News about the Lumia 650 has been circling the news cycle for some time now, but without any substantial evidence of its existence, fans have had to cling to renders and speculation. Microsoft’s chief marketing recently confirmed the existence of the Lumia 650 during a podcast, but had no dates or images of the device to offer at the time. Fortunately, someone close to the development of the 650 has given fans a little more to go on.
Images of a 650 prototype codenamed Saana have surfaced online. While the pictures were thought to be cleverly photoshopped fantasy, the folks over at VentureBeat have been able to confirm the specs and assumed the retail appearance of the device.
Unfortunately, Microsoft created such a solid device with a great value proposition in the Lumia 640 last year that the upcoming Lumia 650 seems like a lackluster upgrade in comparison. VentureBeat is reporting that the Lumia 650 will offer a similar 1280 x 720 LCD screen with 1GB of RAM, 8MP rear camera, and same Snapdragon 210 processor as the current Lumia 550. When it comes to battery, the Lumia 650 will be coming in lower than the current 640 or even 550. Users of Windows 10 Mobile Insider previews may be a bit wary (and rightly so) of any device not packing a powerful batter, as W10M has yet to be optimized for battery efficiency it seems. There is no mention of quick-charging but, luckily, the Lumia 650 is also reported to be packing wireless charging capabilities. Some are speculating that the device might hit shelves within the next three months, with no XL variant in sight. Keep in mind, nothing has been confirmed, and things could change in the coming days or months.
When all is said and done, it seems the Lumia 650 is more a design upgrade than a spec improvement over the Lumia 640. Sources at VentureBeat report that the fit and finish of the device appears a bit more premium, following the Lumia 950 and 950 XL design cues. Some Lumia 950 and 950 XL owners would argue that their Lumia follows more of a Lumia 640 design feel, thus negating the Lumia 650’s upgrade in general.
Lumia’s are, for better or worse, becoming known for being well-crafted low to mid-range smartphone offerings such as the Lumia 640. Despite the release of the Lumia 950 and 950 XL, some Lumia fans, for various reason are left yearning for a respectably priced Windows 10 Mobile smartphone. Unfortunately, using the Windows 10 Mobile Insider preview on a Lumia 640 may ultimately become a better experience for most as Microsoft continues to flush old Nokia inventory.
