Lumia 950 & 950 XL: technical specifications, pricing, & details

Microsoft continues pushing its mobile devices with two new premium phones, the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL. On October 6th during the Windows 10 Devices event in New York City, the software giant, and now device maker too, introduced to the world the new Lumia 900 family flagship of phones.

As rumored, Microsoft unveiled the Lumia 950, a smartphone that sports a 5.2-inch AMOLED display with Quad HD resolution, 564 pixels-per-inch, and Gorilla Glass 3 glass. It also features 3000 mAh battery, and a hexa-core Qualcomm MSM8992 Snapdragon 808 processor. While the Lumia 950 XL features a 5.7-inch AMOLED display with Quad HD resolution, 518 pixels-per-inch, and Gorilla Glass 4 glass. The handset includes a 3340 mAh battery, and an octa-core Qualcomm MSM8994 Snapdragon 808 processor.

The new phones also come pre-loaded with Windows 10 Mobile. They support Windows Hello through the iris scanner built into the device, and it allows users to unlock their phones by doing a very quick iris scanning — simply place the phone in front of your face and in less than two seconds you’re in –. This features similar to the one for Windows 10 on PCs, but instead of using your face, it uses your eyes.

Perhaps one of the biggest advantages about this new security mechanism is that unlike other platforms that use fingerprint reader, you won’t have to take your gloves off during winter time just to get into your phone.

The Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL also come with support for Continuum, which let you turn your phone into a PC-like experience. Continuum for Windows 10 Mobile let users connect an external display, keyboard and monitor to the handset and work with universal Windows apps on the bigger screen, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and other apps.

In this new experience, users will be able to run up to two apps (one on each screen), but they won’t be able to run apps side-by-side like in the version of desktops. Launching an app on a particular screen is as easy as opening the app from the Start menu on a particular display.

The best part about the feature is that you can be editing a document on the big screen and still be able to make calls, reply to messages, or use another app on the phone.

In addition, Continuum support mass storage devices, such as USB thumb drives. This is just another way Microsoft is trying to make the experience more like a regular PC.

With all those details in mind, now let’s look at the technical specifications that Microsoft is packing on these devices to enable such great features in Windows 10.

Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL technical specifications

As you can see in the table above, the Lumia 950 is the cheaper phone, but it’s still in the expensive side of things, and users were really expecting the handset to be even cheaper. However, you’re getting a premium device with top-notch hardware and features.

Microsoft is also promoting Continuum with these phones, but it’s important to note that you’ll need to buy the optional Microsoft Display Dock and you need to bring your own display, keyboard and mouse.

During the unveiling of these devices, the company didn’t mention the support for stylus, as such we have to assume they won’t.

Unlike Android and iPhone handsets, the new Lumia phones incorporate a dedicated button that you can use to take pictures and record 4K video. With the help of the new USB Type C connect will allow you to charge your phone up to 50 percent capacity in about 30 minutes.

The software giant also claims that the image stabilization on these phones are the best ever, no matter if you or the phone shakes, that picture you take will come out clear, crisp, and beautiful, and the triple LED flash helps to eliminate red eyes.

There is also the Glance screen that similar to Android, it allows you to view important notifications right in the lock screen, but without draining a single drop of battery life.

It’s also worth to point out that the company announced a third, lower-end phone, the Lumia 550. This phone looks and feels as a mid-range handset, sadly it doesn’t offer support for Windows Hello or Continuum, but it only cost $139, and it will be available in December.

Lumia 550 technical specifications

The new Microsoft’s Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL will be available unlocked from the Microsoft Store, but if you’re an AT&T customer, the phone will be locked. The phones will be available in November, which also suggest that Windows 10 Mobile will also release about that time.

• Pre-order the Lumia 950 XL from the Microsoft Store.