Buy 950 XL now or wait for Surface phone and take the 550 in between?

Ruben de Boer

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Hi guys,

I'm thinking of getting the new Lumia 950 XL on a two year contract. I want to pre-order it to get a free Continuum dock with it. I'm just afraid that the phone will be a bit like the first surface, just not quite there yet. And then the alleged Surface phone will come and I want that even more. But then I'm stuck to a two year contract.

I could also wait and see what the alleged surface phone will be and get that one. Now i do want a real high end device so if the Surface phone will be a mid range phone i will be disappointed and have to choose between the then older Lumia 950 XL (without Continuum Dock) or a mid range Surface phone.

If i just knew what the next high end Lumia/Surface phone will be (After the 950), I could easily make the decision.
I'm now still using the 1020 which is still great but a little bit slow on Windows 10 in the preview. (I haven't tried the last few builds as i don't want to keep redoing the device recovery, if someone just showed the 1020 on a video running the newest build to check it out that would be great.) Anyway i could be using that until the next Surface phone or just but the Lumia 550 in between if my 1020 can't keep up anymore.

And then finally: What if?
What if the first Surface phone (instead of the Lumia 950) will become something like the first Surface tablet. Their first completely Microsoft phone could start not at it's best considered their first Surface tablet. Then again their Surface Book (First Laptop) Looks amazing so probably they can also make a good first Surface Phone.

Choices, choices, choices. Have you guys got any suggestions, i don't know what to do, what would you do?
 

libra89

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I would say waiting for the Surface phone can be a gamble. It could end up being a midrange or just delayed. When you say on contract, you mean through a carrier?

It sounds like you are really desiring a flagship, so getting the 550 would be a downgrade, and probably not worth your money. If you wish to test Win 10 Mobile, I would say the better bet would be to just get a 640 and see how it goes with the preview. You wouldn't lose much money trying it out.

Some people have said that it would be strange for Microsoft to release a high end phone in November and then they decide to release another one 3 months later. I think there's a good possibly that the "Surface phone" could be a midrange, and it might make you wonder why you waited for a midrange.
 

SEC_SAM

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Is there actually a deal out there that includes the Dock? The dock system seems to be a giant step forward towards cutting down on some of our devices. Also, your idea about what if the Surface phone is the same quality as the first Surface tablets makes a lot of sense. Microsoft for years has designed things that are released 85% complete and let their customers come up with the changes to make them 100%. And, they don't discount the better device to us when we want to upgrade. And we did all of the heavy lifting.
 

Ruben de Boer

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I would say waiting for the Surface phone can be a gamble. It could end up being a midrange or just delayed. When you say on contract, you mean through a carrier?

This contract is in the Netherlands, it is a contract with a carrier but it's handled by a retailer. In the Netherlands we get an free Continuum dock with the XL version. The contract exists of the following:

1 GB 4G Data & 150 Calls/SMS: ?15
Paying monthly for the Phone: ?14
Paying once for the handset: ?207
Which is enough for my needs.
I can make the monthly payment higher and let the price for the phone drop but that's just about what I prefer for the monthly payment.

It sounds like you are really desiring a flagship, so getting the 550 would be a downgrade, and probably not worth your money. If you wish to test Win 10 Mobile, I would say the better bet would be to just get a 640 and see how it goes with the preview. You wouldn't lose much money trying it out.
My mom has the 640 running W10M but she's waiting for the next build so she doesn't have to use the recovery tool. After that i can see how stable and fast it is now. I believe it will be fluid when it launches with the 950 but i was wondering if i could keep my 1020 running on W10M until the Surface phone launches.

Thanks for your reply:smile:
 

Ruben de Boer

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Is there actually a deal out there that includes the Dock?

In the Netherlands we get the Continuum dock with the XL version. This is also the case in Belgium.

Also, your idea about what if the Surface phone is the same quality as the first Surface tablets makes a lot of sense. Microsoft for years has designed things that are released 85% complete and let their customers come up with the changes to make them 100%. And, they don't discount the better device to us when we want to upgrade. And we did all of the heavy lifting.

