Real reasons for purchasing the Lumia 950/XL?

[VermaEklavya]

Hi sorry but most of you might not like this question. However with all the reports of bugs on the Lumias 950/XL and Windows 10 Mobile in general, it seems to me many people are unhappy with their purchase. So I urge you to ask yourselves, and also let me know in the process, why did you really buy the new Lumia 950/XL?
a) Is it because the platform and device are helping you achieve everything you want from your mobile device, in a way no other platform can, and how?
b) Were you suckered into buying something new and shiny because you are a part of this community and thought that was the in-thing to do, and if so do you regret it?
c) It gives you some bragging rights, something you are proud of, and how so?
d) Any other reason.
I have an android phone currently (Nexus 6P), however I miss my older Windows Phone (8.1) and want to get a perspective here before I jump ship, hence only honest answers please.

 

[kwajr]

Simply put I wanted a new phone

I have had every OS

Wm,palm,webos,bb,android,iOS.
I love WP don't really know why just prefer it.

 

[Rising Mos]

- Great Camera.
- I use Windows Desktop so buying an app once and have it everywhere makes sense.
- I am a practical guy and the price of iPhone 6s xl of $850 (including taxes) just doesn't make sense as compared to about the same tech with $600 (Microsoft offer student discount, apple doesn't), and with a dock.
- wireless charging although I am finding that I am using wired charging sometime because it is faster. I used to only use wireless in my 920.
- I think that I am a tech hippy!! I like having something that very few people have because it is considered bad (but it is actually good). And people see that when we compare things, eg the camera.

 

[mariusmuntean]

I wanted to try this model also before judging. while the 950 as a phone is nice and feels great, the OS on it is a total mess so I have returned it. Too bad...I was expecting more from MS but I forgot that the new CEO is focused on other things such as laying off engineers and cutting costs instead of delivering good quality.

 

[Blacklizted]

a) Is it because the platform and device are helping you achieve everything you want from your mobile device, in a way no other platform can, and how?
- The 950XL with W10M is a great combination. The backup/restore function is amazing. I have all my messages/contacts from my three previous phones. I don't have to connect my phone to iTunes or PC to load the backup. I also love the Live Tiles. Right now I have it set up so it looks just like a desktop, all tiles set to the smallest and arranged and placed on the left side of the gorgeous screen.
- Next is the camera. I've watched comparison videos but I only focus on the photos/video section and not the stupid speed tests that most reviewers do. I was impressed by the camera. Some would say the V10, Note 5, S6 Edge, 6P, Z5P is great but compared to the lens and sensor of this bad boy, I don't think so. I compared these units using Gsmarena's photo comparison tool and 950XL always comes on top. Go visit Tech Trinkets on youtube and check all comparison videos of the Lumia 950XL.

b) Were you suckered into buying something new and shiny because you are a part of this community and thought that was the in-thing to do, and if so do you regret it?
- No. Windowscentral did not influence me in buying this phone, I'm just a sucker for great cameraphones. And lastly, nope, no regrets!

c) Bragging rights, and if so, how is it helping you achieve them?
- Borrow your friend's phone, shoot the same composition with your 950XL, then show it to them. Watch their reactions.
- Or you can just show off Windows Hello. Then see how they react.

d) Any other reason.
- Great all-in-one hardware. Don't mind the plastic back comments. Its great. It has NFC and wireless charging built-in. It is easy to clean, replaceable, and super light and thin. You have a removable battery, expandable storage, gorilla glass 4, amoled screen with glance, dual antenna, 5mp front camera, triple led flash, 3Gb of ram, 20mp rear cam with f/1.9 aperture, carl zeiss glass, snapdragon 810, multiple microphones, best earpiece around, clear black filter, USB Type-C, and the list goes on.

If you ever decide to switch, you'll miss some apps (mostly games). But I can totally live without those apps. If I switch from Windows to an iPhone or Android, I couldn't say the same.

 

[rickt1]

No new phone for over 2 years and was looking to upgrade considered all the new phones that came out post August had some experience with another windows phone on holiday and liked the ecosystem and the facial recognition swung it (now I cant be bothered to wait and put the pin in instead) but I am happy with the phone especially as I have not had any of the problems listed on this site so I guess I am one of the lucky ones.

