How tough is the 950?

[Tejas Javery]

I had a HTC 8X which survived everything thrown at it for over 3 years, and was only changed when the battery started to not last as long as it should.

I got a Lumia 650 to see if I'd like a Windows 10 Phone but I found the phone to by physically weak. The screen glass cracked just falling out of my pocked on to the floor when i was sat down. It only fell 40cm at the most. The HTC I had had been dropped from a few metres high and was on scathed.

The 650 is now not working at all after another short fall from my pocked to the ground. ( I know, wear something with better pockets)

I was thinking of replacing it with the 950 however Im worried the strength and build quality may be similar to the 650.

Is the 950 a physically tougher and better built device than that 650?

P.S. This is the 2nd or 3rd time I've tried to post this but it keeps going missing. So sorry if you've seen this post before.

650 has metal frame. If it falls, screen breaking chances are high. Overall it may be sturdy, but screen isn't.
950-950xl have gorilla glass 4, compared to 650's gorilla glass 3.plus it has plastic body. So this oughta make a difference.
Also, it depends on the angle material it is dropped on, but overall, it is safe to say that look-wise 650 is sturdy, but actually, 950-950xl is.

 

[DomagojPetro]

Not necessarily. My Lumia 930 fell face down on ceramic tiles from 1.5 meters and nothing happened. But than again, the next time (5 months later) it fell down on tiles from 0.5 meters on a corner and it cracked the digitizer but not the gorilla glass.

 

[DomagojPetro]

I've bought all types of covers for my 950, from plastic, rubber with bumpers on the corners, real leather wallet, mozo type skins with protective glass over the display etc witch added to the bulk. Now I'm using the transparent silicone case (the 1 dollar one) which adds almost none off the bulk, and for now I'm satisfied, and I can see my phone.

 

[DomagojPetro]

Apropos the toughness off the 950, I don't think it's that tough or that fragile either. The thing that the screen is "detached" from the rest of the phone and it "sticks out" doesn't help at all. When I unboxed it, I thought it would brake in my hand (after owning a 930). Now I'm used to it, but I wouldn't want to drop it, even in a protective cover. The toughest phone I owned, apart from the 3210, 3310 and rubber 5210, in the range of smartphones is the Lumia 920. I think, that if MS continued making it to the day, with only a little bit "evoluting" like the Iphone does, with the 950's specs, it would be the most selling phone ever. Its so beautiful and sturdy at the same time. Women and men liked it equally. I've dropped it once or twice in a year, but my wife treated it like it was a work horse. In 2 years (plus my 1) she owned it, she dropped it on a daily basis on the wooden floor, on tiles, on concrete, on asphalt, she took it to the bathroom every day (the bathroom filled with the steam every time), my kids played that Tom game every day on it with sticky fingers. It totaled 1500 hours of outgoing calls alone. It was covered in flour and cake many times, our children had it in their mouths a lots of times, and when finally it stopped working, the screen continued life in an another 920 for parts. And all that was without any protective case. If I could have a 920 with today's specs inside, I would pay a lot of money for it, and I bet a lots of other people would.

 

[LightenSkies]

Every few often my cat for reason likes to knock my phone off my night stand which is about as high as the top of my bed. Lucky there a rug and my phone in a case that lifts up a little from the screen. My cat made it drop at least 4 times and my phone still works. Surprising. With no damage none at all except a scratch on the back of my case.

 

[B T C]

I know this is a somewhat old thread, but it came up during a search so I figured I would post my experience. I recently started using a 950 I purchased during the last Black Friday BOGO deal. I've probably been using it for three weeks, maybe. Last night it fell out of my coat as I was getting out of my car. It fell from approximately waist height, so probably 3-4 feet. I did not see how it landed on the asphalt parking lot, but the screen cracked in the far upper right corner, and there is a crack running almost the entire length of the screen down the right side. I'm kinda bummed. It was the first time I had dropped either the 950 or the 950XL. My 920 survived God knows how many drops. Some of those drops may have contributed to its demise, but it never really seemed to sustain any damage from a drop. The 950 must have landed right on the corner. There are no visible marks on the case.

