A little teaser of the lumia 950xl in leather

[bulls96]

It does have qi ;-)

Good. I have invested heavily on qi chargers the past few years. THanks!

 

[Joshwin]

Even MS wouldn't have made the phone this sexy. thanks to these great looking case.

 

[Markeyse Jamar Mundy]

It would be nice if they had the "Windows Logo" on the back!

 

[houkoholic]

It's pretty sad though that MS didn't seem to care enough to actually plan out some different color back plates for the 950/950XL. That used to be one of the things that attracted me to WP in the first place. Still love all the different colored shells for my 820. No pleather in sight.

It's not sad at all - they went out of their way to made deals with 3rd parties and OFFICIALLY endorse these backs, if MS starts making different coloured shells it creates unfair competition to these accessory makers and discourages them to make them (like Nokia did) - MS is simply doing the smart thing, taking a step back and let the accessory makers make all the lucrative cash from accessories to grow the accessory ecosystem. More partners is a more vibrant ecosystem which is more attractive to customers.

 

[original.woodster]

I love that brushed tan leather! I reckon it would age really well, due to handling, it would look like a leather wallet, darker in some places than others.

 

[Kram Sacul]

It's not sad at all - they went out of their way to made deals with 3rd parties and OFFICIALLY endorse these backs, if MS starts making different coloured shells it creates unfair competition to these accessory makers and discourages them to make them (like Nokia did) - MS is simply doing the smart thing, taking a step back and let the accessory makers make all the lucrative cash from accessories to grow the accessory ecosystem. More partners is a more vibrant ecosystem which is more attractive to customers.

I really couldn't care less. It's cheap, lazy and lame for MS to not have a few different color back plates at launch especially for a supposed flagship LUMIA, a brand that used to mean colorful and stylish. If the 820, 920, 930, 1520 etc just came in black or white without any different colored back plates, flip covers or shells made by Nokia that would've royally sucked.The 3rd party stuff was for the most part junk.

 

[taymur]

I guess I've never understood the leather on mobile devices thing. I've always thought it looks a bit tacky.

I'm glad the option is there for other people, though. That's certainly the flexibility that replaceable back covers brings to the table.

because most of the time, its plastic that looks like leather.... which "for me" slams the beauty of a device with a -10 points instantly.

 

[houkoholic]

I really couldn't care less. It's cheap, lazy and lame for MS to not have a few different color back plates at launch especially for a supposed flagship LUMIA, a brand that used to mean colorful and stylish. If the 820, 920, 930, 1520 etc just came in black or white without any different colored back plates, flip covers or shells made by Nokia that would've royally sucked.The 3rd party stuff was for the most part junk.

A partnership strategy that benefits the entire ecosystem is not cheap nor lazy. It's actually cheaper and more lazy for MS to swap the colour of the polycarbonate shell internally rather than spend time and effort to negotiate and endorse a 3rd party deal. I actually care a lot more whether Microsoft's new strategy can grow the ecosystem because Nokia's strategy didn't do it. Unofficial 3rd party items are junk, sure, but this is OFFICIAL stuff - MS puts their name on them, just like Apple's endorsed accessories are usually pretty good quality, and that alone is already something that makes me stand behind MS' strategy of making endorsed 3rd party accessories.

 

[Sam Weiner]

HoosierDaddy - You are bang on, the sides are not metal. Its metal coated Polycarbonate. Still the whole case is polycabonate but they are coated with metal color and the back is given a different finish. Qi charging inlcuded along with NFC.. Overall the case looks elegant and nice. People should not expect metal as metal requires spl antenna requirements like 930 and 925.

 

[wiederman]

Do we know when these will be up for preorder?

 

[920Walker]

I will take one in Pumpkin Cayman and another in Clan MacLeoud tartan flannel. No need for fire retardant chems...liquid cooling.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

HoosierDaddy - You are bang on, the sides are not metal. Its metal coated Polycarbonate. Still the whole case is polycabonate but they are coated with metal color and the back is given a different finish. Qi charging inlcuded along with NFC.. Overall the case looks elegant and nice. People should not expect metal as metal requires spl antenna requirements like 930 and 925.

Wonderful. Now I can stop trying to figure out where MS hid all the microscopic torq screws that held a rigid back on. LoL.

 

[cxily]

Nice, too bad there are no flashy colors like the 930.

 

[Paolo Ferrazza]

Nice, too bad there are no flashy colors like the 930.

Red!!! Guess many more will come if they start selling good numbers.

 

[wiederman]

Unfortunately it looks like the link is for a distributor... you have to order the cases in large quantity to be then resold

 

[aXross]

Well, since they are an official partner with MS. I think MS stores will sell them as well. It would make sense.

I can see that happening but if all Microsoft Stores (especially the converted Nokia Stores) will sell them? Thing is since Microsoft didn't provide any color shells this time, this is the only alternative Lumia users got. Not to mention, some people are not fond spending another set of money to pay for 3rd-party case just to get color they want.

So now Microsoft really have to push these on all Microsoft Stores worldwide. Having nice set of accessories already available for Lumia is good for the brand that especially not ubiquitous.

 

[Krystianpants]

I can see that happening but if all Microsoft Stores (especially the converted Nokia Stores) will sell them? Thing is since Microsoft didn't provide any color shells this time, this is the only alternative Lumia users got. Not to mention, some people are not fond spending another set of money to pay for 3rd-party case just to get color they want.

So now Microsoft really have to push these on all Microsoft Stores worldwide. Having nice set of accessories already available for Lumia is good for the brand that especially not ubiquitous.

A lot of companies will jump on this. Mozo was just working with MS closely. You will likely see lots of accessories on amazon and other places. You can go with the standard ones. The white ones look really good in person. Go to an MS store and look at the devices. People are saying they are so much better when you hold them yourself.

 

[RayWP7]

These look great.

 

[Krystianpants]

Red plus gold should be premium enough too I think, I am more hyped about the covers than by the whole MS presentation.

I do like the Gold, but would prefer the red looked more like the brown one without the bumps and without any stitching.

 

[o4komodo]

I do like the Gold, but would prefer the red looked more like the brown one without the bumps and without any stitching.

Definitely agree with you. Mozo just released a new pic of the red case in another angle. It's still pretty nice.