3 Months with the 950XL (please respond with your experiences)

[llckll]

I currently have my 950 XL listed on ebay. If it doesn't sell, I'll keep it. Only reason that i'll keep it is because of the camera.

If it sells, I'm debating on getting the iPhone SE.

 

[Josephpaul27]

Hi All,

I have started using my new Lumia 950 XL and its been a month now.
I've seen lot of positives and negative reviews over past few weeks & I was thinking to go for it or not for long time.
Finally I made a great decision to go for it, I bought this from Microsoft retailer shop, I am happy this have worth features inside it.

1. I had heating issues & issues while capturing videos on 1st day which was mentioned in many reviews. But after updates on second day issues are resolved.
2. I've seen reviews regarding battery usage by amoled screen, but as per my view its normal and not too much ( I've used Sony , Samsung & Microsoft smartphones mobile's previously) all seems to be same and there is no much difference regarding battery usage. Mobile is fully charged in 1:15 Hrs
3. Camera clarity is awesome even my friends, colleagues surprised with it.
4. As soon as I started using this mobile, I formatted my SD card and moved all the stuffs to it (Apps, Photos Videos, etc). 4.5GB is used in phone memory and I didn't find any issues in it... Nothing to complain.
5. So far my mobile never got Hung and never heated more even after using for long time, playing games or watching videos.
6. Dock feature is amazing we can connect to Monitor and use mobile as CPU or touchpad or we can use Mobile as Computer by connecting only keyboard and mouse [Mouse and Keyboard working awesome with dock (Both wired and Wireless) Surprised with it]
7. Able to view any pen drive or hard disk in mobile that's connected via dock.
8. We can use mobile as Monitor / CPU / Touch Pad....
9. Glance screen is working fine in my mobile and showing all notifications in it.
Overall I am excited and Happy with Performance/ Camera / Battery/ Storage & Features.

Negatives:
1. Volume rockers placement,
2. Plastic body
3. Back cover seems to be very thin and easily breakable.

Regards,
Joseph Paul

 

[Calm Wishbone]

Since my original post I've kept a log of things that have happened that I feel are unacceptable for a device that costs as much as the 950XL does. From the responses to my original post it's clear that the experience is wildly inconsistent across the board. Here are the bugs that have annoyed the hell out of me for the last week.

1 - Photos - Originally set to save to SDXC card but each photo taken would lock the phone up for 15-20 seconds while it saved. If I take more than one in quick succession the camera app crashes completely and/or the phone locks up and I have to pull the battery.
2 - Case Squeak - I did the insulation tape trick and I would say it's almost silent with a Mozo battery cover but with the original white MS cover it's still the same.
3 - I don't receive a lot of calls, maybe 10 a week...the phone has completely crashed while ringing 4 times this past week - battery pull required.
4 - Can't skip through purchased videos without crashing the Films & TV app - and often after a pause the video refuses to continue and I have to shut the app down...and start the video again. Only purchased content has this problem, so a double-whammy.
5 - I don't get SMS toast notifications and despite setting a sound for when new email arrives, there's not a peep, even if I'm in Outlook when it arrives.
6 - App updates - they all show "error" - I have yet to experience an app updating without my intervening (usually closing down the app, opening up, re-checking and installing manually).
7 - Whenever adding new apps to the start screen the top row of apps (Phone, Messaging, Whatsapp, Outlook) all move to the very bottom of the menu. This was not immediately obvious - I tried re-pinning but it showed they were already pinned...
8 - Battery life - No a heavy user but cannot get from wake-up to bedtime on one charge with light to moderate use - my old Lumia 1520 could do two days comfortably with the same amount of use.
9 - Email arrives very late compared to my Surface - sometime as much as half an hour.
10 - Apps launch randomly even when I'm not touching the phone, especially Skype.

Annoyed.

 

[Noob1ee]

Calm - have you tried a fresh install of the OS to solve your heating/restarting problems?

