950XL to Pixel 2 Experience

[PoorInRichfield]

I thought for sure there would be some new magical Windows Phone to buy after my 950XL purchase that would keep me in the Microsoft ecosystem, but after even Microsoft announced it is time to move-on, I did... reluctantly. I thought I'd share my pretty much worthless opinions on the switch in case you are considering switching to the same phone.

If you're interested in a mint-condition 950XL, mine is on the eBay chopping-block right now :unhappy:

After much research, I opted for the Pixel 2 to replace my 950XL and my wife's 950 for the following reasons:

Pros

• Top Notch Camera
  The #1 feature that I liked about the 950XL was the camera... it's still a worthy competitor to most flagship phones. The many, many reviews I watched regarding the Pixel 2 photo quality all stated that it has one of the best cameras you can get.
• Direct Android Updates
  I still remember when Microsoft wasn't by-passing the phone companies like AT&T and having to wait months just to get an OS update. With Windows 10 Mobile, I think we got spoiled in that OS updates often reached our phones within days... or at least that was my experience. My 950XL just got the Fall Creator's Update. In the Android world, only certain phones will get immediate Android updates, with the Pixel being one of them.
• Project Fi
  My primary reason for wanting to try Project Fi is cost... I'm hoping to save ~$30 a month over my AT&T bill since my wife and I don't use a lot of data. I haven't had the phone long enough to know if the Project Fi network is any good yet... I sure hope it is.
• "Pocketable"
  My 950XL was my first "phablet", and while I loved the large screen most of the time, the phone was very uncomfortable in my pocket and didn't fit well in my bike bag or just about any other bag or pocket designed for phones. This is the primary reason I didn't opt for the Pixel 2 XL (well, aside from the $200 price increase!)
• Apps
  Not sure I need to elaborate on this. I don't know how Microsoft is ever going to close "the app gap", even if they create some new, fancy, foldable pocket PC thingy.
• Camera
  It does take nice pictures. I guess I'm not picky enough to be able to say they're any better or worse than my 950XL, but they are good. I was convinced that I need a phone with dual cameras until I saw what the Pixel 2 can do... and watched multiple reviews of phones with dual cameras that took horrible pictures.

Cons
Unfortunately, my list of "cons" is pretty long, but I guess I'll just have to live with them :-/

• Glance Screen
  One of my favorite features on my 950XL is that it would show me the next thing on my calendar on the glance screen, as well as unread email counts, unread text counts, etc. The pixel just has this uber-tiny icons on the glance screen to notify you that something is new, but it's often hard to tell what. I haven't found any replacement apps that will show calendar event info... I hope someone creates one soon!
• No Live Tiles
  Probably another topic I don't really need to discuss much. I miss my email and calendar live tiles :-(
• Outlook for Android
  I kept hearing how great Outlook was on iOS and Android and that Windows 10 Mobile was being left behind. I personally don't like the Android version of Outlook at all.. maybe I'll warm-up to it. On Windows 10, I could have different live tiles for each email account I had (home, work, etc.), where as I only get one icon now and I have to manually switch between accounts in Outlook.
• Camera App
  The camera app is horrible and looks like it was designed by an Android newb. The screen on the Pixel 2 is already small enough and the dopey camera app reduces the view-able screen size even more with large black borders. Any suggestions for a better camera app that has ability to switch between manual and automatic modes like the Windows 10 camera does?
• No Wireless Charging
  Even though wireless charging is slow, I hate having to give-up simply dropping my phone on the charge pad at night and have it all juiced-up in the morning.
• Launcher Madness
  One of the big problems that comes with a phone that has a lot of apps is organization. By default, the Android OS is an organizational nightmare... a sea of Chiclet icons. I downloaded Microsoft's new launcher and it does organize app icons alphabetically, which is nice, but it's still no live tile replacement.

Also note that the Pixel 2 isslippery. I think you'd have to be nuts not to put a case on this phone. I had it case-free for a day and I think I dropped on on my lap 3 times.

Did you switch to a Pixel 2? If so, what are our thoughts? Have you found any decent apps to make your transition away from Windows 10 mobile a bit less painful?

 

[Adventurer64]

I went with LGV20 because it was on sale at T-Mobile. For live tile experience try squarehome2 or launcher 10, with the later being closer to W10M. I'm currently using SH2, but thinking of going back to L10. I've been on android for 2 weeks now and I'm reminded why I left android for W10M. It's a mess compared to W10M.

 

[redcard08]

I agree a mess, not intuitive and insecure

 

[Ryujingt3]

I thought for sure there would be some new magical Windows Phone to buy after my 950XL purchase that would keep me in the Microsoft ecosystem, but after even Microsoft announced it is time to move-on, I did... reluctantly. I thought I'd share my pretty much worthless opinions on the switch in case you are considering switching to the same phone.

