Microsoft launches Lumia 950 XL, Lumia 950 and Lumia 550

Microsoft today launched three new Windows 10 mobiles at an event held in New York. The Redmond made the announcement along with other Windows 10 devices like the Surface Pro 4, Surface Book and a new Microsoft Band 2 wearable device. All these devices run Windows 10 and will be available in the coming weeks.

Starting off with the best specced of the bunch, the Lumia 950 XL is Microsoft’s new flagship Windows mobile. Running Windows 10 Mobile out of the box, the Lumia 950 XL comes with the best specs available in the market. A 5.7 inch AMOLED display of QHD resolution, an octacore processor from Qualcomm – Snapdragon 810 and a 20 MP PureView camera with Carl Zeiss optics – Microsoft is putting its best foot forward. Windows Phones not so long ago gimped on specs because the platform itself was not heavy on resources. However, going forward, Microsoft is bringing a lot more to the table than just a semi-smartphone.

The Lumia 950 XL has a 20 MP f/1.9 Carl Zeiss lens on the back with 5th generation Optical Image Stabilization. Further assisting it in low-light conditions will be triple LED flash, which is probably one of the firsts for Microsoft. On the front, there is a 5 MP camera with its own LED flash, which should satisfy selfie fans.

To keep things cool, the Lumia 950 XL comes with liquid cooling technology. Snapdragon 810 has not been known for running cool, so Microsoft’s liquid cooling implementation would certainly help the cause to some extent.

Here are the detailed specs of the Lumia 950 XL:

• Windows 10 mobile
• 5.7 inch ClearBlack AMOLED display with Glance screen, Quad HD resolution, 2560 x 1440 pixels
• Octa core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, Adreno 430 GPU
• 20 MP camera, triple LED flash, OIS, f/1.9 lens, PureView, 2160p recording; front facing 5 MP camera with LED flash
• 3 GB RAM, 32 GB internal storage expandable with a microSD card
• Dual SIM, Wi-Fi b/g/n, USB Type C, LTE, Qi Wireless charging, NFC, FM Radio
• 3340 mAh battery

Microsoft is promising amazing photo- and videography with the Lumia 950 XL, courtesy the PureView technology. At a price of $650, the Lumia 950 XL has everything you may want from a flagship smartphone in 2015. It will be available starting next month.

Coming slightly lower down the pecking order, Microsoft announced the Lumia 950. Sporting a smaller display, the Lumia 950 comes with the hexacore Snapdragon 808 processor.

• Windows 10 mobile
• 5.2 inch ClearBlack AMOLED display with Glance screen, Quad HD resolution, 2560 x 1440 pixels
• Hexacore Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, Adreno 418 GPU
• 20 MP camera, triple LED flash, OIS, f/1.9 lens, PureView, 2160p recording; front facing 5 MP camera
• 3 GB RAM, 32 GB internal storage expandable with a microSD card
• Dual SIM, Wi-Fi b/g/n, USB Type C, LTE, Qi Wireless charging, NFC, FM Radio
• 3000 mAh battery

Microsoft will start selling the Lumia 950 for a price of $550, but the availability details are not known yet. With the Lumia 950 XL coming out early next month, it would have made sense to sell the Lumia 950 too along its side.

Now on to the budget level, we have the Lumia 550. Launched with a 4.7 inch HD display, this one sports an LCD panel instead of an AMOLED. Considering the target price, it’s quite justified. Other than that, there’s a quad core Snapdragon 210 processor and 1 GB RAM.

• Windows 10 mobile
• 4.7 inch LCD display, HD resolution, 1280 x 720 pixels
• Quadcore Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 processor, Adreno 304 GPU
• 5 MP camera, LED flash, 720p recording; front facing 2 MP camera
• 1 GB RAM, 8 GB internal storage expandable with a microSD card
• Wi-Fi b/g/n, LTE, FM Radio
• 2100 mAh battery

Without a price for the Lumia 550, it becomes a bit difficult to draw any inference about its competitiveness. However, expect a price around the $150 range.