 

[Tapio Felldin]

I really love my 950xl. Especially now, with the brown Mozo back.
Today I bought an Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
I was hopening that Wordfeud, Storytel, HBO, ComHem, Viasat etc. would make apps that works in Windows 10 Mobile.
Can't wait anymore.
Back to Android :-(

 

[peashooter14]

Hardware on the phone is fine.
Screen is not flat so no glass protectors fit, nice design!
Lets put the volume rockers closer together so you take screenshots 10x a day just trying to turn the phone on!

OS is garbage
Clearly a step back from WP8. Many features lacking. Performance issues force you into the Fast Ring, then they change the Fast ring to Redstone and hosed the users just looking for a stable phone. VVM finally works, but hey who expects a phone to have such cutting edge stuff like VVM.

Skype+Messaging is a joke
OneDrive picture sync is flaky at best
Facebook is still a joke no matter if you are on regular, beta, or the web version (edge is a joke)
Edge is a horrible browser
Performance is worse than WP8 for sure as far as responsiveness
Outlook crashes, oh by the way, there is an update that fixes it...Nice app design to immediately crash when a new version exists. MSGBOX("please download the latest version"). Tough fix I know.

 

[peashooter14]

I don't understand this either. Do people actually think that insider builds are the path to stability? Especially fast ring builds? it would seem to me that entering the fast ring would be the buggiest and least stable. Maybe I think that because that's what it says when you opt into the fast ring... but what do I know?

Um, because for those of us who bought the phone in November, should I have put it on the shelf until Feb and a stable build shipped?

 

[frodobag]

I really love my 950xl, but sadly the lack of apps bothers me . smarthouse control app etc .. onedrive does not always autosync pictures , phone restarting , some apps shut down by them self and so on..
if microsoft just released the project astoria until a better solution came along i would probably keep the phone.
I guess i am back to android soon ....

I am sorry to say that i do not recommend this phone to friends or others .. mainly because of the lack of apps ,and that is not really microsofts fault

 

[Mr Hyde]

Um, because for those of us who bought the phone in November, should I have put it on the shelf until Feb and a stable build shipped?

Not really sure but I think probably no. I bought my phone in Mid Jan and it was stable since day one on the production build. The only issue I ever had was after entering the insider program. And that went away after I had to use the WDRT to restore my phone

 

[johnfreeze]

Guys, not to rain on your parade but Microsoft has abandoned you. At the Build conference they said "Windows Phone isn't our focus this year" Will it ever be their focus?
You have a dearth of apps compared to ios or android and Microsoft isn't helping you out.
I mean I like Microsoft but they show you no love, why stay with them?

 

[Mr Hyde]

Guys, not to rain on your parade but Microsoft has abandoned you. At the Build conference they said "Windows Phone isn't our focus this year" Will it ever be their focus?
You have a dearth of apps compared to ios or android and Microsoft isn't helping you out.
I mean I like Microsoft but they show you no love, why stay with them?

Why? Lets see... All the apps I use are available so although there is an app gap it doesn't affect me at all. And no other phone has the Cortana experience across all devices, cloud experience across all devices, cool resizable tile interface, best (or nearly the best) camera available on any phone, Continuum on my phone, and other stuff. I stay cause the hardware features are only available here.

Everyone talks about the app gap. But whats important to me is the hardware and with Android or iOs I'd be lagging behind in the hardware features gap.

 

[llckll]

Why? Lets see... All the apps I use are available so although there is an app gap it doesn't affect me at all. And no other phone has the Cortana experience across all devices, cloud experience across all devices, cool resizable tile interface, best (or nearly the best) camera available on any phone, Continuum on my phone, and other stuff. I stay cause the hardware features are only available here.

Everyone talks about the app gap. But whats important to me is the hardware and with Android or iOs I'd be lagging behind in the hardware features gap.

The only reason im staying now is because of the camera. I actually went to an att store to buy an S7 edge but they were sold out although inventory said one available.

What hardware feature gap are you referring to?

And the apps that are available, experience is way worse than ios or android.

 

[Mr Hyde]

The only reason im staying now is because of the camera. I actually went to an att store to buy an S7 edge but they were sold out although inventory said one available.

What hardware feature gap are you referring to?

And the apps that are available, experience is way worse than ios or android.

everyone talks about an "App Gap" because Windows Phone has less apps than Android or iOS.

