14 DAY TRIAL // Lumia 650 XL is one of the devices that never came to be, and nobody knows the reason Microsoft decided to discontinue it even before it made its public appearance, but leaks showing the device have reached the web every once in a while in the last 12 months.
A video that has been published today by WBI shows what seems to be the Lumia 650 XL (often referred to as Lumia Honjo or Lumia 850) running not Windows Phone, not Windows 10 Mobile, but Windows RT, the operating system that Microsoft released with the Surface RT back in 2012.
Although this is a bit unexpected, having Windows RT on a Windows phone doesn’t bring any real advantages, as the lack of apps is actually bigger on the tablet-oriented operating system than on Windows 10 Mobile.
For what it’s worth, Windows 10 Mobile is slowly getting more apps thanks to Microsoft’s push for universal apps on Windows 10, although it’s also true that some big developers, including Amazon and PayPal, have already jumped ship and abandoned their Windows Phone apps.
Lumia 650 XL will never launch
In case you’re wondering, there are big chances that the Lumia 650 XL or whatever Microsoft calls it might never see daylight, as the company is now working to overhaul its mobile plans with a more effective approach. No other Lumia models are expected to launch this year, and the only Microsoft device that’ll be powered by Windows 10 Mobile is likely to be the super flagship Surface Phone coming in spring 2017.
In the meantime, however, Microsoft wants to concentrate on the software side of its Windows 10 Mobile lineup, so the company will introduce the Anniversary Update next month for both PCs and smartphones. At the same time, it is also supposed to start work on more exciting updates that are prepared for phones in the first half of 2017, most likely to debut on the Surface Phone.
