Microsoft with Lumia 950 XL, 950 Brings Fresh Impetus to BYOD

Microsoft Corporation, with an aptitude for increased user (work) productivity, launched in Nigeria, its new line of Lumia smartphones.

The Microsoft Lumia 950 includes a 5.2-inch display and a hexacore processor, while the larger Lumia 950 XL has a 5.7-inch display with an octacore chip; both run on the company's latest operating system Windows 10.

These, Microsoft said is advancement in the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) technology space, owing to the value proposition they offer the users. 

For the first time, Microsoft has used a QHD display in its Lumia line of smartphones. Both Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL sports 1440x2560p resolution, which pack four times the pixels compared to a HD panel.

The highest display resolution for a Windows Phone handset till now has been Full HD (1080x1920p) only.

Lumia 950 and 950XL handsets feature a 20-megapixel rear camera, have up to 32GB of storage, 4K video and use liquid cooling technology. Microsoft said storage on the phones could be extended to up to 2 terabytes using a memory card.

With Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL, Microsoft has used 3GB RAM in smartphones for the first time.

The new Lumia smartphones are the first to officially run Windows 10 mobile which shares the code-base with Windows 10 desktop OS.

The phones are already selling in the Nigerian market and available on leading online and offline stores.

Speaking at the Media launch in Lagos, Olumide Balogun, head of Marketing, West Africa at Microsoft, pointed out the significant selling proposition of the new Lumia phones as the Continuum Feature which when connected to a supported Display Dock beams all the apps to a larger screen.

On the specs side, Balogun said that the Lumia 950 features a 5.2-inch AMOLED Display with 2560×1440 pixel resolution (564ppi).

The device is powered by 1.8HHz Snapdragon 808 64-bit hexa-core processor, has 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage and a microSD card slot for external storage.

Lumia 950XL sports a bigger 5.7-inch IPS display (2,560 x 1440 pixel) and 518ppi pixel density. Under the hood, the smartphone packs a 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor.

Both the devices feature a 20MP PureView rear camera with triple LED flash and a front camera of 5MP with wide-angle lens.

While Lumia 950 is backed by a 3,000mAh battery, 950XL comes with a slightly bigger battery of 3,340mAh. Microsoft also announced that Lumia 950Xl will feature liquid cooling technology to dissipate the heat.

According to Balogun, Microsoft is always given to fashioning out creative and smart processes to aid its devices’ users achieve more, without been boxed in an office space.

On the Lumia 950 XL, he said, “The moments you want to remember happen so fast. That’s why we designed a 20 MP sensor that automatically reduces motion blur for sharper, more detailed photos. And with unique features like triple LED natural flash and Rich Capture auto mode, challenging lighting conditions won’t stop you from turning magic moments into precious memories”.

Lumia 950, Balogun said, is “Built to do great things. Unleash the potential of your digital life with a stunning Quad HD display. Run the most demanding apps without missing a beat and power up quickly with USB-C Fast Charging. With a super-fast processor, a large capacity battery, and wireless charging, the Lumia 950 Dual SIM has the power and performance that you’d expect from a premium smartphone.”

Microsoft Dock: A Smart Transition
“You can connect your Lumia 950 or 950 XL to a display dock and do more with an external monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse. In other words, the Office apps and Outlook scale up to create a big screen-optimized work environment that makes you more productive. It’s a PC-like experience that’s powered by your phone. This is an innovation driven by passion for our customers to do and achieve more.

“Therefore, plug your Lumia 950 or 950 XL into a Display Dock and the external monitor starts up. The keyboard and mouse are ready to go, and with a 60 FPS refresh rate, catching up on email is flicker-free and super-smooth. With full HD output and a USB-C port that charges your phone while you work, it’s a quick and easy way to get the productivity advantages of using a bigger screen,” he said.

He added that while one is working on an external monitor, the user can still maximize the Lumia 950 or the 950 XL like would normally; answer phone calls and send text messages without interrupting what’s on the big screen.