The "hardware Features Gap" i'm talking about refers to all the hardware features, some of which I mentioned in the original post" which are only available on Windows Phone. No where else can you find all those features in one package. Microsoft is innovating features. Check out the WC news page to see what's coming with redstone. Its only going to get better for Windows Phone, and Android and iOS continue to fall further and further behind. Android and iOS are just app launchers.

Do android or iOS have anything like Continuum? No. When you're on your computer, can you tell Siri or Hey Google to remind you to pick up milk when you're near a grocery store and then have a reminder notification pop up on your phone the next time you're near a grocery store?

What has apple or google innovated lately? Other than apps, what can iOS or Android do that's not available on Windows phone? I can name a bunch of stuff that I can do on my 950XL that my wife is jealous of because she cant do them on her iPhone 6s.

So if apps are the most important thing to someone, they would probably be better on Android or iOS. But I'd rather have the cool features that only WP can offer

 

[misc_images]

Finally given up and gone back to iPhone 6 plus.

the final straw was txts not being received - this was in addition to an absence of missed call notifications.

this is built upon;
battery, under normal business use, not lasting from dawn to dusk
critical bank apps not available
Contactless payment not available

To me, the above are the drivers for putting the phone away. I do believe the OS is good as this was what appealed in the first instance. The hardware is great, especially the camera and being able to add a memory card (appreciate some android devices do). I'm hoping all the features come good.

 

[llckll]

everyone talks about an "App Gap" because Windows Phone has less apps than Android or iOS.

The "hardware Features Gap" i'm talking about refers to all the hardware features, some of which I mentioned in the original post" which are only available on Windows Phone. No where else can you find all those features in one package. Microsoft is innovating features. Check out the WC news page to see what's coming with redstone. Its only going to get better for Windows Phone, and Android and iOS continue to fall further and further behind. Android and iOS are just app launchers.

Do android or iOS have anything like Continuum? No. When you're on your computer, can you tell Siri or Hey Google to remind you to pick up milk when you're near a grocery store and then have a reminder notification pop up on your phone the next time you're near a grocery store?

What has apple or google innovated lately? Other than apps, what can iOS or Android do that's not available on Windows phone? I can name a bunch of stuff that I can do on my 950XL that my wife is jealous of because she cant do them on her iPhone 6s.

So if apps are the most important thing to someone, they would probably be better on Android or iOS. But I'd rather have the cool features that only WP can offer

Apps are a huge reason why Android and iOS are hugely successful and offers a better user experience than WM10 IMO.

Regarding hardware features, Android manufacturers and Apple have better hardware features. Again, IMO. I picked up the Galaxy S7 Edge yesterday and WOW. The specs are better than the 950 XL, is water resistant, has expandable storage, camera is just as good, curved edges is sweet, and build quality is superior to the 950 XL.

Yes, Android and iOS have similar software technology like continuum. Yes, you can tell them to remind you based on geolocation.

Apple innovated with force touch which is very useful. But one of the reasons I went with android was Google Now on Tap which is crazy innovated and useful.

Also the recent news from Build 2016 that WM10 wasn't this year's focus was disappointing as well.

Again, I tried to give the 950 XL a chance but wasn't working out.

 

[llckll]

Why? Lets see... All the apps I use are available so although there is an app gap it doesn't affect me at all. And no other phone has the Cortana experience across all devices, cloud experience across all devices, cool resizable tile interface, best (or nearly the best) camera available on any phone, Continuum on my phone, and other stuff. I stay cause the hardware features are only available here.

Everyone talks about the app gap. But whats important to me is the hardware and with Android or iOs I'd be lagging behind in the hardware features gap.

Galaxy S7 Edge has better hardware in my opinion. Better build quality and better specs.

 

[peashooter14]

Guys, not to rain on your parade but Microsoft has abandoned you. At the Build conference they said "Windows Phone isn't our focus this year" Will it ever be their focus?
You have a dearth of apps compared to ios or android and Microsoft isn't helping you out.
I mean I like Microsoft but they show you no love, why stay with them?

