Microsoft Surface Phone vs Lumia 950: How Will Microsoft Change the Smartphone Game?

By Christian Ver Marcelo, CP Contributor Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Rumors are abundant that the next generation Microsoft smartphones, the Surface range, will replace the company's Lumia lineup. With the apparent vanishing of the well-received Lumia smartphones, how well will the new Surface devices stack up against the iconic lineup?

Display

There are no clear rumors yet with regards to the specs of the new Surface phones. Some reports say that the new lineup will come in three variants. As to what the differences among these variants would be remain undisclosed. However, it is safe to assume that a key difference would be the screen size. At least one model will come with a 5.2-inch display. It will sport a Quad HD 2K resolution screen with AMOLED technology.

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This goes in line with the latest Lumia 950 smartphone lineup. The smaller unit, the Lumia 950 base model, packs the exact same specs as the rumored Surface phone. The Lumia 950 XL, however, bumps up the screen size to a whopping 5.7 inches.

Hardware and Performance

As stated above, the new Microsoft Surface phones will come in three variants—a consumer model, a business model, and an enthusiast edition. Reports say that while nothing has been confirmed yet, the three models will be created so the company has something to offer for every price tier.

With variegation of models mean that there would also be different hardware grades. Rumors suggest that the main reason behind the Surface phones' launch delay is that Microsoft wanted to push for Kaby Lake processors to power the devices. If this doesn't fall through though, the Snapdragon 821 would most likely power the highest-end model.

The Lumia 950 and 950 XL are powered by the Snapdragon 808 and 810 devices, the current flagship chipsets at the time of their introduction. Going toe-to-toe with the older Lumia devices, the new Surface phones would surely perform far ahead. They will also sport an immense amount of RAM at 8GB. This is a huge leap from the Lumia 950 and 950 XL's 3GB.

Software and Other Features

The Microsoft Surface phones will be powered by Windows 10 Redstone. Both Lumia phones are also powered by Windows 10. The Continuum feature would also be a key feature for the Surface phone, as was the case with the Lumia phones. This now centers the device's focus on productivity and efficiency.

The device will also support Microsoft Pen technology, trickling down from the company's lineup of 2-in-1 laptop devices. It is also reported that the new Surface phones will be the most secure mobile device ever, as it is mainly geared toward business and enterprise.