Should I buy a 950XL or wait for the "Surface Phone"??

[Babs75]

Love my 950xl, maybe I'm a lucky one with no issues...

Same here. This is my first Windows phone and I have had no problems.

 

[sheldon cohn]

I received the 950 XL for testing, previous I had a Nokia 520 for testing Windows 10, the 520
responds better then the 950 XL, opening apps and texting for example. I'm using a BLU WIN
HD LTE for my main phone, running Windows 8.1.
Continuum works with the 950 XL, however people are looking to use it as a phone first and as
a phone it's not working as well as other Microsoft phones. I feel not everyone will be using
continuum, even if they have the 950 XL, Continuum is great for Schools and businesses,
but people would be looking for the schools or business to pay for the connecting devices.

 

[Wheelchair Assassin]

Wait until W10m is ready. I had no problems the first few weeks and now I have nothing but problems with my L950. I loved it at first, claimed it was the best device I ever owned. Let the OS mature and wait for prices to drop. I had to pull my sim and go back to my 920 it was getting so bad.

 

[Jeddic]

I would recommend the 950 XL. I had the 640 previously, and it was a great phone on 8.1. I upgraded it to 10 preview, and although there are some imperfections, that improved the experience in my opinion. If you've tried 10 and you like it, then the 950 XL can only be an improvement.

BTW with my 950, I haven't experienced any problems or major bugs.

 

[lupinesithlord]

Love my xl... never ought I'd get a phablet...someone showed me a video on a ip 6s, thought that it was title small.... that was after less than 2 weeks of ownership.

 

[WinCoffee]

Buy 950XL or wait for some other good W10M phones! ^^

 

[Yangstax]

Zenfone 2 android already has a Intel chip in their phone: Z3580 and 3590

It only supports Camera with 13MP.

 

[andraeseus]

Do you have any reason to believe the surface hone will be better? let me answer for you. no. Because there is no reason to think that. SOOOOOOO get the one that for 1. exists now 2. is already better because it simply exists. Aint you ever heard of a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush?

Ok...I have a 640XL now. Not happy with it. So at this point should I buy a 950XL (it would be an unlocked one) or should I wait it out and see what becomes of these "Surface Phone" rumors??

 

[anguilla1980]

I bought it rather than waiting, could be 9 months until a surface goes on sale, best case

 

[andraeseus]

Your phone is JACKED UP man. I use the iris scanner and as far as the speed? let me say this..by the time I whip out my phone to type in my 4 digit pin IRIS has ALREADY welcomes me to my phone! it works so well I cannot avoid USING IT. The phone only has to be close enough for me to view the text (normal length when unlocking a phone) and it friggan works ! and its FAST! much faster than typing in a pen. I keep mines updated and have not experienced any of the buggy stuff ur talking about... Not saying you are lying just that maybe you got a dud model. There is no faster "SECURE" way that I know of right now to access a smart phone

I would not recommend buying Lumia 950XL. As long term WP user I recently buy this device and it is big disappointment. Mostly because unpolished OS. Stability is quite bad. I have at least 5 random reboots per week, randomly broken Bluetooth(restart is needed), stability of Continuum is a joke, Iris scanner is slow, etc.. In my opinion this is totally unacceptable for device with this price tag.

I'm sorry to say but I will return this device tomorrow.

 

[lankylars]

It's all part of their plan for their new data sim.

I was actually thinking about that yesterday. That would make some sense, but it's been poorly telegraphed by Microsoft if that's the case, given how many of us are unhappy that VVM won't work.

 

[andraeseus]

THis is the best phone I have ever used. here is some contex. soney Ericson p910, nokia 7710, nokia n95, n900, Lumia 810, Lumia 830, lumia 925, lumia 920 (unlocked multi-band/radio/carrier developer model), sooooo I mean. I have been with Nokia since Symbian and maemo and Lumias since they came out. with that being said... this is the best friggan phone I have ever USED EVER. and I have used a lot of and mainly high end very expensive flagship phones PLUS a whole slew of iPhones from 3g to 6 Plus and the latest Android OS.

 

[andraeseus]

that is a lot of speculation and a whole lot of assumption but all valid points. worth considering.

Ok here are the ups and downs:

Assuming the Surface Phone is true and comes out, it will probably be (rumors) a ~6inch phone/tablet device with Surface pen support. Assuming all rumors are true, it will be a Intel Atom based, and have the ability to run Win32 programs under continuum. Resolution should be the same as the 950XL, as the Intel Atom CPU integrated graphics can only do so much (keep in mind it will need to drive 2 display for continuum). It would be impossible to run Win32 programs on your phone screen because I can assure you that 99.99% of them would have its interface unusable.

Intel's latest and great Atom should be faster than the CPU in the Lumia 950XL. Not to mention that Microsoft is master at optimizing code for x86-64 architecture as this is what they work on the most.

By the time the Surface Phone is released, Windows 10 Mobile should be FAR more polished, and would feel like a solid polished OS (I mean it would be released end of 2016 is anything, so yea, it is to be expected).

