Microsoft may be scaling back its smartphone division, but it looks like the company could launch at least two flagship phones this year. According to Windows Central, we can expect at least 2 premium devices.

While Microsoft hasn’t confirmed the details of either report yet, both sites have a pretty good track record with leaked data of this sort.

cityman

Lumia 950 (Talkman) and Lumia 950 XL (Cityman)

Details about Microsoft’s upcoming flagship phones first leaked a few months ago. But now more details have emerged.

We already knew that the Talkman would have a 5.2 inch, 2560 x 1440 pixel display and a 3,000 mAh battery while the Cityman would have a 5.7 inch, 2560 x 1440 pixel screen and a 3,300 mAH battery.

Now we know that the smaller phone will sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 6-core processor, while the larger model will have a Snapdragon 810 octa-core chip.

Both phones are said to feature 3GB of RAM, 20MP rear and 5MP front cameras, USB Type-C connectors, 32GB of built-in storage, and microSD card slots. They’ll also reportedly both feature infrared iris scanners which will let you login to your phone using Windows Hello technology.

The phones have black or white plastic cases. Sorry, that should be “polycarbonate.”

Both models support Qi wireless charging, but the 5.7 inch Lumia 950 XL has a wireless charging coil built-in, while the smaller Lumia 950 will need to be used with a flip cover to take advantage of wireless charging.

All told, those specs sound good enough to help the new phones compete with the latest Android phones… at least in terms of hardware. But there are two other accessories that could help convince some folks to buy these phones instead of Android alternatives.

Optional accessories

First up, the Lumia 950 XL will be able to work with an optional Surface Pen. It’s the same sort of pressure-sensitive pen that’s available for the Microsoft Surface Pro 3, allowing you to write or draw on the screen.

The pen does not seem to be available for the smaller Lumia 950.

Second, these may be the first devices to support Microsoft’s Continuum for Phone software. Buy a $99 desktop docking station and you’ll be able to plug a phone into the dock to run apps in desktop-style windows on an external display.

munchkin

The dock, which is code-named “Munchkin,” uses the USB-C connector on the phone to let you hook up a display, mouse, keyboard, and other hardware.

The phones are expected to be unveiled in September and go on sale in October of November.

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19 replies on “Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL smartphone details leaked”

  1. Hi,

    this stylish models, but why black and white. While there are leaking colors.

  2. $99 for a “Dock” to get a desktop display!? Obviously there is a Big Discontinuity in this “Continuum” concept. I guess it’s just some greedy MBA’s trying to protect margins for the legacy desktop/laptop Windows market. Getting HDMI out of the SoC in a device like this should be a no-brainer. No Dock needed.

  3. Noh mai gawd. I want the 950 XL right now. Continuum for Win32 emulated apps and stylus support? Sold. Please come to Verizon, I’m ready to drop Android.

  4. I wish they would at least try to match the quality materials of the iPhone or the HTC One. Polycarbonate body will fail to impress existing users of true high quality devices. I think the 950 is perhaps a bridge to a real first party device (as Nadella refers to it..) Polycarbonate is anything but first class and certainly not worthy of “flagship” branding..
    I too am concerned about the 810 and the problems oem’s have reported with overheating..
    Bryan

    1. Personally I love the polycarbonate bodies. I prefer them to metal or plastic. I just wish the phone specs were up to par with other ecosystems.

        1. I meant cheap junk plastic. I think you meant to say polycarbonate is a TYPE of plastic. Yes, I’m aware.

    2. You’ve been brainwashed into thinking that metal = premium. It isn’t.

      1. No sir I have not been “brainwashed”..
        All you cheap, frootloop colored plastic fans pay attention:
        There is nothing physically wrong with polycarbonate.. EXCEPT that it is cheap and it shows the mfg is cutting costs.. My point is simple., IF Microsoft is indeed trying to convince the market this is a “flagship” device then they’re not going to have any success attracting the kind of user that would purchase an iPhone. You’re going to get zero iPhone customers (unless they’re just mad at Apple and want to switch) once they’ve owned an iPhone and grown accustomed to it’s superior quality build and .. pay attention… MATERIALS… Same for the HTC One, etc. they’re going to turn their nose up at polycarbonate.

        That’s all.. It would be an embarrassment for Microsoft to come to the flagship market with what is an equivalent to a faux flagship phone covered in cheap materials.. They’re going to get laughed out of the store by those who know what premium materials actually are..

        Polycarbonate is the same cheap plastic Korean electronics mfgs used to make clock radios out of in the 1970’s.. Surely there’s a better material – such as Vapor MG which is already used on the Surface and liked as a material.

        As for the coveted wireless charging as an excuse for plastic backing… It’s not as useful as you may think. I’ve had it and while it’s cool and handy it’s not THAT much more handy.. The charger still has to be plugged in with.. quess what > A wire! The Palm Pre with it’s Touchstone charging block was great. The magnetic field was even strong enough to hold onto the phone with the Touchstone adhered to the dashboard of a F150. Not bad.. However it’s still not that much more convenient than simply plugging in a standard usb cable. A typical smartphone takes a couple hours to charge – max.. So for the 24 hours in each day, only two of them are with the phone tied to a charger.. Is it really that big of a difference that it’s wireless? No. It’s not.

        OTOH if Microsoft is serious about competing in the flagship phone space and not so much flooding the market with cheap phones, then they need to play up to the Cadillac of them – the iPhone and Plastic is simply not going to cut it.

        Steve Ballmer must have purchased a boatload of polycarbonate as MSFT can’t seem to get away from the material and they’re the only ones using it on so-called “premium” devices.

        Bryan

        1. Polycarbonate phones are far more durable than ones with metal bodies. This is because they can flex upon impact. Metallic phones don’t tolerate flexion and so as a result they are much more prone to shattered glass screens.

          I do think that Nokia erred in making its flagships have squared corners instead of rounded ones though.

        2. There is nothing cheap about the polycarbonate used in Windows Phone, and it is not even remotely comparable to the junk that Galaxy phones used to be made of.

        3. “Plastics” is not a simple subject, especially if you know how to design quality products. Metal is usually more expensive, heavier, and has very different thermal properties compared with most “plastics”. Then there are the potential electromagnetic issues associated with solid metal, such as radio/RF blockage, static discharge paths, and (perhaps) the introduction of magnetic variation. These issues are much easier to control when you use metalized conformal coatings on plastic and/or metallic inclusions in molded plastic. If you encounter a handheld device today with a plastic enclosure that “feels cheap” – the problem is poor design, not the plastic material.

        4. While I can understand your point of view, and I do believe many people out there share it, I do not. I prefer the polycarbonate. It’s more durable and much less likely to show damage. Metal is prone to dents and deformations, polycarbonate is not. I don’t think MSFT’s intention is to go cheap, it’s durability.

    3. Plastics > metal/glass. In the rare off chance I drop my phone because some a-hole bumps into me my phone will bounce off the ground and take no damage while the iDouche who bumped into me will see their phone shatter and bend permanently.

  5. If these specs are correct then it sounds like Microsoft has a good handle on the hardware, though I am sure people will be concerned about the SD810. Hopefully the actual products will work well without many issues. If they can get developers to embrace Windows 10 universal apps they’ll be in as good a position as they can hope for.

    I’m interested to see how Continuum turns out. It seems we are getting closer to the point where an average user might only need their phone for all their computing needs.

    1. You know it, it is enough to make me wanna switch ASAP. I hope WinMo10 has a good integrated remote desktop protocol.

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