New report says Microsoft Lumia 940, Lumia 940 XL and Lumia 840 will be launched this year

Despite rumors that Microsoft was skipping ahead to the Lumia 950 series and bypassing the Lumia 940, a new report published today reveals that the next high-end models coming from Redmond will indeed be called the Microsoft Lumia 940 and Microsoft Lumia 940 XL. And there also will be a Microsoft Lumia 840 on the way. All three phones will be available by the end of this year, and all three are expected to carry on-screen touch buttons.

The Lumia 940 is expected to feature a 5.2-inch 1440 x 2560 resolution screen. That works out to a pixel density of 565ppi. The 64-bit Snapdragon 808 SoC will be under the hood, containing a hexa-core 1.8GHz CPU and the Adreno 418 GPU. 3GB of RAM is inside along with 32GB of expandable storage. A 20MP camera is on back with a 5MP front-facing snapper on board. A 3000mAh battery provides the power and Windows 10 Mobile is pre-installed.

The Lumia 940 XL will be equipped with a larger 5.7-inch screen, but will still have a 1440 x 2560 QHD resolution. This combo works out to produce a 515ppi pixel density. The Snapdragon 810 chipset drives the unit, which will feature an octa-core 2GHz CPU with the Adreno 430 GPU. 3GB of RAM is inside along with 32GB of expandable storage. The camera combo from back to front weighs in at 20MP/5MP and a 3300mAh battery powers the phone. Windows 10 Mobile is pre-installed. Both the Lumia 940 and Lumia 940 XL will be made from polycarbonate plastic and will measure 7-8mm thin.

The Lumia 840 could be the mid-range Lumia model currently being worked on by Microsoft. That means the phone could come with a 5-inch display, support dual SIM capabilities, and feature a PureView 13MP-14MP rear camera. A front-facing 5MP snapper would be included and the design would be similar to the Nokia Lumia 830.

A Microsoft executive in South Africa recently said that Windows 10 Mobile would be released in November, which basically explains why today's report says that the new phones will be available before the end of the year. Microsoft certainly would love to have the two high-end models in the marketplace in time for the holiday shopping season.

source: NPU via WMPoweruser