Microsoft Lumia 640, 640 XL Release Date, Price and Specs

By Richard Waelty
Lumia 640
Lumia 640

With the Microsoft Lumia 640 and 640 XL being released worldwide, three U.S. wireless service providers are making preparations for the impending U.S. launch.

AT&T already announced that it will carry that Microsoft 640 XL, while T-Mobile and MetroPCS will sell the Microsoft Lumia 640. All three carriers have yet to confirm a starting price and an actual release date. T-Mobile vaguely stated that the Lumia 640 will be ready this spring. According to Phone Arena, the release date for both devices may come as early as May of this year.

What should consumers expect out of Microsoft's latest offer? The devices are also powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 400, 1.2 GHz processor with 1 GB of RAM. Both handsets pack 8 GB of expandable storage space. Right out of the box, the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL come with Windows 8.1. Owners can still update their devices to Windows 10, whose release date is pending. Windows 10 is expected to start hitting shelves this coming summer.

The main difference between the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL is their screens. The Lumia 640 has a 5-inch display with 720x1280 pixels, while the Lumia 640 XL sports the slightly larger 5.7-inch display with 720p graphics.

Other differences include the camera and battery capacity. The Lumia 640 has an 8 MP rear camera, along with a 0.9 MP forward-facing camera. On the other hand, the Lumia 640 XL has the higher-res 13 MP rear camera, along with a 5 MP front camera.The Lumia 640 has a 2500 mAH battery while the Lumia 640 XL has the 3000 mAH battery.

Regarding weight, the Lumia 640 weighs in at 5.11 oz (145g) and the Lumia 640 XL weighs 6.3 oz (171g). The Lumia 640 measures 5.56 x 2.84 x 0.35 inches, while the wider Lumia 640 XL measures at 6.22 x 3.21 x 0.35 inches.

Under the hood, the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL come with Cortana - Microsoft's proprietary digital assistant who organizes and keeps track of the user's daily life. The software is named for the iconic artificial-intelligence character from Microsoft's Halo videogame series. Cortana is expected to be a feature in all major Microsoft devices sometime in the future.

Meanwhile, the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL debuted earlier this year in March, at the 2015 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. At this time, the phones are only available in the UK and India. Even so, the supply situation will likely change in the weeks ahead.

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