14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has restarted its mobile strategy with a new operating system - Windows 10 Mobile - and new smartphones - Lumia 950 and 950 XL, trying to become more relevant in an industry where Android and iOS are still dominating.
Lumia 950 XL is the flagship of flagships in the Windows 10 Mobile world, as it's the more powerful choice of the two new models introduced by Microsoft on October 6.
It features a 5.7-inch screen with a resolution of 1440x2560 pixels and Gorilla Glass 4, a Snapdragon 810 processor, 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of internal storage and support for microSD cards, as well as a 20 MP rear camera and a 5 MP front unit for selfies and video calls.
On paper, the Lumia 950 XL is a productivity workhorse, a monster that can fight with the best devices currently on the market, including the Samsung Galaxy Note5 and the iPhone 6s Plus. It has similar technical specs (even though it outclasses the iPhone), and also has its very own innovations, such as Continuum and Windows Hello.
We've recently started testing the dual-SIM version of the Lumia 950 XL in white, and as a long-time Windows Phone user who really likes the platform despite the criticism and the 3 percent market share, my first impressions were full of disappointment. And I'll briefly explain why in the next few paragraphs, ahead of the in-depth review to be published one week from today.
Look and feel
The first reaction when I first got to see the Lumia 950 XL was that of pleasant surprise. Microsoft improved the packaging, which is very important given the fact that it's a premium device, and the phone looks quite good. It keeps the signature Lumia design language, so nothing too surprising, but it has a really modern and fresh look that makes you feel like you're indeed using an expensive phone.
The back of the phone is the one that disappoints. As many users complained, the back cover warps easily and makes all kinds of creaking noises when pressed. The video below perfectly describes the problem. This is certainly poor quality and buying a third-party cover, such as the leather one made by Mozo, could be the solution.
Although it comes with a 5.7-inch screen, the new Lumia is smaller than the iPhone 6s Plus, which makes it extremely handy and easy to use. A big plus for Microsoft for making a phablet so comfortable in the hand.
Overall, in terms of looks, the Lumia 950 XL isn't really outstanding, but it feels really good in the hand. It's really easy to use even with one hand despite its rather big dimensions.
Features and OS
Turn on the Lumia 950 XL and you get a high-quality screen that's definitely better than the one on the iPhone 6s Plus, but still not as good as the Super AMOLED displays on the S6 Edge+, for instance. It does its job very well, though, so it's really hard to complain here.
Windows Hello certainly comes in handy, but I've discovered that after a while it easily falls in the category called "cool things I'll never use." Continuum deserves the praises, though, but I haven't gotten the chance to try it since my Display Adapter hasn't arrived yet.
The camera is good, but nothing really, really impressive. Photo quality was already above the average on the previous Lumia flagships, such as the 930 and the 1520, so it was rather obvious that Microsoft had no other choice but to continue in the same direction. Yet I found post-processing to be very slow and after taking a photo, applying the finishing touches, as Microsoft calls them, takes a few seconds. Both the iPhone and Samsung models do it faster and in the background, so further updates here are needed.
The biggest drawback of Lumia 950 XL is the OS. Windows 10 Mobile still feels unfinished, and there are bugs everywhere you look. Despite the powerful hardware hidden underneath the hood, the Lumia 950 XL often becomes very slow, apps crash all of a sudden, and sometimes it takes a few seconds to do basic stuff such as opening the email client.
Battery life is not as good as you'd expect, but it still gets you through the day. With more optimizations, it could easily reach two days on average, but again, it's all because Windows 10 Mobile doesn't seem to be ready yet.
The Snapdragon 810 processor might be fast, but it certainly makes the phone get very hot, especially when multitasking.
At the first look, the Lumia 950 XL doesn't feel like the premium device I've been expecting for so many months, and unfortunately, it might not have a chance against its rivals. This isn't rant by any means, it's pure truth, because we're talking about a phone that costs almost as much as an iPhone or a top Android device but crashes and runs very slowly at random times. The build quality also needs to be improved, but it's too late for that and many have already decided to return their phones.
Posts on reddit confirm that not everyone is impressed with the new Lumias, except for the hardcore fans who don't seem to care about the compromises they might have to make. Leaving the love for Windows Phone aside and looking at the bigger picture, it's pretty clear that Windows 10 Mobile is not there yet and improvements are urgently needed.
Despite all these problems, I'll keep using the Lumia 950 XL for a while, so hopefully, Microsoft will look more into the reported bugs and fix them as soon as possible. This is a monster device that deserves a better OS, so Microsoft, you have to get Windows 10 Mobile right!
Note: these are the early impressions after unboxing the Lumia 950 XL, and they could change in the coming days as we get a closer look at all the features of the new phone. Our in-depth review will be published next Saturday, so come back in a week to learn how good the new phablet actually is.
Update: check out some Microsoft Lumia 950 XL unedited camera samples.
