Optus will be the exclusive telco partner with Microsoft to launch the new Lumia 950 and 950 XL handsets, and will bundle an Xbox One for the first 300 customers who bite.
The bonus is only for customers choosing an $80 My Plan Plus or higher and comes with a 1TB hard drive in the Xbox One and a FIFA 16 game download.
The Lumia 950 is $0 on an $80 plan, while the larger 950 XL adds $4 per month in handset repayments.
Both Lumia handsets mark a return for Microsoft, which hasn’t released a top tier flagship smartphone since it took over branding from Nokia last year. Instead, Microsoft’s releases in 2015 have focused on the low- and mid-tier pricing tiers.
Alluring Lumias?
The Lumia 950 and XL both look to have all of the components we’d expect in a premium model. Large 2K resolution screens (5.2- and 5.7-inches respectively.) Both are powered by Qualcomm processor and have 3GB RAM, plus 32GB of onboard storage.
Most importantly, these are the first handsets to run on the Windows 10 platform, which Microsoft expects will unify the various devices which rely on its operating system, including laptops and the Xbox One gaming console.
Windows 10 brings the Cortana voice-guided personal assistant to the 950 and XL. Like Apple’s Siri, Cortana can answer questions, save appointments and remind users of important events, among many other functions.
Microsoft takes the Windows 10 experience a step further with a new app called Continuum. With the phone paired to a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, Continuum can simulate a desktop environment. The jury is still out on how useful this feature is, but it sure is a great idea.
Joseph Hanlon
Related Articles
