Last Lumia Standing? Low Cost Lumia 650 Brings Snapdragon 212, 5-Inch Display To Windows 10 Mobile
Microsoft is targeting the Lumia 650 at business customers and has actually infused the device with a somewhat higher quality build than the flagship Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL. The smartphone features a diamond cut and anodized aluminum frame, measures in at just 6.9mm thick and weighs in at a feathery 4.3 ounces.
“This really is a beautiful phone. We’ve paid attention to every detail, pairing the highest level of craftsmanship with maximum everyday productivity,” said VP Lumia Device Product Management Samuli Hänninen. “It’s in that spirit that we designed the Lumia 650 to bring first class to business class; giving our customers the best of Microsoft productivity and security, all wrapped in a beautiful slim package.”
Inside the Lumia 650, you'll find a pokey 1.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 processor with a mere 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, microSD slot that is expandable to 200GB) and a 5-inch OLED 720p display covered with Gorilla Glass 3. Other features include an 8MP rear camera, 5MP front-facing camera, Bluetooth 4.1, 802.11n, LTE connectivity, NFC support and a removable 2000mAh battery.
Given that the Lumia 650 is primarily being aimed at business customers, it actually sacrifices a key Windows 10 Mobile business feature that Microsoft has been touting: Continuum support. The Lumia 650 lacks the processing hardware to to support Continuum, so that feature remains reserved for the flagship Windows 10 Mobile devices in the Lumia family.
The Lumia 650 will first launch in select European markets starting February 18th, and will eventually make it to our shores with a suggested retail price of $199.
While the Lumia 650 is somewhat of a letdown, we can at least look forward to new Microsoft smartphones that are being designed by the Surface hardware team. Whether those upcoming devices will be enough to reverse Windows 10 Mobile’s flagging market share remains to be seen, however.
