Microsoft Lumia 950, Lumia 950 XL Release Date, Pre-Order, Specs, and Price Cuts

By Komfie Manalo
Microsoft Lumia 950
Microsoft Lumia 950 (Photo: Microsoftstore.com)

Those in Ireland looking for a new smartphone to tinker with or to give as a gift to their loved ones in time for the holidays can rejoice. The Ireland Microsoft Store site is the latest to announce that it would be accepting preorders for their highly-anticipated Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL. 

The official launch of the two flagship phones for Microsoft is still a few weeks away. However, those who cannot wait and want to make sure they can get their hands on the latest smartphone can pre-order on Ireland Microsoft Store site already. Other Microsoft stores around Europe had earlier announced the same. 

Like other pre-order listings in Europe, the Ireland Microsoft Store site prices the Lumia 950 at $650 (€599). The bigger counterpart, Lumia 950 XL, is priced at $759 (€699). Both units are available in either black or white.

Both smartphones are set to be shipped on November 27. But the tech giant has announced that the shipping dates can be changed before the official launch, so it is best to stay tuned. 

Interestingly, some European countries have already announced price cuts for the units even before the official retail launch. Microsoft in the United Kingdom dropped the prices first, pre-selling the Lumia 950 at $692 (€629) and the 950 XL at $815 (€741).

Phone Arena reported that Amazon France quickly followed suit, announcing that the black Lumia 950 can be had for $611 (€563) and the Lumia 950 XL at $705 (€649) regardless of the color they choose. Amazon France ships to Europe so those interested in the new generation Lumia smartphones can get them cheaper here than anywhere else even if Microsoft UK announced a price cut.

The flagships from the tech giant are expected to do wonders and thrive in the already saturated smartphone market. The phones are expected to be running on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset, which features a Kryo 64-bit processor. This will be complemented by the Adreno 530 graphics processing unit.

The Lumia 950 is slightly smaller and lighter than the 950 XL, according to Pocket-Lint.com. Both feature a metal frame with a polycarbonate back, and similar design that includes a large rear camera lens. The Lumia 950, however, has a silver ring around its rear camera.

The two models also offer USB Type-C for faster data transfer and charging. This technology can only be seen on a select number of mobile phones at the moment, including the new Nexus model and the OnePlus 2. The Lumia 950 has 5.2-inch display while the 950 XL comes with a larger 5.7-inch screen. Both of them sport a Quad High Definition resolution, but the 950 has a sharper display as it features more pixels per inch (ppi).

Pocket-Lint.com reported that Microsoft used AMOLED displays on the two models for more vibrancy, as well as a Glance Screen to let users view certain information without the need to switch on the display. The tech company's new flagship Lumia devices will also come with a 5-megapixel front camera and 20-megapixel PureView rear camera. Also, both will sport a Natural Flash feature, which Microsoft claims will prevent the red-eye occurrence.

The Lumia 950 has a hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, 32-gigabyte internal storage, 3-gigabyte of RAM, 3000mAh battery, and a microSD slot that supports up to 200 gigabytes. The 950 XL, meanwhile, comes with a faster octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor. While this model includes the same RAM, internal storage, and microSD support, it has a better battery capacity at 3,340mAh.

Microsoft is serious on its foray into the smartphone business. After these two flagships, the company is also looking to launch more phones in the coming months, more likely a Surface phone in the first quarter of 2016.

Pre-ordering from Microsoft Ireland can be done here.

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