Windows operating system is the third-most popular platform used by smartphones – trailing Android and iOS. But Microsoft apparently wants to claim more ground in the smartphone space with the release of its latest Windows 10 Mobile OS, which packs amazing features that aims at turning a phone into a full fledged PC. Here are some of the best smartphones running on the Windows 10 platform with prices (were available) and specs.
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Phones running on the new Windows 10 OS have just started trickling in and the Redmond, Washington-based tech giant holds the aces for now. We present the best Windows 10 Mobile phones that have surfaced thus far.
Microsoft Lumia 950
The recently-unveiled Lumia 950 is a stunner with high-end features. The phone crams in a breathtaking 5.2-inch AMOLED display with a Quad HD resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels, promising jaw-dropping viewing quality.
You are going to love this device, if you are a picture-taking freak, with its highly robust 20-megapixel main camera with Carl Zeiss optics and triple LED natural flash. The somewhat slim phone comes with 32GB of onboard storage, to which you can add 200 GB more using a microSD card.
Under the hood, Microsoft Lumia 950 carries a six-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, which delivers speeds of up to 1.8 GHz. The chip is married to an ample 3 GB of RAM.
Being powered by Windows 10 OS, you should expect some exciting features such as Continuum and Cortana. The Continuum feature lets you transform the Microsoft flagship into a Windows 10 PC by connecting with an external display, a keyboard and a mouse via a Display Dock accessory.
The Lumia 950 is equipped with a 3000mAh battery and it supports USB Fast Charging to make it possible to boost battery capacity to 50% in only 30 minutes of charging. The Windows 10 Mobile phone also supports wireless charging.
Microsoft has already opened pre-order for the phone in the United States for about $549.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL
As its name clearly indicates, this smartphone is the larger variant of Microsoft Lumia 950. It is not only just about size, however; the Lumia 950 XL offers a bit of boost in specs.
The Windows 10 phone sports a massive 5.7-inch AMOLED touchscreen with similar Quad HD (1440p) resolution of its smaller brother. It also features a six-lens, 20-megapixel camera with triple LED flash, optical image stabilisation (OIS) and a dedicated camera shutter button. That shooter records 4K videos at 30 frames per second. You get similar 5-megapixel selfie camera, as seen on the Lumia 950.
Described by Microsoft as its most powerful smartphone to date, the Lumia 950 XL is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, which is clocked at a speed of 2.0 GHz.
It has similar RAM of 3 GB and onboard storage of 32 GB, extendable by an extra 2TB. The massive phone promises rich Windows 10 PC-like experience, just the regular Lumia 950. It comes with a larger 3340mAh battery, which also supports USB-C Fast Charging.
Microsoft has already opened pre-order for the phone in the United States for about $649.
Acer Jade Primo
The newly-unveiled Acer Liquid Jade Primo is probably the only other Windows 10 device that comes close to the two latest Lumia flagships. In fact, it has even been described as the first smartphone to offer Continuum support.
Announced at IFA 2015 in Berlin, the phone will come with a display dock as well as a keyboard and mouse (in the box) to let you perform regular PC tasks. It can run x86-based Windows apps.
The Jade Primo packs in a huge 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, which is clearly outdone by the two Microsoft Lumia flagship devices.
It offers a heavy-duty camera combo of a 21-megapixel main camera with dual LED flash and an 8-megapixel selfie camera. The Windows 10 phone muscles its way through tasks with the help of a hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, which runs along at a maximum speed of 1.8 GHz. The 64-bit chip is paired with an Adreno 418 GPU.
No price has been set for the Jade Primo and Acer has also said there will be a variant with a 5.0-inch display.
If you are looking to get a powerful smartphone running latest Windows OS, the aforementioned devices fit the bill. They are undoubtedly the best Windows 10 phones that have been unveiled thus far, especially when you consider their ability to also serve as a PC of sorts.
But you will need to wait a while before you will be able to lay your hands on a unit.
