I'm a glutton for punishment...and tempted to get a 950 again. How are things looking now?

[spinzeroWL]

I bought a 950 back in February - used it for a couple of weeks - then sold it. The camera wasn't as impressive as I expected (though I hear it has been improved now), and it was a real bugzilla of a user experience.

Anyway, fast forward a few months - and I see that the 950 has just won best smartphone camera from which.co.uk (independent consumer magazine). I'm also VERY underwhelmed with my experience of Android...and can't find an iPhone SE for decent money (whereas the 950 can be had for ?150 second hand - or less...).

So yes, for those of you that are still in the Windows Mobile trenches, what's the verdict? What are the major issues still outstanding with the OS (has battery life improved?)

Cheers

 

[Jakoh]

off all the things, battery life is the only thing that i feel is just average. Everything else is working good.

 

[sinime]

I know there is a firmware that hasn't hit all the 950/950XL phones yet which is supposed to bring improvements to the camera.

Battery life is an iffy subject. Some claim better battery life on the newer anniversary builds while other claim worse. Personally, It's about the same for me, which isn't necessarily bad. I tried going to an S6 last summer, and while the S6 isn't known for great battery life, My 950 is most definitely better than the S6.

My only major issue is loosing cellular connection (which is supposedly fixed in the firmware update mentioned previously.) ATT is just making users suffer and not releasing it in the US.

 

[spinzeroWL]

Thanks for the reply. What's the situation like with the annoying 'processing image' thing that comes up whenever taking a photo? The processing time was up to 10 seconds last time I owned a 950 (which was a crazy amount of time to have to wait!).

I am always tempted back to Lumia's by the quality of the cameras and microphones (for video recording)...and now I have a Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter, I may even make use of Continuum too. Just trying to determine if the benefits outweigh the (app related) drawbacks!).

I would be buying a UK variant of the phone - so I wouldn't be hobbled by AT&T's lack of product support

 

[TK2011]

If you care about photo quality, jump back in with the 950. There's nothing comparable especially if you factor in the cost. "Processing image" wait is only to see full res "HDR/Rich" output, you can keep on taking more shots. I also wish the wait is not there but image quality makes it worth it IMO. As to "bugzilla", I don't think it's the case anymore for vast majority of owners.

 

[anthonyng]

Thanks for the reply. What's the situation like with the annoying 'processing image' thing that comes up whenever taking a photo? The processing time was up to 10 seconds last time I owned a 950 (which was a crazy amount of time to have to wait!).

Turn off the living images and HDR or use HDR auto and you won't have as much of those "Processing Images". it also affects how many shots you can take at it time before getting "Saving Images"

Continuum is pretty awesome. I took it on vacation but was still able to check in on work things with VPN and cisco anyconnect, edge worked great for google drive and stuff (my work uses that) and even some webapps I thought had no chance of working on Edge worked! RDP was very useful also.

No whatsapp uwp but not needed since you can use web whatsapp on the mobile edge browser while in continuum.

For me it was a 950XL though. My wife has the 950 and she's not using the phone hard but she's quite content. Which reminds me, I gotta set that "Enable TCP Fast Open" on edge for her phone still. Way smoother browsing experience with that flag set. She hated the battery on the 10586.338 or whatever, but since switching to redstone, she has no complaints about the battery.

I find it quite stable. But if you want big named apps, then no point to come I guess. I guess I'm lucky I don't need the missing apps.

 

[triageatdawn]

Bought an unlocked 950 yesterday, upgraded it and set up everything I needed with no big issues.
I have yet to test the camera fully which I will certainly do on my upcoming trip soon. But from what I've seen and experienced so far - it performs perfectly - it's super fast and takes amazing pictures (having the latest firmware on board).
Have had no problems with performance so far.

Looking forwards to the Anniversary Update and its fresh features & improvements.

EDIT: Double-Tap to Wake is back and just in time it seems.

