Microsoft launches three new smartphones

Technology giant Microsoft on Tuesday launched three new smartphones - LUmia 950 XL, Lumia 950 and the Lumia 550 - at prices of $649, $549 and $139 respectively.

"The objective of launching the Lumia phones is to put Windows 10 into consumers' pockets. The devices will ensure that an user has a continious experience and is productive on-the-go," said Microsoft's Surface and Lumia division vice president Panos Panay.

"Over 1,000 businesses have chosen Lumia phones in the last year," he added.

The Lumia 950 family will come with adaptive antenna technology which will ensure better connectivity at all points. The new technology includes embedding two antennas instead of one in the phone.

The Lumia 950, which comes with a 5.2-inch phone supporting 519 pixels per inch (ppi), is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 hexa-core processor and a 3 GB RAM unit. Internal memory on the device will be 32 GB.

Powered by a 3,000 mAH battery, it will come with a 20-megapixel rear camera and a five-megapixel front camera.

On the other hand, the 950 XL will have a 5.7-inch display powered by a Snapdragon 810 octa-core 2GHz processor along with a 3GB RAM unit. The storage and camera capabilities will be the same as in the 950 with the battery being scaled to 3,340mAh battery

Both the phones will come with Type-C USB connectors and will also support Microsoft's new docking station which allows the phone to be connected to a monitor, mouse and keyboard and then be used as a desktop.

The phones, which will be available end of the month, will come with Windows Hello and windows continuum. Microsoft will accept pre-orders starting Tuesday.

Dubbed Continuum for Phones, the new technology designed to take advantage of new universal apps that run across Windows 10 on phones, PCs, tablets, and the Xbox One.

On the other hand, Windows Hello is a more personal way to sign in to a Windows 10 device with just a look or a touch and it also promises enterprise-grade security.