Thinking of getting Lumia 950XL

[alucke]

I currently have a nexus 6 on ATT. The android system with nexus 6 frequently updates, but the usability, and way android is setup is getting old, to me. I had an old windows phone, before I went to android with the EVO 4g. So I am looking for something new, and interesting. I am looking to buy a Lumia 950XL when my tax return comes. Is there any thing I would need to know before I would take the dive into the Windows phone, again? How is the file system setup on the expandable micro sd card? Is it worth my while to buy the 950XL? Does Microsoft update the software on the 950/950Xl frequently, or does one have to be an insider to get updates fast? any input would be appreciated.

Adrian

 

[Mr Hyde]

Buy it from Microsoft (or a Microsoft store) and try it. if you don't like it you have 30 days to return it for a refund. You can test it and put it through its paces to see if it works for you. Your experience will matter way more than others opinions

 

[DeathMoJo]

Buy it from Microsoft (or a Microsoft store) and try it. if you don't like it you have 30 days to return it for a refund. You can test it and put it through its paces to see if it works for you. Your experience will matter way more than others opinions

Best advice right here! Forums can sway opinions good or bad but mostly you find on forums that people voice concerns for a product.

The 950 XL has been rather solid for me, others have had what seems likes major issues. I have had 4-5 random restarts in the 2 months of ownership, some apps crash randomly but not consistently and battery life has been good for the most part. (I can't expect too much with the screen resolution) For me needs its a great phone and I really enjoy the Windows 10 ecosystem. Put it through the paces of what you need and try not to believe, good or bad, what people have to say on the forum and make your own call.

 

[g808]

No major issues for me. Just know what you're potentially getting into. Be sure the apps you really need are available. Other than that understand you're basically enrolling in a beta program with Windows 10 being fairly new and will continually be updated. If you want a breathe of fresh air and a great camera, and understand where Windows 10 mobile is right now, then I'm sure you'll enjoy the Lumia 950XL.

 

[M4cc45]

I'd add that make sure you test the apps. The apps may be available but, for me, they don't work as well on other platforms. Again (and I know I'm repeating myself) anything that seems to use push notifications just takes an age to get to the device (if it ever gets there) meaning I miss messages. I was watching some football the other night and I have a live goals app - it piped up that it was half-time 20 minutes after the event.

Sad as I love the phone itself, love the live tiles and camera. There's some things missing like a fingerprint reader, a mute switch, etc. that would have made the device that bit better which confuses me as to how they could have been missed.

Anyway the moral here is to test them and make sure you can either put up with this or whether you want to hold off until they fix things.

 

[noobchief]

Hmmm i would not really recommend it as a Lumia 950XL is pretty expensive as it is a flagship. Well the hardware may not be a problem, the software is what i worry the most as Windows 10 mobile is pretty in a bad shape for me right now

 

[M4cc45]

Personally I would wait. I've experienced, and seen it a lot on these forums, about the overheating issue for example so it may actually be a hardware fault as well.

 

[snakebitten]

If you spend just a few minutes on this 950(XL) forum, you are going to find out 2 things about this phone:

1. It is the worst smartphone in the history of smartphones and Microsoft should close their doors and exit the smartphone market. (And I am NOT exaggerating! This is a documented opinion of many)

2. It is the best phone I have ever had and I haven't experienced all the horrible issues that others have reported.

And thus, your dilemma!

Seriously, you already got the best advice earlier. Go grab one and test drive it. Microsoft is MORE than fair with their return policy.

If you DO decide to take one home and give it a good thorough spin, just note a couple of very important things.....

It is going to need quite a few updates to apps, possibly firmware, and even the OS, right out of the box. So judging the battery life or how "cool" it is temperature wise is something you should reserve for after a few days. And it is also likely that for those first few days you are using it more than normal and that gorgeous bright screen will take its toll.

But please do notice that it sports that wicked cool USB-C and quick charge. So it takes very few minutes to fill her tank to about half anyways.

Good luck. Hope you report back. Several times, in fact.

 

[beman39]

just an FYI, since owning my 950XL for a month I have NOT had 1 restart, or 1 crash or any problems that others are having. *touch wood* my phone has been stable and a real JOY to use. I luv the wireless charging and it's so convenient to have. the size is "perfect" for everyday use and as much as I luved my L1520 size, now that I have the L950xl I find the L1520 a smidgen too big . Its still a beautiful phone mind you, but I just find the size of the L950xl to be perfect. I just think win10 needs to "catch up" with the awesome hardware of the 950XL and then when that happens you will have a "synergy" happening with this phone. Microsoft needs to get developers on board and excited about win 10m and start getting the app gap smaller and then none existent. once this is accomplished win 10m will be on par with the rest of the other mobile phone platforms...

 

[Rupert Holmes]

I returned my 950XL after a month and a half. All the good things said were true for me. I no problems with the XL as a hardware device. My problem, in my opinion, came from missing features 10 mobile. Specifically, no tap to wake, changes to the calendar functions, loss of visual voicemail, yes, you can work around it, but why, dual sim, but why. Loss of the HERE maps, sorry tried the MS app, no contest in usability. Without tap to wake, the button arrangement needed to clean, I found it awkward. I was not sure LTE worked, though many say it does. I will not complain about the price, as said, it is nice hardware and address most of my complaints of other devices. If I could have rolled back to 8.1 with it's feature set, I would have keep the XL. I only returned it because that seemed to be the best way to vote, did see much response to feedback.

