No longer just a desktop OS, Windows 10 also runs on phones and tablets - and the Microsoft Lumia 950 (codenamed Talkman) and 950 XL (codenamed Cityman) will be among the first Windows Phones to run Windows 10 mobile. No longer rumours, here's the Microsoft Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL UK release date, price and specs. Also see: Best Windows Phones 2015 and Best smartphones 2015.
Watch Microsoft's 6 October launch event live right here at 3pm.
We expected Microsoft to launch the Lumia 940 and 940 XL but, a bit like the jump from Windows 8 to Windows 10, we instead have the Lumia 950 and 950 XL. These are flagship phones which command flagship prices. Microsoft is aiming them much more at business users than consumers, mainly thanks to all their productivity features which include the abiltiy to use them like a desktop PC with a big screen, keyboard and mouse.
Microsoft Lumia 950 & 950 XL UK release date: When are the Lumia 950 & 950 XL coming out?At Microsoft's special event on 6 October 2015 it launched the Surface Pro 4 and revealed the 950 and 950 XL.
Both phones will be available in November.
Replacing the Nokia Lumia 930, the Microsoft Lumia 950 will cost $549 (that's £450 in the UK - now up for pre-order on Mobilefun). The Lumia 930 originally had a £549 RRP, but now a year old you can grab one for £399 at Microsoft's store.
At the time of our Microsoft Lumia 640 review - the other Microsoft phone for which we've seen an XL version - there was £90 separating the £129 Lumia 640 and £219 Lumia 640 XL (£50 if you consider that the 640's RRP is actually £169 at Microsoft's store, although you can buy it cheaper elsewhere).
There's a similar price gap between Lumia 950 and 950 XL: the big phone costs $649 (that's £550 in the UK).
These are big prices, but there are reasons for that, which we'll get to now.
Microsoft Lumia 950 & 950 XL specificationsSeveral specifications were leaked ahead of the launch, including on Microsoft's own UK store. And we now know that both will come in either black or white.
The Nokia Lumia 950 has a 5.2in Quad-HD screen (2560x1440, 564ppi), a 20Mp camera with Zeiss optics, 32GB of storage (plus microSD support up to 2TB) and runs Windows 10.
The Lumia 950 XL has a larger 5.7in display (a slightly lower 518ppi because resolution is the same), but the same camera, storage and software setup.
Both phones get iris-scanning technology with support for Windows Hello, so you can simply look at your phone to unlock it.. Along with 3GB of RAM, the 950 has a hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor (1.8GHz) and the 950 XL has an 810 octa-core CPU.
There are a few nifty features beyond the usual smartphone specs. They have dual antennae with an adaptive feature which automatically uses the antenna with the best signal depending on how you're holding the phone. There's also 'tablet-class' liquid cooling for keeping internal temperatures down.
The pair use USB-C for charging and synching, and can fast-charge up to 50 percent in 30 minutes using the included charger.
In terms of connectivity, there's 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 and NFC.
The more powerful chips and USB-C mean that Continuum is possible via a Microsoft Display Dock. This optional accessory lets you hook up your phone via USB, and a keyboard, mouse and monitor to the dock (there's HDMI and DisplayPort support). You can even connect a USB flash drive and use the setup just like a Windows 10 PC.
You get a desktop that looks just like a Windows 10 PC, and the Start menu is just the same home screen you'd see on your phone screen. But you can launch a universal app, such as Word or PowerPoint and it will scale to look like the desktop version. For more see: How to use Universal apps in Windows 10
Getting back to the cameras, each phone has a dedicated shutter button (a feature missing from most recent Lumias) and the main camera supports video capture up to 4K. It also has a triple-LED flash - one each for red, green and blue. This is meant to give the most natural skin tones and eliminate red-eye.
Here are the key specs for the Lumia 950:
Here are the key specs for the Lumia 950 XL:
(We're updating this article in real-time - more to come)
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Source: Microsoft Lumia 950 & 950 XL Windows 10 phones UK release date, price and specification
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