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Microsoft’s Lumia 640 XL smartphone will go on sale in AT&T stores and at ATT.com starting June 26 after debuting at Mobile World Congress in March. The smartphone, which will be available in matte black or matte white, will be offered exclusively by AT&T in the United States.
The Lumia 640 XL features a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of on-board storage that is expandable to 128GB with a microSD card and 30GB of free Microsoft OneDrive cloud storage. The smartphone runs on the Windows Phone 8.1 operating system, including the Lumia Denim update, which offers useful features, such as Live Folders, a one-swipe Action Center and fast texting with Word Flow.
The Lumia 640 XL incorporates a 5.7-inch HD display that is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3, a 13-megapixel rear camera with Zeiss optics and LED flash, and a 5MP wide-angle front camera. The handset is powered by a 3,000mAh battery.
AT&T will offer the Lumia 640 XL to its customers for no money down and $8.34 per month for 30 months on an AT&T Next 24 payment plan (total $250.20) or for $10.42 per month on a 24-month Next 18 plan ($250.08 total). The smartphone can also be purchased for $12.50 per month on a 20-month Next 12 plan ($250.00 total).
In addition, the Lumia 640 XL includes a built-in Microsoft Office subscription so users can read their emails, edit documents, update spreadsheets or review presentations anywhere they are located. Also included is Microsoft’s Cortana personal assistant application that can automatically remind users of appointments, events and more.
The phone will be upgradeable to Windows 10 after its release later this year.
When Microsoft unveiled the new device at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, it also introduced its slightly smaller partner, the Lumia 640, which features a 5-inch display.
The Lumia 640 handsets come in two sizes and models, just like Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models and Samsung’s latest Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge devices. It appears to be an ongoing market trend to sell standard and phablet-sized versions of key handsets to offer more consumer choice while reusing many key components in both models.
Both the 640 and 640 XL will be available in various configurations for users around the world, including in 4G LTE or 3G versions as well as with single- or dual-SIM card slots to allow connectivity in almost any country.
In May, Cricket Wireless, which is a subsidiary of AT&T, announced that it was offering the Lumia 640 in cyan blue, according to an earlier eWEEK report. Cricket sells the Lumia 640 for $129.99. The smaller Lumia 640 has a 5-inch Clearblack HD display for improved visibility in sunlight; a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 cover for extra durability; a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor; 1GB of RAM; 8GB of on-board storage that is expandable to 128GB with a microSD card; a 2,500mAh battery; and an 8MP rear camera with flash and HD video recording capabilities.