Microsoft Lumia 940 XL specs: iris scanner to be featured?

Two high-end Lumia handsets that Microsoft is purportedly making are frequent subjects of rumors and leaks. The Redmond-based tech giant is said to be working on a pair of new Windows flagships called Lumia 940 and Lumia 940 XL, the latter of which is now being rumored to feature an iris scanner. 

Fingerprint scanning technology has become a thing in smartphone flagships. Almost every top-of-the-line handset utilizes it. But it looks like the Lumia 940 XL, which is codenamed Cityman, has no plans of jumping on the bandwagon as it will reportedly make use of an iris scanner. 

Microsoft Cityman skips fingerprint reader, leapfrogs right to iris scanner.

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) June 6, 2015 " data-caption="null" data-credit="null">

Evleaks, a reliable leakster on all things smartphone, revealed that Microsoft will likely go for the iris scanner for the security aspect of the Lumia 940 XL, which is not at all a shocker. This won't only set the device apart from the rest, it will also be Microsoft's way of going big. A Lumia flagship has been a long time in coming.

This technology will work nicely with Windows 10, the definitive operating system for devices developed by Microsoft. It is said that the iris scanner will complement the Windows Hello system of the OS, which is currently in development and will likely be supported by the new smartphones. 

As for other specs, the alleged Lumia offering is rumored to come with a sizeable 5.7-inch Quad HD display. According to rumors, it will draw its power from a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, possibly the 810 chipset, and will offer 3 GB RAM and 32 GB expandable storage. A 3300 mAh battery unit will keep things going for the Lumia 940 XL. The 20-megapixel shooter on the back and the 5-megapixel camera on the front will cater to photo and selfie enthusiasts. 

Rumor mills say that Microsoft patrons will know if the device will indeed feature an iris scanner when it is released later this year. 

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