Microsoft Lumia 950 - With the launch of Windows 10, however, Microsoft has an ambitious undertaking - to reinvigorate the interest in its mobile platform. Well, Microsoft begs to differ, as its Lumia 950 has launched to promote the full arsenal and capability of the company's most advanced mobile platform to date.
Without question, Microsoft is a legitimate force to be reckoned with, but the Lumia 950 needs a solid, heavy hand to swing the tide in Microsoft's favor. Unlike previous phones like the Lumia 1520 or 930 , with their stylish and angular designs, the 950 simply comes off dull and boring.
The Microsoft Lumia 950 is a phone that makes me look fondly at the good old days when Nokia was the ruler of Lumia land. A lot of Nokia's cheaper phones even felt pretty good. However, the Microsoft Lumia 950 is a £400-plus phone with the presence of one costing £200, at best. I expected more from Microsoft. Unlike most other flagship phones, the Microsoft Lumia 950 hasn't gone in for any fingerprint scanner nonsense. Phone displays honestly don't get that much better. And as usual for a Lumia, the Microsoft Lumia 950 lets you fiddle around with it a bit. What it has over a lot of other phones is the classic Lumia Glance display.
Display
Windows Mobile 10 has a dark theme turned on by default, and it really lets the deep blacks and Microsoft's familiar blues shine on this 5.2-inch AMOLED display. The Lumia 950 doesn't have liquid cooling, but it does offer a handy glance screen. Windows 10 includes a one-handed-use mode, sort of like Apple's Reachability mode.
A quad HD display with average brightness
The Lumia 950 doesn't have liquid cooling, but it does offer a handy glance screen. Windows 10 includes a one-handed-use mode, sort of like Apple's Reachability mode.
Finally, a Windows-powered phone enters Quad HD territory!
With the Lumia 950, we're given a 5.2-inch, 1440 x 2560-pixel AMOLED display with the reflection-reducing ClearBlack technology. Certainly, there's no shortage of details with the screen's pixel-crushing 564 ppi pixel density. Pure and simple, there's very little to complain about the Lumia 950's display besides its weak brightness output.
Components
There's also the usual ClearBlack Display polarisers, sunlight readability enhancements at the pixel level, Glance screen, Gorilla Glass 3, and you can tweak its colour profile in Windows 10 Mobile's Settings, as we've come to expect in the best Lumias. (I did note that GSMArena's detailed display testing showed the Lumia 950 screen to have calibration-class colour accuracy, perfect contrast and excellent sunlight performance.)
Just set and forget, and this remains a distinguishing factor and unique selling point for the Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile handsets.
Starting up Windows 10 Mobile
Getting set up on the Lumia 950 - there's a 'Show more tiles' toggle in Settings, but on the 5.2" screen I think that the default layout ('triple wide') works best; (right) the backlog of updates that the phone has to work through after being turned on for the first time!
Once running, signed into Microsoft's cloud, and with all apps and updates under your belt, the Lumia 950 runs beautifully.
Imaging
With the Lumia 950 range, Microsoft added intelligence so that it doesn't kick in if the algorithms in Camera don't think you'll get any benefit from the feature. Ditto the auto-flash.
Windows Hello. Hello?
For the Lumia 950 range, Microsoft has chosen to go with iris recognition rather than fingerprint scanning. Besides Continuum, Windows 10 brings some nice additions to the Lumia 950. While every other phone is embracing the fingerprint reader in various locations, Microsoft carried over Windows Hello, its iris-scanning biorecognition software, from the Surface tablet to the phone.
Buttons and controls
The side buttons on the Lumia 950 are in a traditional layout, with volume and power separate, contrary to the somewhat bizarre/innovative/quirky combined cluster on the Lumia 950 XL. Battery, power and connections
Microsoft did say back in July that it was going to release new phones for "Windows Phone fans" and the 950 bundles in everything we've been asking Nokia and then Microsoft for, from the battery, charging and storage arrangements to Glance and even better imaging.
So every week your phone will hopefully work better than it did the previous week!
The Lumia 950 XL is their 'Nexus', their demonstration device of how Windows 10 can work in a mobile context. Dock or HDMI port connection options
What if your phone could double as a makeshift PC? It's arguably the big distinguishing feature of Windows 10 phones and something that doesn't really exist in the Android or iPhone realm. It should work with most future phones with Microsoft's mobile operating system (the low-end Lumia 550 won't have it), but the Lumia 950 is the first model to boast the functionality.
How do you use the phone as a PC? Pair a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse to the Lumia, and use a PC monitor or TV as the primary screen.
Interface refresh
Besides Continuum, Windows 10 brings some nice additions to the Lumia 950. While every other phone is embracing the fingerprint reader in various locations, Microsoft carried over Windows Hello, its iris-scanning biorecognition software, from the Surface tablet to the phone.
The Achilles' heel: App selection
If the new features of the operating system are decent (or at least promising), one aspect of buying a Windows phone remains a compromise at best, and a dealbreaker at worst: app selection.
Cameras
Windows Phone users will recognise the camera layout as it is largely unchanged. In terms of quality, photos look relatively natural and crisp and the zoom is particularly effective. Overall the Lumia 950 is a step up in terms of quality, making it preferable for Windows Phone users who prioritise picture taking.
It has excellent Zeiss optics, triple-LED flash, dedicated hardware button, as well as the ability to capture 4K video. The image quality of the Lumia 950's camera is excellent.
Features and user experience
Windows Phone's Live Tiles and app launcher are still very much present so newcomers will find it easy to use and existing users will instantly feel at home. Windows Hello is another welcome new addition, which lets you unlock your phone using just your eyeballs. The thing is, it takes a bit of time to scan your eye - occasionally long enough to enter a standard PIN number. One of the most irritating problems with the Lumia 950 is the navigation. We also had trouble sharing a photo in an email, with the screen seemingly stuck on a loading screen. Windows 10 is a step forward for the platform and no doubt an update or two will iron out the initial problems, especially as Windows 8 ended up being a very capable and likable operating system.
Performance and battery life
When Windows 10 is playing ball it's actually very slick and, like most Windows Phone devices, just as smooth. Microsoft Edge (the replacement for Internet Explorer) loads up quickly, as does the Groove Music app (formerly Xbox Music) and other standard apps. Microsoft has fitted the Lumia 950 with a 3,000mAh battery, which is more than competitive.
There's a microSD card slot and removable battery
The microSD card and battery are easily accessible behind the removable plastic cover, a boon for professional users.
USB-C has its ups and downs
The top of the Lumia 950 frame has a normal headphone jack, while the right side houses a power button and volume rocker, or more accurately the volume rocker and power button. Sadly, there's no double-tap-to-wake function. Not the thinnest phone, but it does have a dedicated camera button.
The words "Microsoft" are above the screen, and there's an on-screen Windows logo acting as the home button on the front. You'd never know it was a Microsoft phone without these, meaning Microsoft's fitting in just fine these days.
Conclusion
With
sharp screen, powerful hardware, and brand new OS, the Microsoft Lumia
950 will certainly appeal to current owners of Windows Phone devices.
Microsoft's entry can match them in specs, but lags considerably in
terms of design, build quality, and app ecosystem. If you own a Windows
Phone device, you will love every bit of the Microsoft Lumia 950.
Microsoft Lumia 950 Review And Specs
4/
5
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