[Quick Impressions] Who Has Gotten The Lumia 950?

[mkenyon2]

A couple notes after using my 950 for a week.

WiFi seems better. I don't have the 5Ghz issue some mention. It seems to pick up signals a little better, maybe a better antenna than the 920?

Voice volume is much softer on Bluetooth conversations. I have a Bluetooth adapter in my car hooked into the car's radio, and it seems that people sound much quieter than before.

This things faster than my Dell Venue Pro 8 (8" tablet)!

 

[GenK]

Can someone who has had (no) problems with Battery Life tell me, if he has the Dual or Single sim?

Might be a point

 

[Rem97]

... my biggest peeve is not being able to hide the navigation bar through settings app. If you can swipe up to bring it back you should be able to make it go away. Not all developers put this setting in their apps. Microsoft included. This should be implemented in the system.

Before anyone suggests it, yes I did send it to Windows Feedback through the app on the 950.

I believe that you can hide the navigation bar for any WP8.1+ app, at least by default i.e. if the dev hasn't disabled it. So, for example, the current Windows Central app doesn't allow it since it was built for WP8.0, but when they release the W10 version soon, it should. This also makes sense as there were no devices with on-screen navigation buttons prior to WP8.1, so the best way for 8.0 apps to handle them is for them to act like capacitive/non on-screen nav buttons, and not hide.

 

[gentry33]

I believe that you can hide the navigation bar for any WP8.1+ app, at least by default i.e. if the dev hasn't disabled it. So, for example, the current Windows Central app doesn't allow it since it was built for WP8.0, but when they release the W10 version soon, it should. This also makes sense as there were no devices with on-screen navigation buttons prior to WP8.1, so the best way for 8.0 apps to handle them is for them to act like capacitive/non on-screen nav buttons, and not hide.

The thing that threw me is that there is no setting that I could find for the navigation bar to enable the swipe to hide. It does seem to be enabled by default in W10m. Thanks for the reply it made me dig around, the loss of screen space was making me nuts. Is this what Android users have been going through? It used to be a little more intuitive.

 

[X-topher]

The thing that threw me is that there is no setting that I could find for the navigation bar to enable the swipe to hide. It does seem to be enabled by default in W10m. Thanks for the reply it made me dig around, the loss of screen space was making me nuts. Is this what Android users have been going through? It used to be a little more intuitive.

Just swipe it upwards and it disappears...

 

[Alberto Brusa]

Just got my lumia 950 recently, and here are my first impressions:

Main Points:
Cons:
Small stutters at times
Some loading screens
Still some issues with windows 8 apps, Spotify hard to use
Pictures take a while to process before being able to use them
Lots of heating issues

Pros:
Amazing camera, features such as adjustable flash make it shine
Windows Hello actually works well
Light and premium finish – other then for the side buttons
Very productive phone
Great touch screen, ultra sensitive
Amazing display, colours pop, blacks are deep
Continuum works as intended
Front camera is good
All four microphones on board do an amazing job
Triple LED flash is much better then standard

Side notes:
Gadgets app great, opens automatically music apps when you plug in headphones
USB charging is quick
SD storage is great for those 4K videos and RAW images

Ill be giving a more detailed account / review another time
Overall it has been a good experience! Huge improvement over my 920, not in speed (which is unremarkable) but in all other features, including little things like software buttons instead of hardware - which I believe are an improvement, and slightly bigger screen.

I simply don't believe all the bad reviews - it definitely doesn't deserve five stars, but it has highlights that reviewers just don't seem to notice, jumping on the bandwagon of "lumia 950 is a failure with nothing special to offer"

 

[Jeff Merritt1]

Out of curiosity, an you list your battery stats? What surprised me yesterday was that messaging was my highest drain app at 23% and I wonder if it has to do more with the integration of skype maybe always running in the background. Because I definitely wasn't messaging that much.

I just realized that was all my texts finally restoring, yay!

I realized I sounded like a bit of a whiner...regarding the battery life. For whatever reason the past few days have been a complete success in the battery department for me. I don't know if the battery needed breaking in, but I honestly am getting about 16 hours of life. Pulled it off the charger at 8am died at 1:15am tonight, yesterday was the same, I didn't plug it in once. I have disabled some apps and tweaked some things but it is doing great now. One app that destroys my battery is Magnify News Reader 10% in five minutes, I've since given up on it until it can be fixed. I've been using Daily Aha and Flipboard instead...they work just as well.

 

[bobbely]

After 10 days with my new Lumia 950, i have to tell that I'm very satisfied of this smartphone. The design is simple but have great ergonomics, the phone is very confortable and lighter than what you might think. The better feature in my opinion is the AMOLED screen which is just gorgeous.
However, the main issue is Windows 10, the OS is not stable actually and have some problems with some apps, not so smooth on navigating through the system. So I don't recommand to buy this phone if you want a finished product, but if some minor issues is not a problem for you and you're looking for the best Windows Phone, go for it you won't be disappointed!

