Good news for fans of Microsoft's flagship smartphone, the Microsoft Lumia 950. AT&T announced that it would start accepting online pre-order for the handsets on Tuesday (Nov. 17), with the retain inventory ready for delivery on Friday (Nov. 20).
In a report, ZDNet said that AT&T would be the first telecom carrier to roll out the latest Microsoft Lumia 950. There is still no announcement amongst the other major carriers and retail stores have announced the selling date for the much higher-end Microsoft Lumia 950 XL.
Microsoft has unveiled both the Microsoft Lumia 950 and the Microsoft Lumia 950 XL during its event in October. The tech giant highlighted the new Microsoft Window 10 OS and its latest Continuum technology that allows the Lumia handset to be connected to an optional dock, monitor, mouse and keyboard, and the phone could run a desktop-version of mobile apps.
A separate report by PC World said that AT&T is the only carrier currently supporting Windows 10 Mobile, but the deal is not technically exclusive. Other mobile carriers are expected to start selling the Lumia handsets in the coming days.
The report said AT&T is offering four ways to buy the Lumia 950, including an easy installment plan of $19.97 for 30 months, $24.96 for 24 months or $29.95 for 12 months on an AT&T Next plan, all with $0 downpayment. Consumers can also opt to buy the unit at a much cheaper $149.99 with no additional monthly payment, but with a two-year lockdown contract.
And for a limited time, AT&T is offering consumers a Lumia 950 and Microsoft Surface bundle a discounted price of $399.99.
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.