I have observed, but cannot verify that the people who have never had a WP before seem to be the most pleased with the new phones, that is a plus for the platform as it stands.

I am sure that MS will eventually replace the features, and I will get another 950 or what follows, but for now I will keep my 1020 w/8.1 daily, 635 w/10 testing, and the surprising not so bad BB Bold, work phone.

 

[M4cc45]

Beman39 is the most similar to where I am. Just the application and OS is not ready yet. The notification system is so annoying. I could live with the phone getting hot, hell I could live with it resetting every now and again (the one I'm testing seems pretty rock solid) but the appalling situation on the apps and OS is the major blow for not getting one yet. I'm absolutely reliant on the notifciations and to not get them from Outlook or late just kills it for me.

I hope they get it fixed soon before i have to return it and recommend that, as a company, we get something else.

 

[snakebitten]

<snip> Loss of the HERE maps, sorry tried the MS app, no contest in usability. <snip>.

Here maps is back! Specifically for W10M, in fact. (Nokia\Microsoft fixed the Store Issue a couple of days ago and now there are 2 version of all Here map-apps. 8.1\10)

Not everyone agrees that Here is better, but I do feel both apps have their strengths over the other.

Tap to wake is missing and I like that feature. I miss it too. I here it is coming eventually.

 

[Mr Hyde]

It seems to me that everyone who has the opinion NOT to get the phone is based on their own personal experience. Since it would be silly to think that everyone has the same needs, wants, or desires, it seems very clear that the only way you could possibly know if this phone will work for you and your needs would be to try it for your self. 30 days is a good amount of time to see if it will meet your needs. And, I totally agree with "snakebitten" Once out of the box, insert your sim and let the phone fully update before doing anything. It took several hours for my 950xl to download the latest software and firmware, install it, and then update all the apps that came on the phone. I just left it alone for the most part and let it do its thing until it was all done. I have only had the phone for about a week now and I'm still in my own 'test drive' period, but I have had NONE of the issues reported by others. Its been rock solid since day one. My only issue is with windows hello. it works for me about 85% of the time. But, I also understand that it's still in Beta so I really didn't even expect it to be working that good. Get the phone, give it a good test drive, if you don't like it take it back.

 

[M4cc45]

Well of course people are going to report there personal experiences. It gives the OP a balanced view of the device rather than rushing off and getting something that they may end up having to send back.

I did exactly what you did. I left the phone to update as soon as I got it then I installed a few apps. The fact that the experience is different for nigh on everyone (some peoples is good, some bad and some inbetween) suggests that there are issuse with the device. The problem for me is I'm not 100% on where the issue lies as other people have reported using the same apps and they're working well. So if it's a hardware issue then I need to return the phone and the time that will take means it may be easier to get a refund than a replacement on the basis that the replacement may just be as bad.

 

[the-scotsman]

I posted this on Reddit today:
I used WM5, 6 and 6.5. Them moved to Android, where I stayed for many years. I moved from Android to Windows with the 950 XL (coming from an LG G4).
I was getting bored with Android and wanted to try WM10, now that Microsoft finally had a decent flagship device.
I've had it since release, and I've really enjoyed using it. The device itself is great. The OS is slick and the UI is probably the best of all smartphone OSs. I convinced myself the app gap wouldn't be an issue for me, and for the most part, I've got by ok. I set up custom bookmark tiles on my start screen for banks and other sites that have no apps. This has been ok, but it's starting to annoy me a little.
Sure the websites work, but never as good as the apps designed for mobile use. And being limited to Edge as a browser is getting annoying. It's ok most of the time, but a few sites it just doesn't do things well.
And it's quite sad that using a third party app is better than the official one (eg Instagram, Youtube). That to me says a lot. There's just not enough investment into WM10 from the bigger companies. And biggest of all, the utter debacle that is Facebook on WM10. There are 3 (or maybe more) different "Facebook" apps that you can use, all of which are very poor and very limited.
I'm now at a point wondering whether to stick with the 950 XL, or move back to Android and get the LG G5 or some other 2016 Q1 flagship. I haven't given up on W10M yet, and I really do want it to be great and want to stick with it. But the more I use it, the more I begin to miss the small things that just worked so well on Android.
Google (Now) is so much better with notifications of meetings, flights, hotels, traffic.....it's supposed to do it on Cortana, but it just hasn't worked for me, even though it's all enabled.
I still have my G4 so I might switch back to that for a week or so and see how I stand after that.
EDIT: And todays figures released by Microsoft are not a good sign. 49% drop in mobile revenue...

 

[halflifecrysis]

It was the best of times and the worst of times......the saga of Windows phone.

I'm with buying it where you can return it for a full refund. Make your own decision after using it. ☺

 

[ImaMess]

Best phone ever by far. Have had many Lumia's and favored the older phones, until buying the 950xl. Exceptional.