 

[Alberto Brusa]

After 10 days with my new Lumia 950, i have to tell that I'm very satisfied of this smartphone. The design is simple but have great ergonomics, the phone is very confortable and lighter than what you might think. The better feature in my opinion is the AMOLED screen which is just gorgeous.
However, the mai issue is Windows 10, the OS is not stable actually and have some problems with some apps, not so smooth on navigating through the system. So I don't recommand to buy this phone if you want a finished product, but if some minor issues is not a problem for you and you're looking for the best Windows Phone, go for it you won't be disappointed!

Couldn't agree more, probably best summary of the 950 yet

 

[InsGadget]

Couldn't agree more, probably best summary of the 950 yet

Agreed!

 

[Sin_Co]

Upgraded from the 925. First off, let me say I was a Nokia fan girl. I followed Nokia to WP, especially after the Atrix and Android worked my nerve. I do love the simplicity of WP. I don't need a trillion apps. I need a phone first, then email, Facebook, etc.

I loved the heavy, clunky phones, from the 900, to the 920, to the 925. But I'm loving the feel of this phone in my hand. I pick up my 925 like whoa, lol. I have cute color cases which match backgrounds and a screen protector, so I'm not worried about premium look or feel. It looks simple and classy. It is creaky without the case.

Battery life is much better than the 925. I get through the day, which is good because my Nokia wireless charger won't work unless the case is off, but my jbl speaker and iottie car wireless will. The screen is gorgeous!! Many updates this week have improved so many apps, and I'm very glad that there are regular updates. Yes I do miss double tap to wake, but for the most part I'm pleased with hardware and software. I had an upgrade, which was a perfect price and time, but I have another one if that surface phone happens but I'm not giving the 950 back. It's a very good phone, not perfect, but it works great for me.

 

[PC1589]

Has anyone been able to successfully update? I have moved everything possible to the SD, deleted what I could, and it still says there's not enough room.

 

[gentry33]

Has anyone been able to successfully update? I have moved everything possible to the SD, deleted what I could, and it still says there's not enough room.

Updated to 10586.29 without issue. I keep pictures and music on the device. 22GB more or less available. Device is not registered on Insider program.

 

[gentry33]

Does anyone know if MS can enable playback through USB with a software/firmware update? I find it a little annoying having to cables hooked up to the phone to play music in my truck. I don't think it is very safe to have to control music on the phone while driving instead of using dash controls.

This feature has been on Apple and Android devices for quite some time. I think this lack of functionality steered users to other platforms more than an preference about UI's or "app gap". Hopefully this is on the roadmap.

 

[X-topher]

Does anyone know if MS can enable playback through USB with a software/firmware update? I find it a little annoying having to cables hooked up to the phone to play music in my truck. I don't think it is very safe to have to control music on the phone while driving instead of using dash controls.

This feature has been on Apple and Android devices for quite some time. I think this lack of functionality steered users to other platforms more than an preference about UI's or "app gap". Hopefully this is on the roadmap.

Why don't you use Cortana? Using gadget app you could have your music playing thru your truck system and have a Bluetooth headset to take calls and command Cortana. She can read your texts too...

 

[gentry33]

Why don't you use Cortana? Using gadget app you could have your music playing thru your truck system and have a Bluetooth headset to take calls and command Cortana. She can read your texts too...

This does not alleviate the need for a USB cable to keep the phone charged and an audio cable to playback through the audio system, my system does not have Bluetooth (basic work truck, doesn't even have a CD player which is why this is important to me). I don't know how well Cortana would pick up commands while vehicle is moving and music is playing rather loud. It would benefit me greatly to see the track info on the dash radio display and be able to push one button to skip to next track. I'm not looking for a work around. I'd just like to know why this isn't possible now and if and when it will be. One wire, one app, one button. Simple can be good.

 

[amcluesent]

I know Microsoft said the 950s were for the Windows fans, but is anyone really buying both together? :grin:

 

[SteveNoza]

This does not alleviate the need for a USB cable to keep the phone charged and an audio cable to playback through the audio system, my system does not have Bluetooth (basic work truck, doesn't even have a CD player which is why this is important to me). I don't know how well Cortana would pick up commands while vehicle is moving and music is playing rather loud. It would benefit me greatly to see the track info on the dash radio display and be able to push one button to skip to next track. I'm not looking for a work around. I'd just like to know why this isn't possible now and if and when it will be. One wire, one app, one button. Simple can be good.

Cortana has real problems understanding me in my Sprinter van, speech to text is basically non-functional, she understands basic commands (yes, no, read it, ect), but I wouldn't count on her for music control.

 

[X-topher]

The music cuts when a call comes in... The problem is the deficiencies of your truck stereo, The reason they stopped using the usb connection as a audio out is you then cannot charge and listen with it, so that is why they put a 3.5mm jack on the phones. I have never heard of a phone that can charge and connect stereo at the same time from the usb. The answer is to get a Bluetooth truck stereo or a wireless charging cradle...

 

[X-topher]

Cortana learns as she goes it is not an on/off scenario...