Windows Phone 8 Price And Models 'Leaked:' 'Odyssey' To Feature Same Specs As Samsung's Galaxy S3, Rumors Say

Microsoft's next line of Windows Phone 8 devices are expected for a fall release date alongside its new Windows 8 operating system. Rumors of these Microsoft-branded smartphones from manufacturer Samsung have been circulating for some time now, and a recent leak has revealed the names of these devices.

It was reported in late July that two Windows Phone 8 devices will be called Marco and Odyssey, and now further proof of their existence has surfaced. The model numbers for gadgets have been allegedly leaked according to GSM Arena.

The purported leak also revealed insight as to the price difference for these two smartphones, saying that the Samsung I8370 will be the cheaper device compared to the Samsung I8570. The former will feature the following specs, allegedly:

- A 4.0-inch Super AMOLED WVGA screen

- A dual-core 1.5 GHz Krait processor

- A 5 MP rear and a 1.9MP front camera.

- 8 GB internal storage expandable via a microSD slot

The other device, which is believed to be a more high-end model, will contain specs that are nearly "identical to the Galaxy S3," GSM Arena reports. The reported spec sheet is as follows:

- 4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD screen

- 1.5 GHz dual-core Krait

- 8MP rear and 1.9MP front camera

- 16 or 32 GB internal storage expandable via a microSD slot

The release date for these devices is said to be in the fourth quarter of this year. The I8370 model will reportedly be priced between €350 and €450, which translates to $431 and approximately $554. As for the I8570 model, the price range is said to be between €500 and €600, which equates to $615 and around $738.

The mid-range device is believed to be the model code named Marco, while the higher end Windows Phone 8 is said to be named Odyssey. This is likely to provide some stiff competition to Nokia's line of Lumia smartphones, as Sam Mobile acknowledges.

"So Nokia, are you ready with your Lumia devices or will Samsung take over the Windows Phone market," writes Danny of Sam Mobile.

As the fall approaches, it seems that more reported information about Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 products have leaked out on to the web. Just last week, it was allegedly revealed that the Windows RT edition of Microsoft's Surface tablet will cost $199, Engadget reported. This is significantly lower than previously rumored prices, such as the one earlier in July which indicated that the Surface tablet would cost a staggering $1,003. This rumor came from a Swedish website that listed the tablet at that price, and said that a higher-end Surface Pro tablet would cost users an even steeper price.

It was also reported last week that electronics manufacturers Nokia and HTC were reportedly speeding up production of their upcoming Windows Phone 8 devices to combat Apple's iPhone 5 which is believed to launch next month.

In addition, BBC will not be bringing iPlayer or live streaming services to Windows 8 devices, Engadget reported. Daniel Danker of the BBC said that it is not cost or time effective for the system due to a lack of support for HTTP Live Streaming. A "bug" in the software makes it impossible to secure a live streaming session, an issue which Microsoft has been made aware of for some time and is working to remedy.