I've just started searching the forums for information, but has anyone had a screen successfully repaired, or replaced one themselves? The phone seems to be fully functional, so I guess it's just the outer glass lens that is cracked. I'm going to chat with Microsoft and see what they have to say. I've been searching for parts online. I found some glass lenses that are pretty cheap, varying from 7-12 bucks, but I have no idea whether they are OEM. They probably are not.

Anyway, I'm a bit bummed. I would love to hear some uplifting experiences from others that have dealt with a damaged 950. I probably prefer my 950XL, but I was really liking the 950 as well. It fits a bit better in my hand compared to the XL.

 

[farhanaxiq]

the glass part is pretty tough, but the plastic part is just, meh, so here's mine after 1 yrs of use

950 - Album on Imgur

Later, i replace it with this case

green 950 - Album on Imgur

which make the phone feel a lot better and it felt welt built compared to the oem one

 

[unmorphed]

NO, only models that were under Nokia design control (until Lx30) were tough enough to work flawlessly after numerous drops...

Completely untrue.

My Lumia 822 was a brick house, but my Lumia 830 was less sturdy than any iPhone I've had.


My Lumia 950 is very tough. I couldn't tell you how many times I've dropped it on tile, concrete & asphalt, works great and the screen has never cracked.

I use no case, only a tempered glass protector that I've changed several times and I've gone through a couple of Mozo back covers that have cracked around the chrome-ish band.

Other than the bricks of yesterday like the 822 and my old Casio tough flip phone, the Lumia 950 is the toughest modern smartphone I've had... and I've bought about 2 dozen phones over the 5 years.

 

[BritDad]

My wife dropped her 950 into the toilet - fished it out and dried it off after removing the back and battery - it's working perfectly. She uses a Mozo flip cover. I use a Tech21 Evo Check case, which provides protection and gives good grip in the hand. It's a small investment versus the price of the phone. https://www.tech21.com/en_us/evo-check-case-for-microsoft-lumia-950

 

[raycpl]

But does it smell funny??
LOL

... !!

 

[raycpl]

There are tough phones. Then there is the 920, they don't call it a brick for nothing. I've dropped mine, skidded on the floor more times than I can recall. Mine went naked but with a plastic screen protector. Eventually, that came off too and I couldn't find replacements.
It's one tough cookie.
Legend has it that it stops bullets and save lives. ...

... !!

 

[Drael646464]

The 950 is similar in design and build materials to a 640. I'd say it would be similar in "toughness".

However, I have had one with a case and used it for a year without any problems. Comparing a phone breaking with a drop is tough, because even when you experience a drop, it could drop a thousand different ways that could it would survive without harm, but if it fell on a pebble, that would almost certainly crack the screen. It doesn't matter at that point how much engineering went into the phone. Getting a lightweight case that protects the edges of the glass would be a better option.

This is something I haven't had to deal with, with my current blackberry q5. It's got a plastic screen. Never really understood the decision to use glass.

 

[Drael646464]

There are tough phones. Then there is the 920, they don't call it a brick for nothing. I've dropped mine, skidded on the floor more times than I can recall. Mine went naked but with a plastic screen protector. Eventually, that came off too and I couldn't find replacements.
It's one tough cookie.
Legend has it that it stops bullets and save lives. ...

... !!

Hmm, curious, any other still vaguely up to spec "tough" nokia windows mobiles?

 

[TunedM52]

It's a pretty durable phone. I think in part because of the removable back. I've dropped my 950 so many times and have gone through 2 mozo backs already because they broke upon impact. I have a tempered glass screen protector on the front and that seems to do its job well. I think I'm on my 3rd or 4th glass protector. I've had them shatter completely before but the screen was always pristine underneath.

Check out this JerryRig YouTube vid where he stress tests the 950XL, even he was surprised at its durability. Link