With one eye on Asian phablet-loving markets and the other on business markets in Europe, Microsoft has very carefully tailored the new Lumia XL to appeal to both sets of users while keeping cost as low as possible.

The 4xx and 5xx series of Microsoft Lumias are aimed squarely at the bottom and budget ends of the smartphone market, while the 6xx series has always been about providing some serious technology but while keeping the price as low as possible.

The and both did that job admirably and I know of many regular users who are still happy with both devices. Yet time marches on and Windows 10, in this case, looms, as an update for all.

We have this in for review and you’ll be seeing that in a week or so’s time. Why the delay? Because the LTE was launched with a sister device that’s arguably more interesting.

The Lumia XL LTE can be thought of as a larger version of the regularwith higher specifications in terms of components, or as a slightly smaller development of ‘s Lumia phablet.

The numbering does make sense though, since the and XL are so close in terms of amibitions, relative pricing, design language and general specification.

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From left to right, the Lumia, XL and Of note are the manufacturer logos, with Microsoft on the two in the middle, plus only the has physical capacitive Windows Phone controls In the hand, the Lumia XL feels tough and solid, helped by the plastics used and by the textured finish, at least used on the white-backed review sample.

Microsoft says that the sold very well into the business market and that the XL is designed to do exactly the same.

Video capture is at a maximum of p and with only mono capture plus, again, no OIS , but this is again quite reasonable at the price. Microsoft lumia 640 xl lte dual sim device Process technology Information about the process technology used in manufacturing the chip. GPRS – restricted -.

You can see why:. Microsoft said at the launch that the was widely felt to be just a little too big, which explains the step down from 6″ to 5.

As a phablet, the XL is still a little too wide to be held and used comfortably one handed, but then that comes with the territory.

From its one-handed beginnings, Windows Phone has evolved, like the other smartphone OS, to require a variety of gestures from all corners of the screen and taps at all points in an interface, so consider this a two handed device for all intents and purposes.

The design language is familiar, with the slightly chamfered slab sides and gently pillowed contours on the back, plus a slight bump for protection for the camera glass.

Nothing earth shattering, though the Microsoft logo does stand out proudly on this white review unit, along with a repeat of the name on the front in much more understated shade just below the phone’s earpiece.

The side buttons don’t include one for the camera, as you’d traditionally find on the higher end Lumias and also on theby the waybut they’re easy to find without looking and are positive in action.

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A single slot serves for the mono speaker, but it’s nice and loud and I had no complaints. It’s probably the same component as in the likes of the Lumia and In theory it’s easily blocked, but the camera ‘bump’ hold the back surface away from obstructions almost all the time.

Like the other budget Lumias, and unlike the before it, the back can be taken off on the XL by gently applying pressure on any of the shell’s edges, pulling backwards and then prying off all round.

Underneath is a mAh battery, slightly smaller than the ‘s but then it’s replaceable and you can envisage any business arrangement including a supply of spares for employees needing them or who have abused their originals.

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So a win overall. The pads inside the back cover are to cover the main heat sink stopping the back from getting hot in one spotto stop creaks and, around the camera glass The result of all this is, in fairness, that when the cover’s on, there are no extraneous noises and the phone feels like a unibody design.

Windows 7 cannot install drivers for Lumia XL – Microsoft Community

Also visible with the back off are the two SIM slots though only one was available on the review sample – this will vary according to market and the microSD slot, capable of raising storage by up to GB.

A recent move in the smartphone world generally has been to go to ‘virtual’ controls e.

The system works better than you might think you get used to it very quicklysaves a little on build cost and offers the chance to have a larger usable display for a given form factor.

Potentially, anyway – there’s still a good centimetre of bezel above and below the screen on the XL.

Wasted space or valuable gripping area? A subjective call! The controls disappear automatically when needed, too. For example, when playing back a video or video stream online.

They’re certainly a big improvement on glaringly backlit physical controls that refuse to dim down on higher end phones and ruin the video experience.

On the 5. And rather belies the craziness that is Quad HD screens creeping into flagships – often with smaller displays.

A Snapdragon and a p screen here are well matched. I was delighted to see the full ClearBlack Display polarisers used and not the half-baked ‘Lite’ single-plane polariser from the and before it.

As a result, visibility outdoors is superb, similar to that on the Lumiaand on a par with the best in the world.

With the launch firmware, there’s a delay in the background of ten seconds or more per shot while the images are combined.

The average user won’t notice the resolution drop or indeed the background processing unless they try and shoot several rich captures very quickly after the other, in which case a ‘Saving Which is fair enough, and the XL isn’t supposed to be an imaging powerhouse Rich Capture in Lumia Camera 5 is present – see the pop-up confirmation here – and works really well, despite the slowish background processing; right ‘Living images’ too.

Not a flagship camera, but a lot you can do, certainly Here are some example photos, taken in a variety of light conditions, click on each thumbnail to open up or download the full JPG for further inspection:.

Great results in good light, even if the ‘purity’ at the pixel level is not quite there – these two shots make use of the Lumia Camera 5 ‘Rich Capture’ mode, to good effect.

A couple of more standard ‘Auto’ shots the first inthe other aspect ratio optionagain very decent indeed at this price point for a smartphone camera Back in the garden, one shot without and one with Rich Capture – yes, light was perfect, but I was still very pleased by the results In low and very low light then, better than expected results, especially given the lack of OIS.

Video capture is at a maximum of p and with only mono capture plus, again, no OISbut this is again quite reasonable at the price.

Overall, imaging was roughly equivalent in quality and resolution to that in the HTC One M9which I was testing only last week.

Running Windows Phone 8. All settings are now grouped thematically and tapping on any of the section headings brings up a pick list so that you can jump to another section.

Much better than the old way of doing things, though I do worry that it’ll all get changed again when Windows 10 arrives? You can also pin any individual setting to your Start screen, which is handy if you’re in the habit of toggling something.

Microsoft Lumia XL full specs – PhoneArena

Aside from this, we’re mainly talking under the hood improvements, especially in terms of Bluetooth and especially in terms of device management, with ‘find my phone’ now allowing remote locking and erasing, should the worst happen and you get separated from your smartphone.

Note the ‘All apps’ indicator, bottom right, also note the absence of a ‘Camera’ app – instead it’s just Lumia Camera here So nothing earth shattering, but a solid update and a pretty mature platform, even if not all the third party applications that everyone wants are available in every region hint: social, banking.

The combination of the large screen and swipe-away Windows Phone controls does make the Lumia XL very suitable for Office work and emails.

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Included is a year’s worth of Office Personal, i. Working full-screen in Office, i. Ah, the hooks into the year’s free Office don’t seem to be working yet.

You have to search for, find and install a special ‘Gift’ app – this then checks eligibility and provides you with an Office code via email ‘on a PC or Mac’ – you can’t complete activation on a smartphone, it seems.

It’s a tiny bit convoluted, pasting in each part of a lengthy product key, bit by bit, but it did work in the end.

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So, who’s going to buy the Lumia XL? I’d expect the XL to be something eyed up by any Windows Phone owner without a or above, i. Ditto owners of budget Android phones, unless they’re too locked into Google services.

But that’s just consumers.

The device is a tablet device. The latest Nokia phones and accessories | Nokia phones Yet time marches on and Windows 10, in this case, looms, as an update for all.

As I alluded to earlier, businesses are the main target here, with many companies buying up large quantities of Lumias as a way to get Outlook and Office-friendly smartphones with large screens out to employees without it costing the earth.

There are compromises in the XL, but they’re sensible ones. The critical elements, such as screen, camera, battery and expendability, have been given attention and as a result this phablet has got a real chance of making an impact.