Microsoft Lumia 950 & 950 XL Release Date, Specifications, Pre-Order; Price Drops Ahead Of Release

Oct 29, 2015 11:22 AM EDT

Microsoft unveiled its flagship Windows phones to run on Windows 10 during its big event last October 6. During the special event, the tech giant launched the Surface Pro 4 and officially introduced the Lumia 950 (codenamed Talkman) and Lumia 950 XL (codenamed Cityman).

The Lumia 950 and the Lumia 950 XL will hit the shelves in November, but customers can pre-order the phones online. To pre-order the Lumia 950, click this link and to pre-order the Lumia 950 XL, click here.

The Lumia 950 and the Lumia 950 XL will be the first smartphones to run on the latest Windows 10 OS. Originally, Microsoft said the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL would be priced $764 and $840. But PC Advisor reported that Microsoft decided to slash the price of the smartphones to $687.06 and $809.19 ahead of its official release next month.

PC Advisor said, "We expected Microsoft to launch the Lumia 940 and 940 XL but, a bit like the jump from Windows 8 to Windows 10, we instead have the Lumia 950 and 950 XL. These are flagship phones which command flagship prices. Microsoft is aiming them much more at business users than consumers, mainly thanks to all their productivity features which include the ability to use them like a desktop PC with a big screen, keyboard and mouse."

Lumia 950 & 950 XL Specifications

Key specs for the Lumia 950:

    Dimensions: 145 x 73.2 x 8.25mm

    Weight: 150g

    Display: 5.2in 2560x1440 pixels (568ppi pixel density)

    Storage: 32GB (expandable up to 200GB)

    RAM: 3GB

    OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Mobile

    Processor: Hexa-core 1.8GHz Snapdragon 808

    Connectivity: Wi-Fi (dual-band 802.11ac), Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, GPS

    Front-facing camera: 5MP

    Rear-facing camera: 20MP (PureView with Zeiss optics)

    Battery: Li-Ion 3000mAh battery

Key specs for the Lumia 950 XL:

    Dimensions: 152 x 78.4 x 8.1mm

    Weight: 165g

    Display: 5.7in 2560x1440 pixels (518ppi pixel density)

    Storage: 32GB (expandable up to 200GB)

    RAM: 3GB

    OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Mobile

    Processor: Octa-core 2GHz Snapdragon 810

    Connectivity: Wi-Fi (dual-band 802.11ac), Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, GPS

    Front-facing camera: 5MP

    Rear-facing camera: 20MP (PureView with Zeiss optics)

    Battery: Li-Ion 3340mAh battery

In a separate report, Digital Trends added that the Lumia 950 will be sporting a 5.2-inch screen and run on hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor. There is a MicroSD card slot under the rear cover that allows the user to expand the internal memory capacity to 200GB and comes with a removable 3000mAh battery that can be wirelessly charged. The AMOLED 2560 x 1440 pixel screen is fitted to a 150-gram body that measures 8.2mm thick.

Digital Trends said, "For the Lumia 950XL, Microsoft's chosen the Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor and equipped it with the same amount of RAM and internal storage space. The removable battery's capacity has increased to 3340mAh. The screen size has also been increased to 5.7-inches, and although it has the same 1440p resolution, it's covered in Gorilla Glass 4, rather than Gorilla Glass 3 on the Lumia 950. The device is slightly heavier at 165 grams, and a little slimmer at 8.1mm.Both Lumia phones get a 20-megapixel rear camera."