After much research, I opted for the Pixel 2 to replace my 950XL and my wife's 950 for the following reasons:

Pros

• Top Notch Camera
  The #1 feature that I liked about the 950XL was the camera... it's still a worthy competitor to most flagship phones. The many, many reviews I watched regarding the Pixel 2 photo quality all stated that it has one of the best cameras you can get.
• Direct Android Updates
  I still remember when Microsoft wasn't by-passing the phone companies like AT&T and having to wait months just to get an OS update. With Windows 10 Mobile, I think we got spoiled in that OS updates often reached our phones within days... or at least that was my experience. My 950XL just got the Fall Creator's Update. In the Android world, only certain phones will get immediate Android updates, with the Pixel being one of them.
• Project Fi
  My primary reason for wanting to try Project Fi is cost... I'm hoping to save ~$30 a month over my AT&T bill since my wife and I don't use a lot of data. I haven't had the phone long enough to know if the Project Fi network is any good yet... I sure hope it is.
• "Pocketable"
  My 950XL was my first "phablet", and while I loved the large screen most of the time, the phone was very uncomfortable in my pocket and didn't fit well in my bike bag or just about any other bag or pocket designed for phones. This is the primary reason I didn't opt for the Pixel 2 XL (well, aside from the $200 price increase!)
• Apps
  Not sure I need to elaborate on this. I don't know how Microsoft is ever going to close "the app gap", even if they create some new, fancy, foldable pocket PC thingy.
• Camera
  It does take nice pictures. I guess I'm not picky enough to be able to say they're any better or worse than my 950XL, but they are good. I was convinced that I need a phone with dual cameras until I saw what the Pixel 2 can do... and watched multiple reviews of phones with dual cameras that took horrible pictures.

Cons
Unfortunately, my list of "cons" is pretty long, but I guess I'll just have to live with them :-/

• Glance Screen
  One of my favorite features on my 950XL is that it would show me the next thing on my calendar on the glance screen, as well as unread email counts, unread text counts, etc. The pixel just has this uber-tiny icons on the glance screen to notify you that something is new, but it's often hard to tell what. I haven't found any replacement apps that will show calendar event info... I hope someone creates one soon!
• No Live Tiles
  Probably another topic I don't really need to discuss much. I miss my email and calendar live tiles :-(
• Outlook for Android
  I kept hearing how great Outlook was on iOS and Android and that Windows 10 Mobile was being left behind. I personally don't like the Android version of Outlook at all.. maybe I'll warm-up to it. On Windows 10, I could have different live tiles for each email account I had (home, work, etc.), where as I only get one icon now and I have to manually switch between accounts in Outlook.
• Camera App
  The camera app is horrible and looks like it was designed by an Android newb. The screen on the Pixel 2 is already small enough and the dopey camera app reduces the view-able screen size even more with large black borders. Any suggestions for a better camera app that has ability to switch between manual and automatic modes like the Windows 10 camera does?
• No Wireless Charging
  Even though wireless charging is slow, I hate having to give-up simply dropping my phone on the charge pad at night and have it all juiced-up in the morning.
• Launcher Madness
  One of the big problems that comes with a phone that has a lot of apps is organization. By default, the Android OS is an organizational nightmare... a sea of Chiclet icons. I downloaded Microsoft's new launcher and it does organize app icons alphabetically, which is nice, but it's still no live tile replacement.

Also note that the Pixel 2 isslippery. I think you'd have to be nuts not to put a case on this phone. I had it case-free for a day and I think I dropped on on my lap 3 times.

Did you switch to a Pixel 2? If so, what are our thoughts? Have you found any decent apps to make your transition away from Windows 10 mobile a bit less painful?

Thanks for this. It is very reminiscent of why I am actually staying with W10M. Android devices may look and sound good and have all the apps but Android itself is pretty much a mess. I need a phone I can use that works, not a phone that is the latest and greatest that I have to spend time with to trim it of all the bloat that comes with it.

 

[PoorInRichfield]

While the Pixel (and any Android phone) doesn't have live tiles, I'm starting to learn/adjust to how the Android world deals with notifications. The lock screen is pretty much the Android substitute for live tiles... when you have an email, text, etc, the notification will show-up on the lock screen, which is the first screen you view. If you want details, you can click on the notification. While it's not live tiles, it's not bad... just takes a while to get used to.

What is rather annoying is that just about every app thinks it needs to force push notifications on you, so you'll spend a lot of time turning them off (if you can even find out how.)

One neat feature I didn't originally see on my Pixel phone is the "Blink Light". It's a tiny LED light that flashes when you have new mail, new text, etc. If you have the glance screen totally off, like when you're sleeping, you can still tell if something is new if the tiny light is blinking.

I'm also finding the Pixel 2 to be very responsive and I really like the keyboard. Like the Microsoft keyboard, you can 'swipe' your text, but I somehow find the Pixel keyboard faster and more accurate than on my Windows Phone(?!?!)

I'm also acclimating to the the smaller size of the phone... I actually kind of like it. Since I don't spend most of my time looking at pictures or watching videos on my phone, I find it's screen size is just fine and it is much more comfortable in my pocket than my 950XL.

