Redmond says new Lumias offer much more than just a phone

Oct 8, 2015 08:58 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft took the wraps off the new Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL at the company's hardware event on Tuesday, and together with the new devices, the company also debuted the Continuum adapter which allows phones to become a fully-featured PC that works and feels just like a traditional desktop computer.

The Redmond-based firm claims that Windows 10 allows the company to create a unique device that goes beyond the classic approach of a smartphone and build something that can serve two different goals at the same time.

The Continuum bet

In an interview with The Verge after the October 6 hardware event, Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella explained how Windows 10 helped them create what he calls a “mobile plus device” because it's a lot more than just a phone.

“I want us to do something unique here and the unique capability comes by the way thanks to Windows 10. And the fact that Windows 10 runs on it makes it very capable. Makes it possible for you to not only have a fantastic phone, but you can change its form and function by tethering it to a keyboard and a screen and it's a PC-like experience,” Nadela explained.

“In emerging markets this is the phone I would want. This is the only computing device in the mobile-only countries that I talk about. But I don't want to be just mobile only. I want to be mobile plus. And this is a mobile plus device to me. It really helps us expand even more what is considered today mobile.”

Both the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL are compatible with Continuum and this is clearly one of the main selling points of the new devices in a high-end market where all companies are trying to innovate.

Continuum could be a way for Microsoft to become relevant against Apple and Samsung in the mobile industry, but on the short term, Redmond seems to be going in the right direction. Now let's see what the experience with Windows 10 Mobile actually feels like on existing devices that do not support Continuum.