There are so many negative posts on the 950 XL. I understand that people with problems are more likely to post comments looking for solutions and people with no problems are just happy and don't post as much. But the negative comments here on the forums really made me leery about taking the 950 XL plunge. My fears were put to rest a little bit after a visit to my local Microsoft store. The sales person assured me that I had 30 days to return the phone if I wasn't happy with it. So I burned through my MS gift card, put the rest on my visa, and walked out with a 950 XL DS. On the way home I stopped by my local T-Mobile store and was sold one month of pre-paid phone service with 2gb of data. Since I was test driving the 950 XL I thought I'd also take T-Mobile for a test drive as well. I am planning on keeping my Verizon Lumia Icon active during the test period. So I gathered up my 950 XL and new SIM and went home.
I followed the "Get Started" guide step by step. Cover off, battery out, SIM in, battery back in, cover back on, power on, and plug in the charger. The phone started up and I followed the instructions on the phone. I did NOT restore from a backup since I read here that many had problems doing this. I put the phone down and let it do its thing. After a while it was up and running. I went to the settings and searched for updates and found the latest firmware update and software update. It took a while for those to download but I just let the phone sit until it was done. It took about an hour to do the download and the prepare to install phases. I then did the necessary restart to finish the install. The gears began turning so I just left the phone and met some friends at the local tavern. When I got home it was all done and the phone was up and running.
I checked the main things, Phone, Messaging, Email, and Calendar and they all seemed to be working normally. I downloaded a few apps I use and they installed just fine and seemed to be working normally. I did notice that things were a bit slow but I also noticed that my phone was in the process of updating 48 apps, so I just let that finish up which took a bit of time. After that, any slowness I had noticed was gone.
The phone has been up and running for 3 days now it seems to be running flawlessly. wifi and LTE seems to be similar to what I'm used to with my Icon. Battery life is very similar to the Icon. Apps run normally, the camera is fantastic. I have added most of the apps I'm used to using on the Icon and they all work as expected. I have to say at this point I'm very happy with this phone. I have not experienced any of the issues that I have been reading about on this forum (knock wood), and I feel badly for those who have had problems and issues.
Sorry for the long post. I just thought maybe it might help someone who was on the fence like I was, make the decision to get or wait for the 950 XL. And, T-Mobile for me so far has been an unexpected surprise. I live in the greater Philadelphia, PA area and coverage is very good. Reception is as good as Verizon in my house. And best of all, T-Mobile is quite a bit less expensive than Verizon. I have a month to decide if I'm going to keep the 950 XL or not but so far its looking that I'll be dumping Verizon and my Icon very soon.
I followed the "Get Started" guide step by step. Cover off, battery out, SIM in, battery back in, cover back on, power on, and plug in the charger. The phone started up and I followed the instructions on the phone. I did NOT restore from a backup since I read here that many had problems doing this. I put the phone down and let it do its thing. After a while it was up and running. I went to the settings and searched for updates and found the latest firmware update and software update. It took a while for those to download but I just let the phone sit until it was done. It took about an hour to do the download and the prepare to install phases. I then did the necessary restart to finish the install. The gears began turning so I just left the phone and met some friends at the local tavern. When I got home it was all done and the phone was up and running.
I checked the main things, Phone, Messaging, Email, and Calendar and they all seemed to be working normally. I downloaded a few apps I use and they installed just fine and seemed to be working normally. I did notice that things were a bit slow but I also noticed that my phone was in the process of updating 48 apps, so I just let that finish up which took a bit of time. After that, any slowness I had noticed was gone.
The phone has been up and running for 3 days now it seems to be running flawlessly. wifi and LTE seems to be similar to what I'm used to with my Icon. Battery life is very similar to the Icon. Apps run normally, the camera is fantastic. I have added most of the apps I'm used to using on the Icon and they all work as expected. I have to say at this point I'm very happy with this phone. I have not experienced any of the issues that I have been reading about on this forum (knock wood), and I feel badly for those who have had problems and issues.
Sorry for the long post. I just thought maybe it might help someone who was on the fence like I was, make the decision to get or wait for the 950 XL. And, T-Mobile for me so far has been an unexpected surprise. I live in the greater Philadelphia, PA area and coverage is very good. Reception is as good as Verizon in my house. And best of all, T-Mobile is quite a bit less expensive than Verizon. I have a month to decide if I'm going to keep the 950 XL or not but so far its looking that I'll be dumping Verizon and my Icon very soon.