polycarbonate build of the NexPhone is rated not only for IP68 and IP69K water and dust resistance, but also for MIL-STD-810H MIL-SPEC drop resistance. The device looks both minimalistic and utilitarian, even if its sizable bezels and teardrop notch convey mid-range status.

For $550, the NexPhone is a unique proposition that might well punch above its weight class. If the company is able to successfully meld together the disparate worlds of Windows, Android, and Linux into a single, cohesive entity, then I can see other mobile gadget companies taking notice and responding accordingly. Even if the concept fails to take off, I’m just glad to see newfound momentum in offering fun mobile gadget experiences once more.