Keen to test drive the Windows 10 on mobile but the premium Lumia 950 series seem out of budget? Microsoft has an alternative for the ones who cannot afford the high-end smartphones to experience its latest mobile operating system. Lumia 550, launched alongside Lumia 950 and Lumia 950XL in October, has finally arrived in stores in select markets.

Microsoft Lumia 550 is the company's answer to the growing demand for affordable smartphones. It will strike a spectacular appeal to the budget-conscious lot and pose a threat to companies like Xiaomi, Lenovo, Motorola and others. With Windows 10 Mobile running the show, users get all the perks associated with the new OS such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, Outlook Mail, Calendar, Skype, Cortana, Microsoft's personal assistant, and Glance Screen.

Promoted as the most affordable 4G LTE smartphone, the Lumia 550 features a 4.7-inch HD screen with 315ppi, 5MP rear-facing camera with f/2.4 aperture, HD video recording and LED flash. There is a 2MP front snapper with f/2.8 aperture and 480 video recording.

Lumia 550 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 quad-core processor, 1GB RAM and 8GB onboard storage expandable up to 200GB. It has a 2,100mAh battery, which the company promises to deliver 16 hours of talktime in 2G and 14 hours in 3G networks.

Microsoft launched the Lumia 550 with a $139 price tag, which roughly translates to around Rs. 9,000. The pricing of the handset in India is yet to be confirmed but it is highly expected to be within Rs. 10,000. Currently, the Lumia 550 is hitting retail outlets across Europe before it is available worldwide.