With Windows Phone 8 just revealed, Microsoft is now readying the promised Windows Phone 7.8 update for smartphones that are currently powered by previous versions of its mobile platform.

Although there have been numerous rumors regarding the availability of the Windows Phone 7.8, no actual release date leaked online.

There are still a fair number of Windows Phone enthusiasts who cannot afford or do not wish to upgrade to a Windows Phone 8 device, which is why Microsoft should release the promised update as soon as possible.

Well, it looks like this is about to happen in just a few months. Windows Phone Brazil has just confirmed the Windows Phone 7.8 update is expected to be released at some point in Q1 2013.

Obviously, we’re still expecting for it to become official, but the fact that the tweet confirming the upcoming release of the update has yet to be deleted is an indication that Microsoft is really planning a Q1 2013 launch for Windows Phone 7.8.

We also expect the update to be slowly rolled out globally, which means not all users of Windows Phone 7.5 devices will receive it at the same time.

There’s also the possibility that Windows Phone 7.8 update be pushed in Brazil in Q1 2013, but a bit earlier in other countries, though we don’t have any confirmation on this yet.

In this regard, Windows Phone 7.8 was recently spotted running on Nokia Lumia 900 in China. More importantly, the update was showcased by Nokia China so that Windows Phone enthusiasts can give it a try before it actually hits the market.

Even though this doesn’t mean the update will be initially launched in China, we can safely assume the Mainland will be among the first countries to receive the Windows Phone 7.8 update. Stay tuned for more updates on the matter.