Microsoft showed off its new Lumia 950 and 950 XL smartphones, which were announced earlier in the year, at Ignite 2015 and we had a quick hands-on with the two Windows 10 devices. Here are the specifications, pricing and availability for both of the handsets.
The 5.2-inch Lumia 950 and the 5.7-inch Lumia 950 XL are similar phones with a few key differences, the most obvious one being their size. They also differ in the processor, the display and the battery they use. Both feature the new USB type-C port for fast charging.
The phones we had a hands-on with were close to, but not quite, the final versions of the handsets that will be shipped in early December.
One of the biggest draw cards for the new Lumia range is that they use Windows 10, which makes for seamless integration with devices running on the same operating system. This means access to apps and documents across all your Windows 10 devices will be a lot easier.
The new Continuum feature allows you to use the Lumia 950 and 950 XL like a PC by connecting it to a larger screen through an optional Microsoft Display Dock. The doc can connect with a keyboard and mouse as well to emulate the PC experience. Once connected, apps on the phone will scale appropriately to the bigger screen. This will be incredibly useful for people who want to edit documents or send emails from home without having to lug their office computer along with them.
For those who have been whinging about the lack of removable batteries and the absence of expandable memory in some of the newly-released phones (myself included), the two Lumia handsets will please you. They both have removable batteries and can take microSD cards of up to 200GB.
Here are the specs for the two phones:
| Lumia 950 | Lumia 950 XL | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 | Windows 10 | |
| Dimensions | 145 x 73.2 x 8.25mm | 151.9 x 78.4 x 8.1 mm | |
| Weight | 150g | 165g | |
| CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 (hexa-core 64-bit) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (octa-core 64-bit) | |
| Storage | 32GB and up to 200GB of expandable memory storage | 32GB and up to 200GB of expandable memory storage | |
| Display | 5.2-inch Quad HD AMOLED Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | 5.7-inch Quad HD AMOLED Corning Gorilla Glass 4 | |
| Resolution | 2560 x 1440 (564 ppi) | 2560 x 1440 (518 ppi) | |
| Camera | 20MP rear, 5MP front | 20MP rear, 5MP front | |
| Battery | 3000mAh (removable) | 3340mAh (removable) |
You can pre-order the Lumia 950 and 950 XL now over at the Microsoft Store. The Lumia 950 and 950 XL are priced at $999 and $1129 outright, respectively. Major telcos have yet to announce pricing for the devices on contract.
Comments
11 responses to “Microsoft Lumia 950 And 950 XL: Australian Specs, Pricing And Availability”
So the 950 dropped $100, and the 950xl $70 from the original announcement? Hmm, as much as they look sweet, I just don’t think I can justify it for a phone with no apps. I might have to take a year off windows phone and see if it becomes an app platform rather than just an awesome OS.
As much as I liked my 920 and like my 930 and I’m super interested in Continuum that price is a tad high for my taste. I know the AUD is crap at the moment but my 930 cost me around $750 on release day.
I’ve read that Optus are going to be offering it so waiting to see what they will charge (especially knowing I can use Windows Insider to bypass them for updates). Lumia 1520 has just been too big for me, been waiting for something to upgrade to.
Yeah they’re very much in the premium smartphone range, the only other option with Windows Phone 10 is the Lumia 550 which is super cheap. Kind of need a mid-range offering really.
Any information on when the dual sim variants are going to be released in Australia?
Hey Mate. I’ve received confirmation that my lumia 950 was shipped this afternoon. I also just finished speaking with them about whether its Dual sim or single sim. (the Microsoft site initially said ‘dual sim’, but was changed after about a week to say nano sim). they confirmed the Lumia 950’s in Australia, are all DUAL SIM.
Hey queppa Can you confirm they if the 950 you got was dual sim or single sim? Just wanna know
Awesome to see they are sticking with a dedicated camera button, that was the only thing stopping me getting a 640 / 640XL.
Windows Phone is my favourite OS to navigate and as the only premium flagship with SD card slot and removable battery, it’s a no brainer for me!
Any news on when apps will be available for windows phone?
You have to ask the devs why they’re being so shitty to port their apps onto the Windows Mobile platform. The guy who created the 6* apps got done by the relative companies I believe. The apps were a better version of the ‘official’ Android versions.
6tag (for instagram) is the only stable app on my windows phone. It is also the best instagram app i’ve ever used.
I used 6snap and 6tin, both worked perfectly and had more features than their Android counterparts.
I bought my Lumia 930 start of this year for 450. NO WAY is the next iteration worth double and a bit. No way.
Still got a 20mp in mine yeah? and it gets Win10, so essentially i miss out on, water cooling (wank wank), hello windows and continuum (DAMN :().