It’s weird how excited I am for a product that I have no intention of buying, which pretty much sums up this morning’s Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL announcement. The two flagships will herald a new age of Windows 10 smartphones, and even though most of us will probably stick with Android and iOS for the time being, the new Lumia devices definitely have impressive specs that are sure to create a bunch of Windows 10 Mobile converts and will serve as a long-awaited reward for the few that have remained loyal to Windows Phone. They’ll even include “tablet-class liquid cooling,” which is definitely a unique feature for a smartphone.
Microsoft unveiled Tuesday a new family of phones and devices designed for the Windows 10 operating system at a New York City event. The Lumia 950 and 950 XL feature an organic LED display that lights up with notifications without touching the screen, using close to zero battery life. They also have updated 20-megapixel cameras with image stabilizers and 4K video capabilities, and 32GB of storage. The Lumia 950 includes a 5.2-inch display and a hexacore processor, while the larger Lumia 950 XL has a 5.7-inch display with an octa-core chip. Both will be available in November, with a third phone, Lumia 550, starting at $139 in December. The phones were among several devices, including 2-in-1 tablet Surface Pro 4, a Surface Book laptop, wearable Microsoft Band, virtual reality device HoloLens, and limited edition Xbox One consoles. The new hardware, with faster processors and better battery life, will showcase the capabilities of Microsoft’s new operating system, which is designed to transition more smoothly between devices and focuses on enterprise productivity. The Lumia phones, for example, can run two programs simultaneously, one displayed on a monitor and one in your palm, by plugging in to DisplayDock with 3 USB ports. Shares of the technology giant were close to flat, up around 0.5 percent midday Tuesday.
