Buy 950 XL now or wait for Surface phone and take the 550 in between?

[darth furious]

I don't know why people think the surface phone will be midrange. The surface book is set at a high premium. The surface pro is a premium product. The surface3 (non-pro) is cheaper and maybe considered midrange. The original surface was something different and innovative to get laptop manufacturers motivated to do better products. Cell phone design/innovation is starting to plateau. Maybe the surface phone will be different and innovate the same way.

The surface name carries momentum right now and expectations would be high. It better be a flagship for the 1st surface phone. Maybe a cheaper midrange non-pro surface phone after that or at the same time. Right now all we could guess is a set of specs that current flagships have. That's what people will be expecting, a premium phone with top specs (basically an alternative to iphones and samsungs).

I think there will be some killer secret feature out of nowhere (like the original surface keyboard, the surface book keyboard) that will catch people off guard. It will probably be kept tight secretly until the reveal. People guessed there would be a 14in surface notebook but no one saw the detachable screen/gpu coming. I bet it will leak as a nice flagship and then have a "whatttt!!!" moment at the keynote with something that is not leaked through FCC clearance specs. Probably have an atom processor and run x86. It will probably run full windows 10 desktop and utilize continuum. Maybe a special keyboard (like the other surfaces) or pen input. Maybe it will have a refined 3d touch that is perfected from the mclaren project. Panay won't release something called "surface ___" that's half baked. If it's not worth doing they will cancel like they did with the surface mini. It's gonna impress. I think the midrange business phone specs are there to throw people off and lower expectations. Maybe release 2 phones - surface phone and surface phone pro. Leak the surface phone specs and wow people with the secret surface phone pro.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I don't know why people think the surface phone will be midrange. The surface book is set at a high premium. The surface pro is a premium product. The surface3 (non-pro) is cheaper and maybe considered midrange. The original surface was something different and innovative to get laptop manufacturers motivated to do better products. Cell phone design/innovation is starting to plateau. Maybe the surface phone will be different and innovate the same way.

As you pointed out the Surface name has been used on mid-range so I don't see any reason to assume a Surface phone would be better as personal phone than say a 950XL. For the current Surface products, the hardware differentiation from the competition is primarily weight, slimness and solid build. But other than solid build, those others don't translate into super important for a phone. Phones are by definition small so there just isn't that much weight savings and slimness possible over say a 950. I mean even if it weighed half as much and was half as thick, its not going to be any easier to lug around, unlike something the size of a laptop.

So I suspect the physical differences for a Surface phone over say a 950 would be more rugged and businesses might even rather have something even a little thicker than a 950 if that made it almost indestructible.

I can see an interest for a business phone with better security, better centralized management and an ability to run X86 code, but I wouldn't want that at all in a personal phone if it added much to the cost or hurt reliability because I don't need any of that. And guess what, the first ones that run X86 code will be unreliable compared to the mature technology in existing phones. Good for businesses who may put up with some glitches to get programs they need but a very bad trade-off for personal use.

MS says they will make value phones, flagships and business phones. I see no reason to think the business phones will be better for personal use than the flagships even if MS decides to call them Surface Phones.

 

[Florin_Anghel]

Waaaaaaaait! Where is that offer? I am currently living in NL with BSN no and all so where can I buy it for 200E (of course on a 2 y plan)

 

[Ruben de Boer]

At the cool blue website with a two year tele2 plan

 

[OutlawFirebird]

What do you mean with that? Isn't a business phone more like a midrange device? You have to buy a lot of them so you want them cheap but you also want the to be a bit powerful hence the midrange. I personally don't think businesses wil buy a lot of handset for the price of the high end Lumia 950 like price.

Well business may of been the wrong word, but if the so called specs that are out there are somewhat true, with it being and Intel based phone, 64gb+ with Expandable storage, full HD screen, 20+mp camera, 4gb ram, pen support, basically a surface book the size of a phone. Might be priced higher than some or most would want to spend on a phone, but its still all rumors.

 

[mariusmuntean]

Every year a new phone with higher specs will come out you cannot simply wait for the perfect one as there won't be. Don't bet on something that you do not know for sure that will exist and when: Surface phone. Want a new phone? With that deal you have in NL, go get it what are you waiting for?

 

[the_moesiah]

I was going to to post a similar thread but I'll just post my question here so I won't clog up the boards:

In the his latest Ask Dan Windows video, he said something to the effect that the 950/XL feel more like Nokia devices and that MS has newer/better things planned for the future. So with that in mind, should I wait for "true" Windows Phone or go with the 950?