 

[spinzeroWL]

Turn off the living images and HDR or use HDR auto and you won't have as much of those "Processing Images". it also affects how many shots you can take at it time before getting "Saving Images"

Continuum is pretty awesome. I took it on vacation but was still able to check in on work things with VPN and cisco anyconnect, edge worked great for google drive and stuff (my work uses that) and even some webapps I thought had no chance of working on Edge worked! RDP was very useful also.

No whatsapp uwp but not needed since you can use web whatsapp on the mobile edge browser while in continuum.

For me it was a 950XL though. My wife has the 950 and she's not using the phone hard but she's quite content. Which reminds me, I gotta set that "Enable TCP Fast Open" on edge for her phone still. Way smoother browsing experience with that flag set. She hated the battery on the 10586.338 or whatever, but since switching to redstone, she has no complaints about the battery.

I find it quite stable. But if you want big named apps, then no point to come I guess. I guess I'm lucky I don't need the missing apps.

I never seem to be notified of forum replies....but thanks for this one! Browser performance was always a bugbear - so I'm hoping the combination of Redstone and your TCP trick will bring it upto more usable speeds.

Microsoft should make the photo corrections a background process. I don't think we need to be advised that the processing is happening. It would be better to be able to just take the photos, and browse them in whatever state they are currently in - rather than have that time consuming thing pop up!

But yes, I'm actively seeking out a 950. I'll miss Waze and the suite of BBC apps, and Gumtree...but despite all those limitations, I still prefer Windows Mobile!

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[spinzeroWL]

Bought an unlocked 950 yesterday, upgraded it and set up everything I needed with no big issues.
I have yet to test the camera fully which I will certainly do on my upcoming trip soon. But from what I've seen and experienced so far - it performs perfectly - it's super fast and takes amazing pictures (having the latest firmware on board).
Have had no problems with performance so far.

Looking forwards to the Anniversary Update and its fresh features & improvements.

EDIT: Double-Tap to Wake is back and just in time it seems.

Sounds positive. There were certainly a whole heap of noticeable glitches when I first bought a 950 - so it's good to see that they seem to have been resolved.

The 950 is kind of reminding me of the 1520...in that it started life relatively bereft of features - only to then be constantly updated and become a very different animal. Bodes well (and will be a nice change from the unsupported Android I have been using!)

 

[mggm100]

Thanks for the reply. What's the situation like with the annoying 'processing image' thing that comes up whenever taking a photo? The processing time was up to 10 seconds last time I owned a 950 (which was a crazy amount of time to have to wait!).

I've had a 950 XL for 2 months and have never seen that message.

 

[rollindice]

yeah get it, no worries, works well no doubt. i'm also gonna replace my girl's 830 with 950. Boss of a phone

 

[Albatross2]

I got the new firmware last night on my unlocked 950 DS on the AT&T network in the US. I'm on the fast ring, so I'm basically running what will be released in a few days as the anniversary update. The phone is rock solid now. This is the phone I was hoping for when I got it in December 2015. The only downside right now is limited app availability, but I think everyone looking at the windows moblie platform should already be aware of this. If the apps you need are available (like they are for me), this is a great phone.

 

[anthonyng]

I never seem to be notified of forum replies....but thanks for this one! Browser performance was always a bugbear - so I'm hoping the combination of Redstone and your TCP trick will bring it upto more usable speeds.

If you get one, keep us posted if you think we're right or are our eyes glazed over?

 

[jeetu4444]

Using Lumia 950 ds since launch in India..totally loving the phone..yeah it has improved over the months with app updates and new software and firmware updates...looking forward to anniversary update..few days to go 😆

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[vishalrao]

Using Lumia 950 ds since launch in India..totally loving the phone..yeah it has improved over the months with app updates and new software and firmware updates...looking forward to anniversary update..few days to go ��

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

LOL "posted via Android" hahaha :winktongue: (can't help myself from posting this)