Microsoft has unveiled its latest premium and mid-range Lumia devices in Kenya to showcase the power of Windows 10 Operating System on mobile, which was launched last year. The premium devices — Lumia 950 and 950XL – were unveiled alongside the Lumia 650 and 550, which categorised as affordable.
Both the Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL combine familiar and consistent Windows experience with powerful hardware and are the first premium phones running on Windows 10.
“The simple fact is that the most personal device that we have to get things done is our phone and we are working tirelessly to make sure that we do our best to give consumers the most productive phones, which fits right into our mission to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more,” said Mr King’ori Gitahi, Microsoft Operative Product & Device Manager for East, Central and West Africa
One of the most delightful features of the Microsoft Lumia 950 is the ability to transform a mobile device into a PC-like experience with Continuum for Phones and the Microsoft Display Dock.
“This feature gives users the ability to run their Microsoft Office applications in the absence of a laptop or desktop,” said Mr King’ori.
The Microsoft Display Dock enables users to use the phone to scale apps beautifully on a bigger screen when connected, or work on an Office document, browse the Internet and even stream full HD movies downloaded from the Windows Store. The dock also allows users to make or receive calls while running other applications on the extended screen.
Additionally, the devices come with the latest-generation PureView cameras with 20-megapixel sensors, triple LED natural flash and 4K video capture, the Microsoft Lumia 950 and Microsoft Lumia 950 XL enable faster focus and crisper images and videos even in challenging conditions.
The Microsoft Lumia 950 is retailing at Ksh65,000 while the Lumia 950 XL version, which has a larger display, comes at Ksh69,999. Both phones will come with the Microsoft Display dock free of charge.
On the other hand, the Microsoft Lumia 650 comes in a sophisticated, metal design and also runs Windows. The device, which is the latest mid-range phone, is retailing at Ksh23,000. “The Microsoft Lumia 650 is built for business users and Windows fans alike and brings the power of Windows 10 to your pocket with beautiful craftsmanship and protection against modern security threats,” said Mr King’ori.
With a highly polished, diamond cut and anodised aluminum frame, measuring at only 6.9mm thick, the Microsoft Lumia 650 is Microsoft’s thinnest phone. Its crisp 5 inch HD display provides a clear and bright viewing experience, even in direct sunlight. The Microsoft Lumia 650 also features up to 200GB of expandable memory for flexibility on the go.
Most affordable smartphone
The Microsoft Lumia 550 is Microsoft’s most affordable 4G LTE smartphone running Windows 10. The phone is targeted at people who value affordability, uncompromised quality and signature Microsoft services. The device combines superfast Internet, the latest Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ quad-core processor with ultrafast LTE speeds, and the best of Microsoft services and retails at KES13, 999.
As of January 2016, there were more than 200 million monthly active devices around the world running Windows 10 and the latest version of Windows continues to be on the fastest growth trajectory of any version of Windows – ever – outpacing Windows 7 by nearly 140% and Windows 8 by nearly 400%.
With Windows 10, users can do more with their devices, delivering innovations like Cortana, Windows Hello, Microsoft Edge, Continuum, the Xbox app and so much more to our consumers’ PC, tablet, or phones. It’s more personal, more productive safer and more secure. It’s also familiar and automatically up to date and offers the best solution, most secure for enterprise customers, with a secure platform offering rich manageability and deployment innovations.
“One of the guiding principles of the Microsoft devices vision is that it’s not just about the device itself, but what you’re able to get done with it” said Kingori.
The new Microsoft Lumia devices are available at Midcom & partner outlets countrywide.
