MICROSOFT’S new smartphone is the first to ship with Windows 10 Mobile. Coupled with a pin-sharp Quad HD display, 20MP rear camera and stellar 2GHz SnapDragon 810 – has Microsoft finally created a compelling alternative to flagship Android and iOS smartphones?
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| The pin-sharp 2K display shines through the dull industrial design |
- Pros – Great 5.7” Screen, Brilliant 20MP Camera, Windows 10 Syncs Between Mobile And Desktop, Expandable Storage via MicroSD Card, Windows Hello,
- Cons – Dull and Plasticky Design, Slow To Boot-Up, Mediocre Battery Life, Windows 10 Mobile Still Lacks A Compelling Selection of Apps
Windows 10 is currently taking desktop and tablet users by storm, with more than 200million activations worldwide.
NewsNewsBlog.blogspot.com praised the OS in our review, saying it marked "a brilliant start to the next chapter for Microsoft Windows.”
And now, Microsoft has released the first smartphones to ship with Windows 10, the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL.
The US technology firm has coupled its latest mobile operating system with some stellar specs, including a Quad HD display, a 20MP rear camera with Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) and a SnapDragon 810 processor.
But has Microsoft done enough to ensure its first Windows 10 smartphones can stand toe-to-toe with the competition?
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| For a £449.00 flagship smartphone, the plastic case feels uninspired and cheap |
Design
The Lumia 950XL doesn’t feel like a £449.00 smartphone.
Truthfully, Microsoft’s latest flagship handset feels a little cheap, thanks to the somewhat spongey buttons on its side and the removable plastic case.
It certainly doesn’t feel like a gadget that carries the same price tag as most people’s first car.
Microsoft hasn’t managed to match the premium feel of its closest rivals. And in a year which saw the release of the jaw-droppingly beautiful Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge – the Lumia 950XL looks very, very bland.
Windows 10 Mobile is an incredibly stylish operating system, with its pin-sharp angles and bright block colours – it’s a shame this vibrant OS has been packaged into such a dull, corporate, plasticky rectangle of a phone.
The removable plastic case does hide a number of benefits, including a microSD card slot to expand the bundled 32GB of internal storage, as well as an interchangeable battery pack.
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| At 8.1mm thick and weighing just 165g, the Lumia 650 XL is comfortable in the hand |
As more and more flagship smartphones are ditching their expandable storage and removable backs (Google’s Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge and Note 5) the decision by Microsoft to include both should help it appeal to power users. And that is exactly the audience who will get the most out of this Windows 10 smartphone.
Plus, the support for MicroSD cards up to 200GB will help anyone who recently burned when Microsoft hastily removed unlimited cloud storage for OneDrive customers.
At 8.1mm thick and weighing just 165g, Microsoft’s flagship phablet never feels cumbersome to use in one-hand.
The most noticeable feature of the Lumia 950 XL is the bump for the rear camera, which the Redmond technology firm says builds on the staggeringly impressive PureView legacy left by Nokia, which it acquired back in April 2014.
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| The Lumia 950 XL builds on Nokia’s excellent PureView technology |
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| The Lumia 950 XL has a brilliant 20MP rear camera, with LED flash |
Camera
Microsoft might have dropped the Nokia moniker from the name, but the Finnish firm’s fingerprints are all over the smartphone’s standout rear camera, which builds on the stellar PureView technology.
The 20MP rear camera, complete with Carl Zeiss optics and OIS, or Optical Image Stabilisation, is almost always able to snap a decent photo – even in the most challenging light conditions.
Details are crisp without being aggressively sharp, like Samsung's Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, and pictures are pleasingly warm, unlike the cool results produced by the LG G4.
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| The 20MP rear camera is the standout feature of the Lumia 950 XL |
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| Even when confronted with tough light conditions, the 20MP can salvage a decent snap |
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| Equally as impressive as the camera, is the Windows 10 app that controls it |
The Windows 10 Mobile Camera app is a masterclass in software design. It appears simple enough when you first launch the app, but sliding the camera icon to the left reveals a series of rings which act as sliders to manually adjust everything from the ISO, white balance, shutter speed, to exposure. You can also toggle the focus from automatic to manual.
It’s a nifty trick – and a dream for anyone who wants to take back control of the stellar 20MP shooter. For everyone else, the automatic settings are more than capable of producing a solid photo. Windows 10 will also tweak your snaps with some subtle image processing, too.
There’s also a dedicated shutter button on the Lumia 950 XL, useful if you plan on taking pictures while wearing gloves. And Microsoft has added support for 4K video, which is clear and crisp with good sounds, thanks to the four-way background noise cancelling microphones above the rear camera.
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| The Lumia 950 XL has great visibility outdoors, thanks to Microsoft's ClearBlack coating |
Display
The Lumia 950 XL has a phenomenal multi-touch Quad HD AMOLED display, with an eye-watering 2560 x 1440 resolution, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4.
That display works out at an awesome 518 pixels-per-inch, and it really shows. The Lumia 950 XL’s display is pin-sharp with great viewing angles and solid visibility outdoors, thanks to Microsoft's ClearBlack coating.
However the 2K display does lack the punch of some of the other flagship smartphones from the last year, notably the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium and Samsung Galaxy S6, and when compared side-by-side, it’s obvious the Lumia is not quite as vibrant as its competitors.
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| Microsoft’s new flagship smartphone packs an eye-watering 2560 x 1440 resolution |
Microsoft has also included a useful new feature, dubbed Glance.
This allows the Lumia 950 XL display to show some basic information – time, date, battery and notification indicator – while the smartphone is asleep. It’s a great new addition and incredibly useful if you make a habit of leaving your smartphone next to you at your desk, or on the dinner table.
