As expected, Microsoft showed off its latest Lumia devices, the 950 and 950XL. However, there were a few surprises in terms of what's inside Microsoft's latest smartphones.
At the top of the list is the processors. The 950 comes with a Qualcomm 808 processor, and the 950 XL has a Qualcomm 810 processor. However, the more interesting point is that both phones claim to be liquid-cooled. We're not exactly sure how that works inside such a small device, but we'll get to see it up close later today.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Lumia 950 | Lumia 950 XL |
|---|---|---|
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 (hexacore) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (octacore) |
| Display | -5.2-inch Quad HD AMOLED Corning Gorilla Glass 3-2650x1440 (564 ppi) | -5.7-inch Quad HD AMOLED Corning Gorilla Glass 4-2650x1440 (518 ppi) |
| Storage | -32 GB-expandable storage up to 200 GB microSD-OneDrive storage | |
| Cameras | -20MP PureView with Zeiss optics, OIS, triple LED flash, supports 4K-5MP front camera, wide-angle, 1080p HD | |
| Wireless | -Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac with MIMO-BT 4.1-4G LTE-Single- or dual-SIM available | |
| Battery | 3000 mAh | 3340 mAh (removable) |
| Sensors, Etc. | -Accelerometer-Ambient light sensor-Barometer-Gyroscope-Magnetometer-Proximity sensor-A-GLONASS-A-GPS-Wi-Fi network positioning | |
| Misc. | -USB Type-C port with “fast charging”-Physical power, volume and camera buttons | |
| Software | -Creative Studio-Gadgets-Lumia Help+Tips-MixRadio-Photos plug-ins-Transfer my Data | |
| Warranty | 1-year | |
| OS | “Windows 10” | |
| Price | $549 | $649 |
Both phones use an AMOLED screen measuring 5.2 inches for the 950 and 5.7 inches for the 950XL. Both have a resolution of 2560 x 1440. The camera itself is impressive with a 20 megapixel sensor (the iPhone 6s has 12 megapixels), triple LED RGB flash (which means better color accuracy), fifth generation image stabilization technology, and a dedicated camera button. On the video side, the camera can shoot in 4K, although that will probably drain the battery life faster than you would like.
However, the battery recharge should be quick, as it uses a USB Type-C connector. Microsoft's Panos Panay said that the phones should recharge to 50 percent power within 30 minutes. Other features include 32 GB of internal storage and support for Continuum, which allows users to turn their Windows smartphone into a mobile PC by connecting the Type-C connector to the Microsoft Display Dock. The dock itself has three USB ports as well as support for HDMI and DisplayPort.
All that's left is release date and price. Microsoft plans to have both phones out in November, with the 950 at $549 and the 950XL at $649. In addition, its budget-focused Lumia 550 will come out in December with a price of $139.
Update, 10/6/15, 11:30am PT: Added spec table.
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