Pen support, iris scanner coming to flagship Windows phones?

Pen support and iris scanning may be among the main come-ons of Microsoft's upcoming flagship Lumia phones, a Microsoft-centric website said.

WindowsCentral.com said the two flagship phones are presently codenamed Cityman and Talkman, but may be renamed once they hit the market.

The site's Daniel Rubino cited multiple sources who gave the specs for the two devices.

The Talkman (Lumia 950) will come with an iris scanner for Windows Hello, and 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage with a microSD card slot.

It will have a 20-megapixel PureView rear camera, a 5-megapixel Wide-angle front facing camera, and Qi wireless charging with flip cover.

Other specs include:

Meanwhile, the Cityman (Lumia 950 XL) will have a 20-megapixel PureView rear camera with triple LED flash, and a 1mm silver ring inside the circumference of the black camera pod.

It will also have a 5MP Wide-angle front facing camera and aluminum side buttons. Other specs include:


Cityman (Lumia 940/950 XL) will optionally have a Surface Pen and smart cover. The Surface Pen looks the same as the current silver Surface pen for the Surface Pro 3.

The smart cover is similar to the one for the ASUS ZenFone 2, with a circular see-through area for viewing calls and notifications. The pen can clip to it.

Rubino said the two devices have been referred to as the Lumia 940 and Lumia 940 XL, though Microsoft could eventually name them the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL.

The final decision on the names could be made by September, he said.

"I have been unable to confirm just yet if that this naming scheme is finalized, but considering Microsoft skipped Windows 9 to go to Windows 10, there is a precedent for such a move. It would also imply a greater break from the x40 lineup, which began a year ago," he said.

The iris scanner may not work in the first release of the devices, and may need a software update.

WindowsCentral cited another optional accessory codenamed Munchkin, a docking station with USB and display ports that can connect via USB Type-C.

"This accessory will let the phone use the Continuum feature to project onto a computer display with mouse and keyboard support," it said. — Joel Locsin/LBG, GMA News