Microsoft Lumia 735, 940, 940 XL Release Date, Price, Specs: 940 XL To Feature Iris Scanner

Jun 08, 2015 03:06 AM EDT

It is just a matter of days before wireless telecommunication giant Verizon starts selling the new Microsoft Lumia 735 on June 11, said GSM Arena. Earlier, there were rumors that the Lumiz 735 will be released in the U.S. with a Nokia brand, but the latest report indicated the new smartphone will be launched as Microsoft Lumia 735 under Verizon.

According to the report, Verizon's Lumia 735 will support 4G LTE and Verizon's CDMA and run on Windows Phone 8.1 Update 2. Verizon has not yet released information on the pricing of the Lumia 735. However, IBTimes noted the Lumiz 735 has been released in selected countries, including the UK where the smartphone is being sold at Carphone Warhouse for $244.44 (159.95 British pounds).

The Lumia 735 will sport a 4.7-inch 720p OLED display (1280 x 720) up front and powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor and 1 GB of RAM, which is supplemented with microSD card support up to 128 GB and 15 GB of OneDrive cloud storage. A full HD 5 MP front-facing camera is also installed for selfies with a wide angle f/2.4 sensor. Windows Central said Lumia is equipped with a 6.7 MP rear camera with ZEISS optics and a f/1.9 aperture.

Lumia 940 XL to Feature Iris Scanner

Trusted technology leader @EVleak posted on his Twitter account the new Microsoft Lumia 940 XL will feature an iris scanner for biometric authentication instead of a fingerprint scanner, using the latest Windows Hello system that Microsoft is expected to unveil with the Windows 10 OS.

His Twitter post reads, "Microsoft Cityman skips fingerprint reader, leapfrogs right to iris scanner."

NokiaPowerUser leaked this specifications for the Lumia 940 XL: Slim design with Metallic unibody frame, 5.7 inch, 2560 x 1440 resolution display, Octa-Core Snapdragon 810 with Adreno 430 GPU, 3 GB RAM, 32 GB internal storage, MicroSD card slot, 5 MP FFC, 20 MP PureView camera, Short Pulse variable-tone LED Flash, Continuum for Phones support, Iris Scanner, Native Pen support, and USB Type-C & Dual-Role support.

Microsoft Lumia 940

The Lumia 940 will have a 5.2 inch display, with the 940 XL having a 5.7 inch display, but some sources state it will only be 5 inches.  The new smartphone will have a 2.7 GHz Snapdragon 805, processor, Adreno 420 graphics, 3 GB of RAM, with options for 32, 64, or 128 GB of storage.  The rear-facing camera should be a 24 Megapixel PureView camera with LED flash, with 4K video recording at 60 fps (Frames Per Second).  The front-facing camera will be at 5 Megapixels, and capable of 1080p video.

In addition to those features, reports said that both the Lumia 940 and Lumia 940 XL will have advanced features like 3D-Interaction, Iris Scanner, and pen support.

PC Advisor said it expects the Lumia 940 to be priced near the $620 current selling price of the Nokia Lumiz 930.  It said the Lumia 940 should not exceed the $726 as Microsoft is also pushing for its Windows 10 on smartphones.

Those who want to buy the Lumia XL version should expect to add at least $140 from the Lumia 940's price.