Lumia 950 and 950 XL renders leak, revealing Microsoft’s next big phones
Here they are, apparently: the company's latest attempts at flagship Windows handsets
The Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL haven’t exactly been kept under wraps in recent months. We’ve heard specs, seen photos of a test unit, and reportedly have a launch target settled. And the mystery is diminished further with this latest leak.
Here they are: Microsoft’s first big Windows 10 phones. That’s according to the leaked images served up hours ago by Evan Blass, better known as @evleaks, notorious gadget leaker. He posted these very official-looking renders of the Lumia 950 (in black, codenamed Talkman) and the Lumia 950 XL (in blue, codenamed Cityman), giving us a pretty clear look at both.
The most noticeable physical feature of both is surely the big, central bump to accommodate the 20-megapixel back camera on both – it really offsets the otherwise slim look. And there’s a lot of bezel around the screen on both, making these devices look a little wider than we’d expect from a new flagship.
Still, they sound pretty great. The Lumia 950 XL is the larger of the two, naturally, and expected to carry a 5.7in Quad HD (2560×1440) display, along with an octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, and a microSD slot within. It’ll also have an infrared Iris scanner for Windows Hello recognition, a 3300mAh battery pack, Qi wireless charging, and a USB Type-C port.
Much of that carries over to the smaller Lumia 950, although it has a couple of key differences besides the smaller 5.2in screen (still Quad HD). It reportedly uses the hexa-core Snapdragon 808 processor instead, while the battery is dropped down to 3000mAh. Otherwise, the details are the same, although the 950 doesn’t have the triple LED flash of the 950 XL, plus the XL will support the Surface Pen and an exclusive smart cover with a circular gap for viewing notifications.
These renders look legit, and the evidence is mounting. Given Microsoft’s sinking market share in the smartphone space, will these visuals and specs – which match up well with top-tier Android handsets – make enough people seriously consider picking up a Windows phone in 2015?
[Source: Evan Blass via The Verge]
Andrew Hayward
Freelance Writer 
