Microsoft has launched a new Lumia-branded Windows 10 Mobile smartphone, the fourth device to sport the operating system anywhere in the world.
Priced at $199 before local taxes and subsidies, the Lumia 650 comes in black or white, and will only be made available in a handful of European markets from February 18. The smartphone is being pitched as a “business class” device, with a focus on productivity and security. “By providing a consistent experience across PC and phone through the power of Windows 10, we think professionals and Windows fans alike will love using it every day,” said Samuli Hänninen, general manager of Microsoft’s phones program management.
The device sports a 5” OLED display, aluminum frame, 5MP wide angle, front-facing camera, 8MP rear-facing camera, and 16GB of internal storage (expandable up to 200GB via micro SD).
Above: Lumia 650
Windows 10 Mobile is Microsoft’s attempt to finally succeed in the smartphone realm, a market dominated by Android and iOS devices. As a successor to Windows Phone, Windows 10 Mobile is tightly aligned with its broader Windows 10 operating system (OS) for PCs, as the company looks to unify platforms with a single OS. As part of this rollout, Microsoft has also previously revealed middleware tools to make it easier for developers to port their apps from iOS or Android over to Windows 10 Mobile.
The previous year, Microsoft wrote off $7.6 billion following its acquisition of mobile phone giant Nokia, with CEO Satya Nadella saying at the time that Microsoft would refocus the company’s efforts away from “devices and services.” However, that clearly doesn’t mean that it’s giving up completely on its smartphone dream, with four new Windows 10 mobile devices now on the market, though with varying degrees of availability.
The latest launch comes two months afer the $139 Lumia 550 was made available in Europe, which was only the third Windows 10 smartphone to launch after the Lumia 950 and 950 XL arrived in November. Microsoft has also repeatedly delayed the rollout of Windows 10 Mobile to existing Windows Phone handsets, though it’s expected to finally happen some time this month.