California, US (BBN)-Microsoft has two brand new phones, high-end flagship phones in the market-the Lumia 950, and the Lumia 950XL.
The devices, which are priced at Rs. 43,699 and Rs. 49,399, are significant because Microsoft hasn’t released a high-end phone in the country for almost two years now, reports the Hindustan Times.
The new Lumia phones are also the first handsets developed wholly by Microsoft after the company took over Nokia’s handset business in April 2014 for $7.2 billion.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella first showed off the 950XL in India at the company’s Future Unleashed event held in Mumbai last month.
With a 5.7-inch screen, the XL is the larger of the two phones. It runs on a high-end Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor, has 3GB RAM, and has 32GB of in-built internal memory, which users can expand to 200GB with a microSD card
It also has a 20-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front camera, and supports wireless charging.
The 950XL supports 4G-LTE and dual SIM cards, both important features for the Indian market.
the Lumia 950, on the other hand, has a 5.2-inch display- still large enough to call it a phablet- and runs on a Snapdragon 808 hexa-core processor and 3GB RAM.
The cameras are identical to the 950XL.
Interestingly, the 950 has a larger battery (3,800 mAh) compared to the 950XL (3,340 mAh)
Both phones run Windows 10.
One of the signature features of both the phones is something Microsoft calls Continuum, which allows you to connect the devices to a monitor using an optional Rs. 6,000 dock, to convert it into a regular desktop computer (with some limitations- you can’t run regular desktop apps, only apps available in the Windows Store; and you can only have one app open one your monitor at one time).
Microsoft says that although the feature is aimed at enterprises to increase productivity, it could potentially be popular among regular users too.
Microsoft says that the dock would be available free with the phones for a limited time.
The Lumia 950 and 950XL also support Windows Hello, which allows the phone camera to read user-gestures to unlock the devices.
The cameras are also capable of reading users’ irises to to unlock the phones.
Pre-orders for both devices go live from today on Amazon.in, but if you’d prefer to buy them offline, you can head over to your nearest Croma or Reliance Digital store. They will be available on shelves around the country on December 11.
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