Microsoft launches Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL at MWC (updated)

Microsoft has officially announced two new smartphones, the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL at MWC in Barcelona today.

See also:

• Microsoft Lumia 640 and 640 XL launch – as it happened

• Microsoft Lumia 640 and 640 XL hands on review

The launch of the phones wasn’t exactly unexpected, as the company accidentally – and briefly – leaked the names of both on its press site last night, as spotted by The Verge.

Lumia 640 in brief

The Lumia 640 and 640 XL are only the second Lumias to carry the Microsoft Lumia branding, the first being the Lumia 535, which was launched in November 2014.

The 640 comes with a 5in HD display and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core 1.2GHz processor. It features a 2,500mAh battery, which, despite Microsoft describing it as a long-lasting battery, holds less power than the Samsung Galaxy s6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, or even the Galaxy S5 for that matter. Its 1GB RAM is also less than that of its competitors.

Its main camera is also a bit disappointing in relation to what its competitors offer at only 8-megapixels. There is also a front-facing camera, althought its resolution was not specified.

The new smartphone has dual-SIM support, and 4G, 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Lumia 640 XL in brief

The obvious difference between the Lumia 640 XL and the Lumia 640 is the XL has a 5.7in screen – almost 1in more than the 640 – and also a higher resolution 13-megapixel camera.

Inside, it has a more powerful battery than the 640 at 3,000mAh, but other than that shares many of the same specs as the 640, having the same Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 1GB RAM, 4G, 3G, and Wi-Fi connectivity, and dual-SIM support.

Lumia 640 and 640 XL price, availability and Windows 10

Both the 640 and 640 XL will be in shops from April. The 3G version of the 640 will cost approximately 139 euros (£101 at the time of writing), while the 4G version will cost around 159 euros (£115). The XL has a slightly higher price than the standard smartphone, costing 189 euros (£137) for 3G and £159 for 4G.

Both phones will come with Windows Phone 8.1 initially, but will be upgradable to Windows 10 when it becomes available later in the year.