Rumors of new Microsoft flagship phones have been circulating for months now and it’s finally beginning to look like they’re a real thing that’s happening. Earlier this week Satya Nadella announced that official Microsoft flagship phones were on their way, and now today, highly detailed information regarding these devices have appeared on fellow Microsoft news site, Windows Central.
According to the report, these two phones are still going by the codenames Cityman and Talkman internally (as we reported previously) but are not expected to keep those names once announced later this year, possibly in September at the IFA conference in Berlin, followed by a potential October or November release.
Both devices, which are likely to go by their model numbers, Lumia 950 (Talkman) and Lumia 950 XL (Cityman), possibly skipping the Lumia 940 name altogether, have reportedly had their design heavily influenced by Windows 10 and will both feature an iris scanner for the new Windows Hello function while the larger of the two devices, the Lumia 950 XL / Cityman will feature compatibility with the Surface Pro 3 stylus and a specially designed smart cover, both of which will be sold separately.
Each phone will feature a square Windows symbol on the rear of the device (in identical fashion to the one used for the Surface 3) and the Microsoft name will be prominently displayed above the screen on the front in the same way the Nokia name is used on their current phones. The phones themselves will come in either a matte white or black polycarbonate color variation and the up and down volume keys will interestingly be separated by the phones’ power button.
Here’s the complete list of leaked specifications for each phone. Keep in mind that while this information is apparently very accurate and does correlate with other rumors we’ve been hearing, Microsoft has yet to announce any specific details regarding their flagship phones at this time.
Talkman (Lumia 950)
- Matte White or black polycarbonate body
- 5.2 inch WQHD (1440×2560) OLED display
- Snapdragon 808, 64-bit Hexa core
- Iris scanner (infrared) for Windows Hello
- 3GB of RAM
- 32GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot
- 20MP PureView rear camera
- 5MP Wide-angle front facing camera
- 3000 mAh removable battery
- Qi wireless charging with flip cover
- USB Type-C
Cityman (Lumia 950 XL)
- Matte White or black polycarbonate body
- 5.7 inch WQHD (1440×2560) OLED display
- Snapdragon 810, 64-bit Octa core
- Iris scanner (infrared) for Windows Hello
- 3GB of RAM
- 32GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot
- 20MP PureView rear camera with triple LED flash
- 1mm silver ring inside the circumference of the black camera pod
- Aluminum side buttons
- 5MP Wide-angle front facing camera
- 3300 mAh removable battery
- Qi wireless charging integrated
- USB Type-C
Personally I think these two new flagship phones sound awesome but what do you think? Are these specs enough to convince you to upgrade your Windows Phone? Is there something missing that you’d like to see added? What about those codenames? Is it time we moved beyond basic Lumia numbering? Let us know all your thoughts in the comments below and check back soon for more information on Microsoft’s new flagship phones as it breaks.
Further reading: Cityman, Lumia, Microsoft, Talkman, Windows 10 Mobile, Windows Phone
