Thankfully that does not appear to be the case. Microsoft Engineering General Manager Gabriel Aul has recently confirmed on Twitter (via Windows Central) that the upcoming Technical Preview for mobile devices will support 512MB handsets. This means if you’re running a low-mid range Windows Phone handset with less than 1GB of RAM, you should be able to participate in the preview.
Interestingly enough the phrasing is a little weird when Aul said for the “first preview”. Does it mean that future previews will lose support for devices less than 512MB, or does he mean that 512MB devices will be supported right out the door and into the future? Chances are he means the latter although Microsoft has yet to finalize the list of supported devices for the first preview, but hopefully we will be seeing support across the board.
Still no word on when the first preview for mobile devices will be released, but safe to say that many are excited as are we.