One thing I find funny about the Pixel 2 over the 2 XL is that I see all sorts of people griping about the XL on forums, but hardly anyone griping about the Pixel 2. So far, my phone has worked glitch-free... I hope it stays that way!

 

[vhl71]

Good review.

I did the same and I still miss my Lumia 950. Miss the overall windows Ii a lot. Can't stand android UI developer but I guess I have. I choice

One thing I like about outlook on android is the focussed inbox which is still lacking g in w10m.

I still think 950 camera is better. It's unbelievable that a phone that's 3 yrs old is still on par with pixel 2!!

I only wish Microsoft launcher does the exact replica of Live tiles. That would ease my pain a lot

 

[PerfectReign]

One neat feature I didn't originally see on my Pixel phone is the "Blink Light". It's a tiny LED light that flashes when you have new mail, new text, etc. If you have the glance screen totally off, like when you're sleeping, you can still tell if something is new if the tiny light is blinking.

Yeah I missed that from both my Blackberry and S2 / Note 2 devices. It worked well. Of course I now have no notifications for email at all because I get a few hundred daily.

 

[PoorInRichfield]

Some cool things about being on Project Fi with the Pixel 2...

A Project Fi phone can switch networks and can also switch to WiFi calling... it'll pick whichever method gives it the best call reception. That should be a big benefit to me as I would often lose the ability to make phone calls and receive texts in many of the buildings I am in with my 950XL's AT&T account. I'm assuming there was too much metal in the building causing reception issues (Gaussian cage). If the Pixel 2 will switch to the free WiFi network in the building, this will hopefully eliminate the in-building call issue I had with my 950XL.

The Pixel 2 also has a "Data Saver" mode (I think this is an Android feature) that should help keep my phone bills under control. When turned-on, Data Saver mode keeps apps from using data in the background when the app isn't actually being used. My goal is to not have to use more than 1GB of data a month ($10 per gig on Project Fi) on my account and my wife's account. On AT&T, we barely ever used 2GB a month combined but we were paying for 3GB a month. My AT&T bill was $85/month + tax + b.s. fees (after a $20/account work discount), but my Project Fi bill *should be* $55/month if I can keep the data usage down. That means that in a 2 years, the switch to Project Fi alone will have paid for my phone!

 

[fatclue_98]

One thing I like about outlook on android is the focussed inbox which is still lacking g in w10m.

That's incorrect. The focused inbox is available on W10M, I just turned it off yesterday.

 

[Laura Knotek]

For the launcher I recommend Nova Launcher Prime. I like the way it supports use of gestures.

 

[Mike Nelson5]

7 year windows phone user and I went with the pixel 2 XL to replace my 950xl and I actually really like the phone so far. This is my first Android phone and I can say it's way faster and smoother than my 950xl hell my wife's first gen pixel is way faster than my 950xl I never thought I would find a Android phone that was just as smooth or smoother than any of my windows phones. The apps are nice although I still don't have many because my need just don't require it. I have to say it's great to be able to pay with my phone again. I did it everywhere I could with the soft card app with my 1520 back in the day before Google bought them out. I also love having a finger print scanner and it is lightening fast.
I have noticed so far Android is a little more cluttered but there are great features that make you wonder why Microsoft never did that. Some things take a little more effort but it's not bad. W10m is very clean in comparison but stock Android is pretty great.
As far as the camera the pixel 2 has a incredible camera that is stupid fast so far not missing the 950xl camera low light and night shots are awesome with this phone. And with the custom visual core chip Google has in the phone that is not yet been activated it's going to get even better.

 

[PoorInRichfield]

The apps are nice although I still don't have many because my need just don't require it.

It's pretty clear that even if a company still bothers to make an app for Windows Phone that they don't put much effort into it... The equivalent Android apps are usually much better. That's a bit concerning to me as I am a .NET developer by trade and it's pretty clear that iOS and Android is where companies are putting their efforts these days. As much as UWP (Universal Windows Platform) apps make a lot of sense to me, w/o a mobile platform, I think UWP is nearly a lost cause :-(

 

[nayanda]

I was windows phone user since early 2012 until mid 2016, with my last Lumia is 930 before I switch to Lenovo for a short time and then iPhone 6. Right now I'm using Motorola Moto Z2 Play and never been happier after the switch. Overall almost all I need from Lumia is already there.

The camera app is very similiar with Lumia Camera which have professional mode with slider for iso, focus, exposure, etc. The camera quality is great and I have the Hasselblad camera mods which is nice.

It have Moto Display which similiar with Lumia Glance Screen but with more functionality, like dismiss the notification from glance screen, or even quick reply.

The only feature i missed from Lumia is the live tiles. But it's okay because the default launcher its so simple, good looking and fluid and provide everything I need.

 

[vhl71]

After using my pixel 2 for a few weeks, it's back in my drawer. Got my Lumia 950 as my daily driver now. Just cant live without the windows UI and the glance screen. I actually like the Lumia camera better then the pixel 2.

I occasionally use the pixel 2 for some apps and that's about it. Long live Lumia !!

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