The New Lumia 950 Series: The Phone That Replaces Your PC–Finally!

It finally happened. The Microsoft dream of having one device across all three screens is almost a reality for the average consumer. The new Lumia 950 and 950XL are the first devices to market that feature Microsoft’s new Continuum mode, which allows a user to connect to a screen adapter and run their device just like their Windows 10 PC, sans the EXE files of course. The great news is that that really won’t matter much going forward as many software makers are exiting the traditional EXE setups and moving towards Universal Apps for Windows. So far, the adoption rate for Win10 on PC’s is moving along better than expected, so look for more major software creators to jump on board in the near future.

Now, moving on to the important part of this, the new devices. On the surface, the 950 and 950XL look like a couple of brothers walking to school together. The little guy (Lumia 950) is rocking a 5.2” QHD screen, while it’s big brother is running a 5.7” version of the display. From there, things get a bit simpler to compare. Both devices feature Windows 10 Mobile, a 20MP camera and 32GB of internal storage. The processors are very similar, but the 950 features the Snapdragon 808 and the 950XL is running the Snapdragon 810.  The 950XL also features a slightly larger battery capacity to power that larger screen a bit further into the day than the standard 3000mAh battery that the 950 is equipped with. Both devices feature a wide angle 5MP front shooter that records 1080p video and that 20MP PureView camera with Fast Focus technology.

The Lumia 950 has been confirmed by AT&T, but a date was not revealed at the event. You can probably wager that Microsoft will be pushing to get the 950 and 950XL into stores before the holiday buying season hits, so look for a November release. This would also put the devices in stores slightly ahead of the official Windows 10 Mobile release in December.

Overall, the new Lumia devices could be exactly what Microsoft was needing to launch to establish a user base, and with less than 3% of the market right now, the new devices can do nothing but help the growth of Windows 10 across all platforms.