Unfortunately, Microsoft has ditched double-tap to wake for the Lumia 950 XL, which forces you to fumble for the power button, which is sandwiched in-between the volume controls for some (insanely irritating reason.
Battery Life
Microsoft claims up to 11 hours of battery life for web browsing over wifi, or video playback – but that seems very generous. Although the Lumia 950 XL got us through the day, there was never much left in the tank at the end of it, which isn’t something you’d expect from a phablet with a 3,340mAh capacity.
Having the brightness on that beautiful 2K display cranked up clearly takes its toll, accounting for a staggering 49.5 per cent of the battery usage during daily usage.
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| Despite its size, battery life on the Lumia 950 XL is mediocre |
Windows 10 Mobile
Microsoft’s mission to build an operating system that works well on smartphones, tablets, two-in-one hybrids, sprawling desktop set-ups and video game consoles is a lofty one. But those unconvinced by the success of Windows 10 should try both the Lumia 950XL and Surface Pro 4 side-by-side.
Microsoft has created a coherent and enjoyable experience on both mobile and desktop.
For example, the settings panel carries the same layout on both desktop and mobile devices, so if you use a Windows 10 computer at home or work, navigating around the Lumia 950XL for the first time can feel eerily familiar.
That familiarity – something that was sorely missing in its Windows Phone OS – is a huge win for Microsoft and means the Lumia 950XL could be the perfect first smartphone for traditional desktop users, or Windows power users.
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| Windows 10 Mobile has a useful dropdown mode for one-handed use |
Powering the coherent cross-device experience are Microsoft’s new Universal Apps – applications that re-size to fit either the smartphone display, tablet or desktop to hand. This new approach to apps has allowed Microsoft to unify its App Store across mobile and desktop, which means your purchases and favourite apps transfer between devices.
Universal Apps are a brilliant idea – data, preferences and even in-app layouts move seamlessly between your screen sizes and devices to create a unified Windows 10 experience.
The position of any live tiles in your Start Menu will even transfer to the Home Screen on your new Lumia 950XL device.
Speaking of the new Home Screen, Microsoft has finally added support for custom background images in its mobile OS, which – unbelievably – it has lacked up until now. Your handpicked pictures beautifully bleed through the trademark Live Tiles, which refresh with previews of the latest information and updates from within the application.
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| Windows 10 Mobile looks stylish, and has some stellar features, like Windows Hello |
Microsoft has also added a tweak for Lumia 950XL users who struggle with the hefty 5.7inch display. Holding on the Windows logo drops whatever is on your screen half-way down the display, letting you easily reach something which was previously out of your reach. Apple introduced a similar system in its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
Both solutions look a little clunky, but work well.
Finally, the Lumia 950 XL supports Windows Hello – a nifty new security feature, which unlocks the smartphone by checking your identity against a quick scan of your iris.
And it really works. Windows Hello unlocked the phone consistently, even when we were outside, or wearing glasses.
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| Windows Hello is a solid alternative to a fingerprint scanner |
Granted, it’s not quite as reliable as the fingerprint sensors included on other flagship smartphones – but that’s forgivable, especially since Microsoft still lists Windows Hello as a Beta feature.
Cortana
Microsoft’s proactive voice assistant, Cortana, has also been improved in Windows 10 Mobile.
Cortana can identify a song that’s playing a la Shazam, track the latest flight information, summon local cinema, restaurant, sports and maps information. Weirdly, the digital assistant struggled when we reeled off a string of simple sums – kicking us to a Bing search, rather than work it out herself.
But this is a minor quibble in an otherwise solid voice assistant that easily stands toe-to-toe with rival solutions. And if you have upgraded your home computer or work laptop to Windows 10, you’ll get more benefits from Cortana since she will learn your habits, sync the reminders you set from your desktop to your smartphone and vice-versa.
Cortana will also proactively nudge you when you need to the leave the office to make your next calendar appointment, based on the latest traffic and weather information. And she can also launch any app you ask for, too.
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| The four-way microphone system keeps your calls and 4K video sound in-check |
Display Dock
NewsNewsBlog.blogspot.com has not yet had the chance to test out the Display Dock accessory, which lets users connect the Lumia 950 XL to an external display, keyboard and mouse and run full-screen Windows 10 universal apps, including Word, Excel and Netflix. We will be testing out the technology in the coming weeks, and will update this review accordingly.
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| Windows 10 still has a frustrating app problem |
Final Verdict
The Microsoft Lumia 950 XL is a solid smartphone, thanks to its beautiful Quad HD AMOLED display, consistently great rear camera and smooth performance from the SnapDragon processor and 3GB of RAM.
Windows 10 Mobile is a towering achievement that brings a synchronicity and coherence between your work or home computer, tablet and smartphone previously only seen in the Apple ecosystem. Windows 10 is fast, reliable and stylish.
Windows Hello is a brilliant security feature and the 20MP shooter – and included Camera app – are staggeringly good.
But despite all of this – the Lumia 950 XL is difficult to recommend.
Windows phones are still a second-class citizen when it comes to apps, and Lumia 950 XL owners will face a lengthy wait before they can get their hands on the latest apps and games taking Android and iOS users by storm.
And even when the top-tier apps do appear, they often lack the same polish and performance. For example, Facebook-owned photo sharing social network Instagram, which boasts more than 150 million users worldwide, has been in BETA since November 2013. And that’s when developers even bother to release their app on Windows 10 at all.
Coupled with its bland plastic design and mediocre battery life, and that £449.00 price tag starts to look a little high.
Fans already invested in the Windows ecosystem will find a lot to like here, but those simply looking to buy a solid flagship smartphone should be aware that their money will go a lot further on rival Android and iOS devices.
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