14 DAY TRIAL // Lumia 850 appears to be the next mid-range device running Windows 10 Mobile that will be launched by Microsoft, as more and more sources familiar with the company's plans claim the project is alive and taking shape quite nicely.
A new photo published by Evan Blass on Twitter allegedly shows the Lumia 850 front and back, with the device featuring a gold Microsoft logo on its case.
Little is known about this phone at this point, but it's believed Lumia 850 could be a successor to the Lumia 830 and thus launch as a mid-range device. And this does make sense.
Microsoft previously said that its Windows 10 Mobile strategy would be based on three different product categories, namely low end, mid range, and high end. The company has already launched the high-end devices, namely the 950 and the 950 XL, and one of the budget models - the Lumia 550 - so naturally, the next one that should see daylight could be a mid-range device.
Possible launch in early 2016
While Microsoft's keeping all details secret, and the only things we have are these photos, which should be taken with a pinch of salt for now, it appears that the Lumia 850 is internally codenamed Honjo and is on the table for an early 2016 release.
As you can see in this new photo, the handset has a rather premium feeling and appears to have an infrared sensor, which would allow for Microsoft's new signature feature Windows Hello to be implemented as well. Windows Hello makes it possible for users to secure their phones with iris scanners.
Of course, there are a lot of uncertain things about this new model at this point, so a lot could change overnight, which means that until Microsoft confirms that Lumia 850 is alive and kicking, don't take anything for granted. But a mid-range Windows 10 Mobile device is certainly on its way.