14 DAY TRIAL // Lenovo has been expected to release a smartphone with Windows 10 ever since a company executive stated that such a phone would arrive in 2012. The company didn't deliver on the promise, but in 2014, Microsoft announced that it signed with nine partners to launch Windows Phone devices. Lenovo was one of them.
The Lenovo smartphone with Windows 10 Mobile was expected to arrive in 2014, but it obviously didn't. The following year, Microsoft announced that such a device would come via China Mobile, but plans fell through again.
Today, Lenovo has unveiled the SoftBank 503LV handset that runs Windows 10 Mobile. The device has been introduced in Japan, being named after the carrier that will offer it exclusively.
Lenovo SoftBank 503LV is the first Lenovo smartphone with Windows 10 Mobile
The SoftBank 503LV will be the first Lenovo Windows 10 Mobile smartphone offered by SoftBank, which is the parent company of US carrier Sprint.
The device comes with a 5-inch TFT LCD display with a 1280 x 720 pixel resolution and octa-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 SoC. It also has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage, with the option to expand it to 128GB using a microSD card.
In addition, the phone has an 8MP rear camera and 5MP on the front for snapping selfies and performing video calls. Moreover, it boasts Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 4.0 support, and it draws power from a 2,250mAh battery and measures 142.4 x 71.4 x 7.6mm.
The device weighs 144 grams and will support the PC-like Continuum feature in Windows 10 Mobile. The feature allows users to connect the phone to a screen and turn it into a somewhat desktop environment for work.
Pricing information isn't available at this point, but the smartphone is expected to go on sale in October and will only be available in black.