The Microsoft Lumia 850 is expected to replace the Lumia 830, which launched back in 2013, although, the American tech giant is yet to make an official announcement regarding the same. The device was initially rumored to be showcased at the Mobile World Congress, which was held back in February 2016, although, no sign of the smartphone was found at the event,
Microsoft is rumored to be currently working on the device, although, the first reports of the smartphone dates back to July 2015. Initially expected to release alongside the Lumia 550, there is still no sign of the device on the horizon. Even though numerous reports claim that Microsoft is getting ready to launch the device soon, there is no official word on the table.
Hence, readers are advised to take up every piece of information with a pinch of salt. With Microsoft launching the 650 too, it is unlikely for the 850 to launch anytime soon, although, we have no concrete evidence to back up the claims.
According to a popular news tabloid, a device codenamed RM-1182 has supposedly passed the 3C certification in China and many are of the opinion that this device is the elusive Lumia 850. There are two angles to this story and both of them are equally likely.
One, since Microsoft has launched all the important smartphones in its lineup, it is possible that they are devoting their time in working on the Lumia 850. Two, they might not be interested in launching a rival product in the market, since, it might eat into the sales figures of the Lumia 650.
However, a few images of a smartphone have been spied online, resembling the Lumia lineup, fueling suspicion of a possible release within the next few months. If the smartphone is indeed a part of the Lumia lineup, then Microsoft has put in some serious effort.
The spy shots reveal a 5.4-inch full HD display, along with a 1.5 GHZ Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor and Adreno 405 GPU. The device further has a front-facing LED flash, which means that this is the first time that a Lumia device is embedded with such a feature. While the device sports a 5 MP secondary camera, it is rumored to feature a 10 MP primary lens.
The Microsoft Lumia 850 is further rumored to feature 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of built-in memory along with a 2,650 mAh power source. We have no information on an external SD card slot while the device features Cat.7 LTE connectivity.
The smartphone is expected to feature four different color options, including black, white, gold and dark silver.
Rumors of Microsoft working on the Lumia 650 XL is also on the cards and many believe that the spy shots are of the mid-segment smartphone. However, without an official word from Microsoft, it is very difficult to ascertain whether the leaked images indeed belong to the 650 XL or he 850. As a result, we leave it to the imagination of the readers.
According to a popular online tech magazine, the Microsoft Lumia 650 XL will either be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 or 212 chipset, which is also the most exciting part about the mid-range smartphone.
Design-wise the 650 XL is likely to be very similar to the Lumia 850, which makes it all the more difficult for us to comment on the model at the moment. Microsoft needs to step up their game since Windows-powered smartphones are nowhere close to Android-powered or iOS backed smartphones.
As long as Microsoft continues to sidestep Verizon Wireless and Sprint in the US by releasing phones that are not compatible with those networks, sales figures of Microsoft branded phones will continue to be smaller than if they were compatible with all service providers.
As long as Microsoft continues to sidestep Verizon Wireless and Sprint in the US by releasing phones that are not compatible with those networks, sales figures of Microsoft branded phones will continue to be smaller than if they were compatible with all service providers.