Today in New York as we all expected and knew, Microsoft has announced the new Lumia line-up. The Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL are Microsoft's newest devices to show off Windows 10 Mobile when it launches later this year.
Many of us have been wanting a true flagship devices since Microsoft bought Nokia mobile division back in 2013. Well here we are almost two years later and with a new platform on the horizon, and we have three devices heading our way.
The Lumia Line
As with most Lumias, they all share some specs/features that are a part of the Lumia heritage. This overlapping is no different with the new Lumia 950 and 950 XL. The two biggest things that theses two phones share are Qi wireless charging and the camera. Both devices sport the 20.0 MP PureView camera with a Carl Zeiss lens with optical image stabilization and natural flash. The sensor is also a True 16:9 sensor with a f/1.9 aperture. The camera is also capable of recording 4K video at 30fps.
Perhaps, one of our favorite features of both phones is that they both come with 3GB of RAM and both sport 32 GB of storage. If that's not enough for you, you can quickly add up to an extra 2TB with a MicroSD. One thing to also take note of is that both of these phones allow you to change the backplate so that you can have your own unique device.
Also, Glance Screen has made its long-awaited return to Lumia devices. If you don't remember what this is, this allows you to pull your device out of your pocket and quickly see notifications of your choosing at a glance. These devices will also take full advantage of Windows 10 Mobile with the ability to support continuum and the Windows Hello Beta thanks to an infrared iris scanner.
As for what sets these phones apart, let's look into each phone below.
Lumia 950 XL
The Lumia 950XL is the larger and more powerful device of the three that were announced today. It sports a 5.7" WQHD (2560X1440) Corning Gorilla Glass 4 OLED ClearBlack display with 518 PPI. The phone also weighs in at a hefty 5.82 ounces. As for the kind of power this phone holds, it runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 with Octa-Core (2.0GHz) clocking in at 2000MHz.
The phone will also carry a beefy 3340mAh battery that can give you up 19 hours of talk time and 12 days on standby and 9 hours of internet browsing.
And finally sticking to true Windows Mobile fashion, this phone has an FM antennae for those of us that still enjoy listening to our local radio stations. If this sounds like the device for you, you can expect the phone to be in your hands sometime in November for $649.
Lumia 950
Although it isn't the XL, the middle child of the new Lumia line, the 950, is nothing to gawk over. Although this phone sports a smaller 5.2" WQHD (2560X1440) OLED ClearBlack display, it does, however, have a better PPI that racks in at 564. They did, however, opt for the last generation Corning Gorilla Glass 3 display.
The power of this phone is not that of the XL, but it still holds its own. The 950 contains within it the Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 with Hexa-core clocking in at 1800 MHz. The phone also carries a 3000 mAh battery that can get you up to 19 hours of talk time and 12 days on standby.
The Lumia 950 will be available sometime in November for $549.
Lumia 550
Microsoft also made a surprise announcement that they will release their first budget phone for Windows 10 this December. It will be the Lumia 550 and will be priced at $139. No further information was given, but you can bet as soon as we get the details you will be able to read about it here.
Wrap-up
We here at Windows Central are stoked for the new devices and can't wait for to have them alongside the finished version of Windows 10 Mobile. We came away impressed with Microsoft's quick look at a near-final version of Continuum, and we are excited to try it out for ourselves. As for the hardware, the Lumia 950 XL holds it's own against some of the best smartphones on the market today while the 950 is a natural competitor against most mid-range devices today.
What did you guys think of the phones? Are these a win for Microsoft? Sound off in the comments below.
For the rest of our NYC #Windows10Devices coverage head here:
- Lumia 950
- Lumia 950 XL
- Surface Pro 4
- Surface Book
- Microsoft Band 2