I know, I was crying at those comments. But, I do have to agree. They have to get UWP apps working and seamless. As a developer if I can hit 250 million machines running windows 10, and get mobile for free, then mobile has a chance. The approach is correct.

The only other thing they should try would be to take a 1$ Billion dollar hit and give away 2 million high end phone for Free, yes Free. You pay a $500 deposit, and if you use it for an entire year, it's free and you get a credit back to the MS store or something.

 

[Mr Hyde]

Apps are a huge reason why Android and iOS are hugely successful and offers a better user experience than WM10 IMO.

Regarding hardware features, Android manufacturers and Apple have better hardware features. Again, IMO. I picked up the Galaxy S7 Edge yesterday and WOW. The specs are better than the 950 XL, is water resistant, has expandable storage, camera is just as good, curved edges is sweet, and build quality is superior to the 950 XL.



Yes, Android and iOS have similar software technology like continuum. Yes, you can tell them to remind you based on geolocation.

Apple innovated with force touch which is very useful. But one of the reasons I went with android was Google Now on Tap which is crazy innovated and useful.

Also the recent news from Build 2016 that WM10 wasn't this year's focus was disappointing as well.

Again, I tried to give the 950 XL a chance but wasn't working out.

I'm happy for you that you like your Android phone. I'm sure that the build quality is excellent.

I know that apps are the reason most people pick iOS or Android. I think I mentioned that too but that doesn't mean that I have to choose a phone due to available apps. Everyone should choose what's important to them. You mentioned that Android and iOS both have something that is equal to continuum. I am not aware of it. Neither is anyone I know that owns an iPhone or Android phone. Can you send me links? I even tried searching the web and came up a blank for anything that is remotely like the experience I have when I plug my 950xl into the display dock. I was also not aware that Hey Google was as sophisticated as Cortana. I was only basing my statement on me asking everyone I know who has an android phone.

Either way, I like continuum, the Cortana experience, live tiles, the display dock, the One Drive integration and many other features. I have windows 10 on my PC and surface so Windows on my phone is a good fit for me. My 950 XL does all I need a phone to do then then some. Even the xbox integration is cool. I'm not a heavy app user. If I was perhaps I'd need a different solution but all the apps I need are available and I love the feature set available with the 950xl.

I would never try to convince anyone to chose any phone so I hope you don't think I'm trying to do that to you. My advice to everyone is the same. Decide what you need the phone to do first then choose the hardware that best suits your needs. For me, its windows phone

 

[llckll]

I'm happy for you that you like your Android phone. I'm sure that the build quality is excellent.

I know that apps are the reason most people pick iOS or Android. I think I mentioned that too but that doesn't mean that I have to choose a phone due to available apps. Everyone should choose what's important to them. You mentioned that Android and iOS both have something that is equal to continuum. I am not aware of it. Neither is anyone I know that owns an iPhone or Android phone. Can you send me links? I even tried searching the web and came up a blank for anything that is remotely like the experience I have when I plug my 950xl into the display dock. I was also not aware that Hey Google was as sophisticated as Cortana. I was only basing my statement on me asking everyone I know who has an android phone.

Either way, I like continuum, the Cortana experience, live tiles, the display dock, the One Drive integration and many other features. I have windows 10 on my PC and surface so Windows on my phone is a good fit for me. My 950 XL does all I need a phone to do then then some. Even the xbox integration is cool. I'm not a heavy app user. If I was perhaps I'd need a different solution but all the apps I need are available and I love the feature set available with the 950xl.

I would never try to convince anyone to chose any phone so I hope you don't think I'm trying to do that to you. My advice to everyone is the same. Decide what you need the phone to do first then choose the hardware that best suits your needs. For me, its windows phone

Good discussion and honest opinions. Good for consumers.

Cheers.

 

[Babs75]

I'm totally happy with my Windows phone, other than a bit of 'app gap, but still no LTE or VVM. I stopped in the AT&T store yesterday and the guy was WORTHLESS. They have no intention of ever selling a Windows phone and know nothing about them. He was totally not interested in talking to me. Lack of LTE has really not been a problem for me and I never had VVM before so I guess it's no big deal, but this guy was BAD. If I worked in a store like that, I would at least try to educate myself on the products I was selling.