 

[Joe920]

My next 950XL is in the mail. My reasoning: I only want a 'first party' phone, so a Nexus, iPhone, or Lumia. The Nexus models only go up to 32GB with no expansion (edit, turns out the 6P can be bought with 64GB and 128Gb as well). The 64GB+ iPhone models are crazy expensive. The 950XL pricing with edu discount is somewhere between that of the Nexus and iPhones. It offers micro SD card expansion (Nexus and iPhone don't), has wireless charging (Nexus and iPhone don't), has optical image stabilization (Nexus and iPhone 6s don't), has dual SIM (Nexus and iPhone don't). Plus I still love the tile interface. It's also going to be really nice having something a lot lighter and a bit smaller than my 1520.

So basically I couldn't convince myself to go to Apple or Google. I would have liked to have fingerprint scanning, more apps, a better insurance plan, more premium feeling buttons, a better speaker, visual voicemail (that one kind of hurts), and an IPS screen (personal preference), but other than that it's a great phone.

 

[Ryujingt3]

I loved my 640XL and wanted to upgrade and still remain on the Windows platform so I got the 950XL.

 

[mariusmuntean]

MS is blind and does not see and care for the users that keep investing in their platform, that keep trusting their platform. All my BS aside and respect for all of you who still support them despite the multiple issues. I just hope for the sake of your time and money that MS realizes one day this and returns the favor in the form of a bugfree experience.

 

[winboy]

I don't rely on reviews or others' opinions so I wanted to try it for myself and since I'm a big fan of MS I had to get my hands on the 950 XL. Bought it on day one on Thanksgiving Day and loving it ever since.

 

[PepperdotNet]

I was using a 1020, was satisfied with it on Windows 10 except for occasional performance lag. I wanted something bigger and better, and I've been wanting Continuum ever since I saw that first demo last year.

I am very happy with my 950XL.

 

[nausky]

The short answer is I just wanted something different.

My mom had an iPhone 1 and 3, both of which were primarily used by me, and the iPhone completely stagnated since then. Android kept me entertained for years with how powerful and customizable it is, but it feels like Android is stagnating too.

But what really pushed me from Android was the Note series moving away from appealing to enthusiasts. My options were to move away from a phone that could any and everything, to one of the less featured "vanilla" android phones with an SD card slot, or just give Microsoft a try.

Very happy with the switch. I miss a few things, but I've gained quite a bit. The most important being that windows has better SD card support. Google is actively working against expandable storage--I think anyone who used their music service with a lot of downloaded music would agree. We've had to deal with support being dropped, taken away, given back, and just being completely ****ty. Need to reset your phone? Have to download the entire music collection again. Google updated their Photos app, you need to format your card because this somehow broke everything!

I love the Windows Phone (10) aesthetic.

Another? Once the apps are launched, multi tasking on the 950 XL is SO FAST. And Alt tab works! It's so nice using it to play music and follow twitter at work with a Bluetooth keyboard. Caveat: Windows 8.1 (Silverlight?) apps are terribly slow and bring up lots of resume screens. Windows Central is the only W8 app left in my arsenal.

Lastly? I love watching an OS develop. I bought a 635 in the months leading up to the 950XL's release date, and it's cool to see where the OS has come since then. Can't wait to see the OS development pick up.

 

[snakebitten]

I don't have to be coaxed into being honest. In fact, I would say that my reputation is that I am brutally honest. (often in the form of a complaint)

I have a 950XL because it was the first phone released to the world that actually could potentially be superior to my 1520. If the 950XL was yet to be available, I would STILL be carrying the 1520 as my main phone. (Full disclosure: I carry 2 or 3 phones with me most times. I have valid reasons)

I have posted enough on WC about my opinions of the 950(XL). I am far from a fanboy that will gloss over the things I am not happy with. But short of the actual LTE antennas and the theoretical compromises of Dual Sim, I absolutely feel the phone is a superior over all device to my 1520(s).

Not by much though! Which says less about the 950 than the 1520. If you have an undamaged 1520 in your possession, In my opinion you are carrying one of the classics of all time.

I should state that I am not someone who considers my cell phone as a fashion statement. For those that do, and I am not being critical, I completely understand the lackluster appeal of the 950XL's aesthetics. But I'm one of those guys that even hid the sleekness of the 1520 in a complete Folio wrap. Far from sexy.

And finally, I actually like Apple products. I think they are the epitome of excellent form factor and packaging. I also think the IPhone and the Mac are the direct impetus for the existence of my Surface Pro and various Lumias. Apple woke up the world and raised the bar of personal mobility and leveraging an ecosystem to support that mobility.

