Microsoft has officially unveiled its latest and greatest smartphones, introducing the Windows 10-powered Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL, which boast exciting new features unavailable elsewhere.
Up until now, Microsoft has released only affordable smartphones this year, and fans were eagerly waiting to see what the company had in store for its 2015 flagships. The premium-priced Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL definitely don't disappoint, as they boast top-notch specs and features that make the wait worthwhile.
Not only do the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL come with premium designs and the latest Windows 10 out of the box, they are also the very first Lumia handsets to rock QHD resolutions of 2560 x 1440 pixels, as well as other powerful hardware specs. Furthermore, the two new Lumia flagships also offer some unique features that cannot be found on other smartphones.
Here are the top five features Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL owners will likely appreciate most.
1. Liquid Cooling
Amid increasing rumbles regarding overheating smartphones, the Microsoft Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL come with a great new feature called Liquid Cooling. Similar to how computers ensure they don't overheat by cooling down their internals, the new Liquid Cooling technology in the latest Lumia flagships is designed to keep the CPU internals cool, especially the chipset.
According to Microsoft, the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL offer "tablet-class cooling," acting like mini-computers. Considering that the larger Lumia 950 XL phablet packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, infamous for overheating issues, this Liquid Cooling tech should go a long way.
2. Windows 10 Continuum
The much-touted Windows 10 Continuum feature allows the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL to connect to a monitor, as well as a mouse and keyboard, via the Microsoft Display Dock. Once they're connected to this setup, the user interface will immediately switch to one that resembles a Windows 10 desktop, complete with a Start menu and other options. This basically enables Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL owners to use their phones as computers.
3. Windows 10 Mobile
Windows 10 Mobile is the mobile version of Microsoft's latest operating system. The Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL are among the first smartphones to run Windows 10 Mobile, which offers a number of neat features in addition to the Continuum option. Windows 10 Mobile also allows developers to easily turn their Windows desktop applications into mobile versions by using universal app support.
Cortana gets notably improved support and better syncing across devices, and Windows 10 Mobile also adds great tweaks to apps such as Camera, Messaging, People, Photos, Office Mobile, and OneDrive. One-handed mode, meanwhile, is another highlight of Windows 10 Mobile that should prove quite useful.
4. Windows Hello
Windows Hello is a biometric authentication option that allows the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL to securely verify potential users just by looking at their faces. Users will no longer need to submit their login credentials to unlock the devices and access their applications — all they have to do is hold the phone up in front of their face and unlock it with their unique facial features.
5. USB Type-C
An increasing number of high-end devices will start using the USB Type-C standard, and the latest Lumia flagships are joining the party as well. USB Type-C ports allow for faster data transfers and charging and users will no longer have to worry about plugging in the cable the wrong way. Microsoft opted for the USB 3.1 specification, which delivers better audio-visual capabilities and transfer rates, while allowing for fast battery charging, from 0 to 50 percent in only half an hour.
These are just the top five features that will likely prove to be the most useful, but the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL have plenty of other neat perks to offer, including high-end cameras with triple-LED and neat camera software, a new Windows experience, powerful performance and more.
