Although Microsoft has already cancelled the Lumia 850, ongoing leaks suggest the device is still under work. It seems Microsoft was planning to launch the Lumia 850 in the market along with the Lumia 650, but it turns out the device was called “Lumia 650 XL”, and we’ve got the details.
While we think the device is likely cancelled and won’t debut, a new leak from China claims the Lumia 850, aka Honjo, is the Lumia 650 XL. It confirms the Lumia 850 is already cancelled and not coming. These images show the Lumia 650 XL compared with the Lumia 1520 to confirm previously reported specs.
However, one of the interesting titbits in the images is that it shows the Lumia 650 XL running on Windows Phone 8.1, and another image shows it running Windows 10 Mobile.
The reason why the device actually has Windows Phone 8.1 store is that the device is installed with early builds of Windows 10 Mobile.
Here are some nearly confirmed specs of the Lumia 650 XL:
- Display: 5.5 inches, HD (1280×720) LCD
- Rear Camera: 8MP, f/2.2 aperture, 720p Video Recording and Front Camera: 5MP, Still image capture, Video call, Video recording, Iris scanner, and Front flash.
- 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage.
- Dimensions: 155.90 x 77.23 x 6.92 mm
The Lumia 650 XL is most likely cancelled
Lumia 650 XL isn’t happening and we have a few reasons to believe that. First, let’s understand what is wrong with the company’s mobile division
Microsoft officially confirmed the demise of Windows Phones last year. While we could all see this coming, Microsoft’s mobile platform could have been successful and had a different future had the software giant released the cancelled Lumia phones.
The company’s bezel-less phone and the cancelled Surface Phone could have helped the platform if Microsoft had made the right calls at the right time.
Microsoft Lumia 650, the company’s last Windows 10 Mobile handset, failed to impress Windows Phone enthusiasts who were expecting a mid-range smartphone. Microsoft developed the Lumia 650 under the code name “Saimaa” as the successor to the Lumia 640. The company was also developing a successor to the Lumia 640 XL which has never seen daylight.
You will be pleased to know that Lumia 650 XL had a stunning design and slightly better specifications than its smaller variant. This Windows Phone, codenamed Honjo, looks identical to the Lumia 650, though it has got a better and larger display. In the Lumia 650 XL, Microsoft has flipped the position of the Micro-USB charging port and headphone jack, with the former moved to the top position.
The Lumia 650 XL looks nice, though Microsoft wasn’t planning to launch it, and it would have been slightly more expensive than the Lumia 650.
In 2016, Microsoft was taking the necessary steps to phase out the Lumia phone brand, and people with knowledge of the matter have revealed that the company initially planned to pull the phones from the store in December 2016.
At that time, Microsoft remained tight-lipped on everything regarding its mobile division; however, last year, the company ended the sale of Lumia handsets and confirmed that the Windows Phone platform had been discontinued.