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[midnightfrolic]

I'd just wait another couple months for the 950XL. In the interim, I picked up an unlocked 640XL, which will either be a backup phone or go to a relative once I get the 950XL. Runs very well on latest build. Surface Phone is but a pipe dream at this point. However, M$ might pull another HoloLens bomb on us again. "Hey world, we've been developing this badass phone for the past 5 years. It does everything except bring you coffee."

 

[Ruben de Boer]

So with that in mind, should I wait for "true" Windows Phone or go with the 950?
Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

Depends on what you have got now and how long can you wait. As others have already said: there will be new phones every year, all with better specs than the previous one's. I now think that it will take a while before the Surface phone will be launched so I'm taking the 950 XL now. Than in about 6 months to a year I'll skip the first Surface phone (which may not be perfect as it's the first generation. Maybe it will also be a hard to get test device like the band 1). After about two years I might take the Surface phone 2 which has been perfected. But that's over two years, who knows how much everything will have changed.

 

[Steve Adams]

I would get the 950/xl. The surface phone is a rumor right now. that being said, there was an interview with panos the other day and the author saw a phone sized device being milled in the ms building. hmmmm.

 

[kklemn]

I think the surface phone will be phone with quite big display (due to battery size) the performance will be quite bad (due to low voltage CPU like atom) and battery life will be quite bad. it will however be able to run x86 or x64 apps, but only when docked (they said something about advanced continuum)... So I think the 950XL is a better choice

However I believe that it will be packaged in magnesium, and possibly with a type cover and a kickstand... so it should be quite nice...

 

[travisel]

I already decided to get Lumia 950 XL to replace my ATIV S!

I thought about waiting for the unannounced Surface Phone witch won't be out till Q2 2016 after #build 2016# where Microsoft releases 3 cheaper Atom based Surface products.

-Surface 4 10" "non-Pro"
-Surface Mini 8"
-Surface Phone 6"

Surface Phone is Intel Atom "Goldmont" based with 4GB of RAM but will be a cheaper product then Lumia 950 & 950 XL flagship product's.

Or wait for Q3 August 2016 when Microsoft releases Windows 10.1 "Redstone" along with Lumia 960 & 960 XL "Snapdragon 820" and 4K display oh yeah its coming out but August 2016 is still along ways away.

Microsoft will have two phone product lines.

-Surface Phone "Intel Atom based"

-Lumia "Qualcomm Snapdragon based"

What do you want? Atom or Snapdragon?

 

[Captpt]

I agree, I posted in another thread days ago it would add to the Surface line; Surface Book, Surface Pro Tablet and Surface Phone. I'd guess a 6" display with a stylus.

 

[imnotevenhererightnow]

Personally, I'd like to see MS reward the enthusiasts who are buying these 950/XL handsets (because, let's face it, we're the only ones left and there aren't many of us). I think it would be awesome that IF (and that's a big if) there's actually a Surface phone in the works that they offer an upgrade or trade-in program. I hope that doesn't come off as selfish (because I really don't mean it that way).

 

[TexasLabRat]

Personally, I'd like to see MS reward the enthusiasts who are buying these 950/XL handsets (because, let's face it, we're the only ones left and there aren't many of us). I think it would be awesome that IF (and that's a big if) there's actually a Surface phone in the works that they offer an upgrade or trade-in program. I hope that doesn't come off as selfish (because I really don't mean it that way).

They have a trade-in program for the surface 3 -> 4 so I don't see that as being too outlandish of a wish/want.

 

[John M Beauchemin]

I'm going with the 950 I think (XL is still on the table, as well) and AT&T's NEXT plan so I can upgrade to the Surface phone next year if need be.

 

[Timbre70]

The waiting game is forever. Don't deprive yourself for the enjoyment.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I'm going with the 950 I think (XL is still on the table, as well) and AT&T's NEXT plan so I can upgrade to the Surface phone next year if need be.

The NEXT plan isn't necessary to change phones. In fact it takes away options. If you just buy your phone, you can sell it any time you want a new phone or a new carrier. On the flip side, a carrier may never offer a particular phone and the Next plan has restrictions on when you use it. Best case if all the stars align just right, you end up paying just as much. And of course they rarely do, so you end up paying more because the phone you want isn't available when you want - if ever.

 

[Wildwest310_XB1]

950XL I'm getting now! I'm not Waiting to Exhale

 

[anon(5383410)]

I'd say buy the phone that actually exists.