Microsoft Lumia 640 XL specs: hardware upgrades for users in China

Microsoft's Lumia website

Microsoft announced its budget friendly duo of smartphones at the MWC 2015, naming them the Lumia 640 and the Lumia 640 XL. While both handsets will not be running 'top of the line' hardware specifications, one perk of owning them is that they will pack Microsoft's highly anticipated operating system, Windows 10. Currently, both smartphones are running the Windows 8.1 operating system 'out of the box', and the latest string of news reported by PhoneArena states that the 5.7 inch Lumia 640 XL will receive a hardware specification upgrade but only for those consumers who are residing in China. 

The current hardware specifications of the Lumia 640 XL are as follows:

  • Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 400
  • Processor: Quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7
  • GPU: Adreno 305
  • RAM: 1 GB
  • Storage: 8 GB internal, upgradable to 128 GB via microSD slot
  • Camera: 13 MP rear, 5 MP front
  • Battery size: 3,000 mAh

Now, the website states that according to China's Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center, an approved TD-LTE version of the Lumia 640 XL possesses 2 GB of RAM and a quad-core processor with a default clock speed of 2.2 GHz and not 1.2 GHz. The higher clock speed of the processor indicates that the chipset is not a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 but could most likely be a Snapdragon 800, since the base clock frequency of its processor starts from 2.2 GHz.

The starting price of the Lumia 640 XL is $220 but details of the faster variant have currently not been detailed by Microsoft. Furthermore, the software giant has not yet commented whether or not the faster model will be available outside the boundaries of China. The Lumia 640 XL comes in different variants, including the option of carrying two carrier networks in a single smartphone along with purchasing one that provides consumers with an LTE connectivity option.