That was about what i was thinking but on the other hand Microsoft has already made parts of some Lumia phones (the other parts where by Nokia). And they have also acquired Nokia's handset division. Which should both help them a lot. We probably wont know for the time being. I just hope to hear something about the Surface phone before the 950 release's. Otherwise I think I'll take the 950 XL i guess.

Thanks for your opinion:wink:
 

vEEP pEEP

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What Surface Phone?




Hi guys,

I'm thinking of getting the new Lumia 950 XL on a two year contract. I want to pre-order it to get a free Continuum dock with it. I'm just afraid that the phone will be a bit like the first surface, just not quite there yet. And then the alleged Surface phone will come and I want that even more. But then I'm stuck to a two year contract.

I could also wait and see what the alleged surface phone will be and get that one. Now i do want a real high end device so if the Surface phone will be a mid range phone i will be disappointed and have to choose between the then older Lumia 950 XL (without Continuum Dock) or a mid range Surface phone.

If i just knew what the next high end Lumia/Surface phone will be (After the 950), I could easily make the decision.
I'm now still using the 1020 which is still great but a little bit slow on Windows 10 in the preview. (I haven't tried the last few builds as i don't want to keep redoing the device recovery, if someone just showed the 1020 on a video running the newest build to check it out that would be great.) Anyway i could be using that until the next Surface phone or just but the Lumia 550 in between if my 1020 can't keep up anymore.

And then finally: What if?
What if the first Surface phone (instead of the Lumia 950) will become something like the first Surface tablet. Their first completely Microsoft phone could start not at it's best considered their first Surface tablet. Then again their Surface Book (First Laptop) Looks amazing so probably they can also make a good first Surface Phone.

Choices, choices, choices. Have you guys got any suggestions, i don't know what to do, what would you do?
 

Ruben de Boer

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There have been talks about a Surface Phone, for example here Microsoft execs say Windows 10 Mobile 'is significantly feature complete', hints at Surface Phone | Windows Central although that link probably talks about the 950 and 950 XL. These devices are probably called Lumia devices because Nokia had to do something with the development of them. When Microsoft makes a new phone completely by them self they might also change the brand name and also radically change the design. Maybe a steel housing as well.
 

tale 85

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Hi guys,

I'm thinking of getting the new Lumia 950 XL on a two year contract. I want to pre-order it to get a free Continuum dock with it. I'm just afraid that the phone will be a bit like the first surface, just not quite there yet. And then the alleged Surface phone will come and I want that even more. But then I'm stuck to a two year contract.

I could also wait and see what the alleged surface phone will be and get that one. Now i do want a real high end device so if the Surface phone will be a mid range phone i will be disappointed and have to choose between the then older Lumia 950 XL (without Continuum Dock) or a mid range Surface phone.

If i just knew what the next high end Lumia/Surface phone will be (After the 950), I could easily make the decision.
I'm now still using the 1020 which is still great but a little bit slow on Windows 10 in the preview. (I haven't tried the last few builds as i don't want to keep redoing the device recovery, if someone just showed the 1020 on a video running the newest build to check it out that would be great.) Anyway i could be using that until the next Surface phone or just but the Lumia 550 in between if my 1020 can't keep up anymore.

And then finally: What if?
What if the first Surface phone (instead of the Lumia 950) will become something like the first Surface tablet. Their first completely Microsoft phone could start not at it's best considered their first Surface tablet. Then again their Surface Book (First Laptop) Looks amazing so probably they can also make a good first Surface Phone.

Choices, choices, choices. Have you guys got any suggestions, i don't know what to do, what would you do?
Scotch works for me.
 

OutlawFirebird

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You could wait, but there is no guarantee there will be a surface phone at all soon, if there is one, and any info on it is correct, it wont necessary be aimed at normal consumers, but business people. With a price tag most couldn't afford. But anything on it is just rumors anyway, I won't count on one, until its actually announced from Microsoft. I remember years ago people were sure a Zune phone was coming, and we all know how that turned out.
 

Ruben de Boer

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it wont necessary be aimed at normal consumers, but business people. With a price tag most couldn't afford.

What do you mean with that? Isn't a business phone more like a midrange device? You have to buy a lot of them so you want them cheap but you also want the to be a bit powerful hence the midrange. I personally don't think businesses wil buy a lot of handset for the price of the high end Lumia 950 like price.
 