But as unpopular as my next statement might be,...............
I think Microsoft has now taken the lead on the vision. (It's not nearly as mature or elegant yet) In fact, I'm amazed they had the guts to do what they are doing. They certainly take a beating for it.

 

[Mr Hyde]

...why did you really buy the new Lumia 950/XL?
a) Is it because the platform and device are helping you achieve everything you want from your mobile device, in a way no other platform can, and how?
b) Were you suckered into buying something new and shiny because you are a part of this community and thought that was the in-thing to do, and if so do you regret it?
c) Bragging rights, and if so, how is it helping you achieve them?
d) Any other reason.
I have an android phone currently (Nexus 6P), however I miss my older Windows Phone (8.1) and want to get a perspective here before I jump ship, hence only serious answers please.

A. The 950xl does everything I need a phone to do, but so did my Icon. Is it better than any other platform? I really don't know, and don't care. It does what I need it to do and I like it, that's good enough for me.
B. Suckered? I don't think so. As a matter of fact I wanted one since they were announced but held off because of all the negative reports/comments. I finally said 'screw it' and got the 950xl knowing I could just return it in 30 days if I didn't like it. Well so far I'm very happy and I have no desire to return it. I even switched carriers so I could use it.
C. Bragging rights? well sort of but its more like personal bragging rights. Most of my friends don't use windows phones so bragging to them is pointless. I just think its cool. Having it makes me happy. Learning how the new features work is fun for me. So I guess its just personal.
D. Other... I think a lot of people had some problems early on. Hardware/firmware problems? Probably but most of those issues seem to have been addressed. As I read through these forums, it seems that people with the most problems are on the insider program, but I guess anyone testing un released software would have issues. I'm not on the insider program and my phone seems to work just fine.

So, I would suggest to anyone, if you like windows phone just get the 950xl and give it a test drive. If you don't like it, send it back. You can always just put your SIM back in your old device.

 

[v_emman]

What bugs? The phone and the OS are perfect. Minor bugs only that will be fixed. W10 is a totally different experience on the 950/XL than on older devices (I have 1020 and 630 too, the former was slow, the latter slower).
The 950XL is fast, it has a big screen, an amazing camera, removable storage, Continuum (I got the dock for free) and all the apps that I use on phone and on PC. Where can you find something better?

Sent from mTalk

 

[signal-2-noise]

I've been using an unlocked Lumia 930 for about 6 months. Great phone but was missing some features that the 950XL possessed. Here are my reasons:
1. SD Card expansion
2. Multiple LTE Band support
3. Larger display
...and most importantly,
4. Curiosity

Yes there are problems with the current state of the 950XL but they aren't showstoppers in my world. I have been using the XL as my daily driver since purchased a couple of weeks ago. If something goes really wrong due to updates and such I'll just revert back to the 930 until things get sorted out.

 

[VermaEklavya]

I also love the Live Tiles. Right now I have it set up so it looks just like a desktop, all tiles set to the smallest and arranged and placed on the left side of the gorgeous screen.

Hey have you shared the screenshot of your home screen somewhere here on Windows Central? Would you like to share it here?
Cheers!

 

[VermaEklavya]

I even switched carriers so I could use it.

That is very brave
I also like how learning new features is making you happy. Guess I am like you that way, and android is getting a little stale lately. I know I can change all those icons and wallpapers and stuff, but I don't like to tinker with my base OS (no rooting and modding etc), so other stuff gets boring pretty quickly. Or I just have a short attention span lol

 

[signal-2-noise]

Hey have you shared the screenshot of your home screen somewhere here on Windows Central? Would you like to share it here?
Cheers!

There's a couple of sticky threads for this already...

950 specific

General WP

 

[Mr Hyde]

That is very brave
I also like how learning new features is making you happy. Guess I am like you that way, and android is getting a little stale lately. I know I can change all those icons and wallpapers and stuff, but I don't like to tinker with my base OS (no rooting and modding etc), so other stuff gets boring pretty quickly. Or I just have a short attention span lol

Switching carriers for me isn't much of a big deal. I went to my local T-Mobile store and told them I wanted to try T-Mobile just to see if it would work for me. The sales person charged me $50 for one month of pre paid LTE service and gave me a sim. I decided to leave my other phone and carrier active until I decide to keep T-Mobile or not. The sales person said to come back when I'm ready and they would Port my old number to my new phone. So, even if I hate both the phone and the carrier, I'm only out $50 but so far I've had way more than $50 of fun using the 950xl.