But... you'll be waiting ~1 year for it, and that is assuming it doesn't sell out, and you are able to get your hands on it at release, let alone even exists.
As most reviews of the Lumia 950 series is that they hated the back plate of the device, because "it doesn't use any premium materials", not getting that you need plastic back to have wireless charging, and replace the battery, expect those feature to disappear (unless Microsoft figures something out, which could be possible, as we seen the Surface team is very talented, and have been pulling the impossible a few times in a row), possibly the micro-SD card expansion as well. Although, they might do like Apple with the iPhone 6S Plus 128GB model, where they put an SSD (and this is what REALLY helps the iPhone to be faster). If they use an SSD, expect the price to skyrocket, because SSD of 64GB+ in 1 or 2 chips only, is very costly still (although price is dropping as technology moves forward).


Here is my thought:
-> Surface Phone is real
-> Lumia 950 and 950 XL are test platforms for the Surface Phone. What I mean is notice the different button layout, they are trying on us which button layout is better. The 950XL has a heatsink solution on a hot processor, great for testing out the ability to cool off a powerful Atom CPU (or maybe Core M CPU)
-> The name "Surface" is very strong in North America, "Lumia" is non existent there. So, just the name will push sales of the device. But Microsoft needs to make sure that you have at least the core apps for most people (and that Microsoft needs time, and continue to encourage devs to make Universal Apps), and have an OS polished.

-> Chances are that the Surface Phone will be very well build, and feel high quality as the team is really good on this, and so far, doesn't seem to want to settle for anything else lower in terms of quality. Basically no cutting, despite loosing out on the ability to put better parts (see Surface 3 non-pro).

Those 2 last points alone with more polished Windows 10 Mobile OS, and more apps, will push more favorable, even glowing reviews, which will build further hype and push sales. You might feel disappointed when the times comes if you buy the Lumia 950/950 XL now.

But, on the other side:
-> If you are happy with Windows Phone 8 / Windows 10 Mobile now, you should be fine.
-> You get to enjoy a product early, despite not being perfect at the moment.


If you can wait, and live with your phone for 1 year to a year and half, then wait.
If you can't and want to continue with Windows Phone, then get the Lumia 950/950XL

 

[MJBALTIC]

Totally agree with you.
I'm enjoying mine 950XL - it's a great phone!

 

[beman39]

that is a lot of speculation and a whole lot of assumption but all valid points. worth considering.

agreed! good read actually...

 

[Captpt]

Re: Should I buy a 950XL or wait for the "Surface Phone"??

I agree totally with you. I have the 640 XL running windows 8.1 update 2 and omg its is so smooth, quick and battery life is insane!! Yes put 8.1 back on your phone and just wait for wp10.

Absolutely... If he wants a better camera and faster phone do as I did, sold my 640XL and bought a new 1520, there are still new ones out there.. I did the W10 .29 and .36 on my 640XL and when I got my 1520 I left it on 8.1, smooth as silk and awesome battery life.. Ohh and a new 1520 is around $430 cheaper then the 950XL..

 

[NinjaTreecko]

Wait for the Surface Phone. Don't buy the 950 XL just to be Microsoft's guinea pig. As buggy and compromised as the the 950 XL is, Microsoft really should be GIVING THEM AWAY.

 

[snakebitten]

Re: Should I buy a 950XL or wait for the "Surface Phone"??

Absolutely... If he wants a better camera and faster phone do as I did, sold my 640XL and bought a new 1520, there are still new ones out there.. I did the W10 .29 and .36 on my 640XL and when I got my 1520 I left it on 8.1, smooth as silk and awesome battery life.. Ohh and a new 1520 is around $430 cheaper then the 950XL..

The 1520 is a classic beast. Awesome phone. (I recommend not putting in your back pocket or any kind of flex-stress. It's a thin large device that can be tweaked if you sit on it. Some evidence this is what leads to the phantom touch issues)

Just so you know, the 1520 powers through W10M far better than the other pre-950 Windows phones. So yes, if you get a fresh new 1520 at greatly discounted prices, you can have your cake and eat it too.

I have a 950XL and a couple of glorious red 1520s. I admit the 950 is wicked fast and crisp. But I wish it had that awesome LTE antenna of the 1520. I live in a 2bar rural area. I think the dual sim hurts the 950(XL) in weaker signal areas.

 

[MohitKJain]

I would definitely wait it out. I have a 1520, and I wanted to replace it. 950XL may be new and all but it just can't beat the overall silky experience of 1520 in terms of Hardware and Software.

 

[beman39]

Wait for the Surface Phone. Don't buy the 950 XL just to be Microsoft's guinea pig. As buggy and compromised as the the 950 XL is, Microsoft really should be GIVING THEM AWAY.

just because you had a faulty device doesn't make them ALL faulty or inferior device, funny thing is I'm enjoying my PERFECTLY working 950XL... and so happy with my purchase