Daniel Ratcliffe

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I'm going to be considering the Lumia 950 myself (not on contract though, you'll be prising that unlimited 4G for ?16/mth from my cold dead hands). Prefer the smaller 5' form factor and my 930 should never have legally been sold to me.

What do you mean with that? Isn't a business phone more like a midrange device? You have to buy a lot of them so you want them cheap but you also want the to be a bit powerful hence the midrange. I personally don't think businesses wil buy a lot of handset for the price of the high end Lumia 950 like price.

I'm guessing businesses will get a lower price dependent on how many they buy in bulk. So a one man business will pay ?1'500 (for arguments sake) for the device but a 10'000 person business might only pay ?300/device.
 

final_fantasy781

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Between the new 950's and the "surface phone", I would get the 950 XL. We don't know the specs yet, but I would guess a lower MP camera for the rumored enterprise phone. Additionally, new and different hardware, which the first creation may not work correctly at first.
 

MiloTheOne

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I want the surface phone but I know that is something that may take 1 even 2 years before it's out of development. I have been waiting over two years for a beast of a phone from Microsoft and this is the one (in my case).
 

rollindice

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I want the surface phone but I know that is something that may take 1 even 2 years before it's out of development. I have been waiting over two years for a beast of a phone from Microsoft and this is the one (in my case).

exactly, many persons were waiting on flagship phone from Msft, we've seen and know what the phone is capable of, yeah there are rumours of Surface Phone , but why wait when you can have a great phone for all your needs knowing it's available
 

MiloTheOne

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exactly, many persons were waiting on flagship phone from Msft, we've seen and know what the phone is capable of, yeah there are rumours of Surface Phone , but why wait when you can have a great phone for all your needs knowing it's available

The technology may not be there completely. I work in I.T. with both hardware and software, I know we'll what I want a device to do, can and want it to do. What wins out of the three is what it can do.

A device running 3 plus gigs of ram with an Octo core processor should run a game like Diablo 3 or software like dream Weaver. Reality is we're heading there and are almost there but not yet. Processors, no matter how "energy efficient" they are in a laptop and/or PC would drain the hell out of a 3000 plus mAh battery.

Unless MSFT creates a device that uses bio-matter computing with Nano technology using/siphoning organic energy to power up, we must wait XD. (The device I want btw)
 

erzhik

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You can wait, but the problem is we don't know when Surface phone will come, or if it even will. While it makes sense for Microsoft to make a Surface phone, to increase their Surface line...it also doesn't make sense since they did a Surface line because they didn't have their own tablet or laptop. They do have phones though.
 

3earnhardt3

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Microsoft's next flagship will be a surface-like phone but only because the 950/xl is the last nokia design and Microsoft always builds industrial looking devices. But I wouldn't count on another flagship for at LEAST 12 months, probably more.
 

Ruben de Boer

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Thanks everyone for your opinion. I'll be getting the Lumia 950 XL then. Unless there suddenly does come a lot of info about a Surface phone before release date.
 

MDK22

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FWIW - my $.02

IF there is a Surface phone, it will most definitely be a high end device, with everything the Lumia 950 / 950XL has, but a tad more, in a (slightly) more elegant form factor (HDMI out?).
Panos Panay knows he's digging out of a hole. the half-hearted presentation of the Lumia 950 / 950XL would seem to indicate something on the horizon. MS had to release new devices, or pronounce Windows Mobile. My guess would be the McLaren phone resurrected, with a little Xtra sumthin', sumthin' ... probably early summer 2016 (before the new Galaxy7, just as the iPhone7 rumors start to percolate).
Whatever it is, it needs to be a home run, or sayonara WinMobile!

As far as Lumia 950XL, they'll be had for less ($450 - $500 USD), IF you're willing to wait till 2016, which will hold you over, until the mythical Surface phone drops in price. You won't be satisfied with the Lumia 550 (I have a Lumia 635 as a spare, it doesn't compare to my Lumia 1520).

OR, I could be way wrong, way out in leftfield & MS will promote the hell out of the latest Lumia line ... hahahahahaha
 
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