Lumia 950/950XL flagships design - like it or not?

[EspHack]

the last leaks seem like the real thing and they are detailed enough to easily tell that they aren't budget phones, but they don't look "good" either, except for the front which looks ok-cool to me, full glass covered and looks even round at the edges, I hope they keep that 2.5D glass or whatever nokia used that looks so cool and luxurious, anyway a metal frame like the 930 would be highly appreciated by the community there's no doubt about it, the back being polycarbonate is ok since we want qi too, and glass would be too risky, but apart from the materials, the over simplistic design its just not enough to wow anyone, oh the irony... Samsung's S6 edge looks like a truly high end phone, how things have changed eh?

 

[ScubaDog]

Apparently, a teardown of the new iPhones reveal Apple has built in some modest water resistance (e.g., withstanding 30 minutes in water). I'd be willing to bet neither of the LUMIA devices have that. #AlsoRan

 

[Krystianpants]

the last leaks seem like the real thing and they are detailed enough to easily tell that they aren't budget phones, but they don't look "good" either, except for the front which looks ok-cool to me, full glass covered and looks even round at the edges, I hope they keep that 2.5D glass or whatever nokia used that looks so cool and luxurious, anyway a metal frame like the 930 would be highly appreciated by the community there's no doubt about it, the back being polycarbonate is ok since we want qi too, and glass would be too risky, but apart from the materials, the over simplistic design its just not enough to wow anyone, oh the irony... Samsung's S6 edge looks like a truly high end phone, how things have changed eh?

I was out with a friend today and she was looking at the edge dating it looks bad

The screen is ok but then this weird shaped frame and really odd looking. The new 950xl leak looks amazing. I wouldn't want a frame around it, would add ti dimensions. I prefer all glass look.

 

[Krystianpants]

I would like a phone that felt as premium and awesome as the 1020 when it first came out. The full PureView camera, the screen, the 3 microphones, the camera grip, the image stabilization and Xenon flash made this the best device in the world at that time. I don't think any other WP device has been in the top 10 let alone best since the 1020. I miss those days. Throwing a bunch of highend components into a bland phone without any cohesive design like the 1020 did does not make a flagship. A flagship has to be well thought out and engineered to be a flagship. Every component of the 1020 was selected to be part of a multimedia flagship like we haven't seen since--the Nokia design mythos is something I surely miss.

Ummm... You do realize the 950xl camera surpasses it in every way. Ask a real photographer if megapixels matter so much. This going is beyond anything on market with the features it has. I don't want metal either, it ruins too easily . All my friends have chipped ugly areas from light drops. Plus ms could add a texture for grip or anything really as the are still prototypes. But white is going to look sexy. That screen is amazing. You don't understand how much clearblack adds to the experience. My 720p lumia gets comments all the time. I can only imagine this one.

 

[mythos13]

Ummm... You do realize the 950xl camera surpasses it in every way. Ask a real photographer if megapixels matter so much.

This is true of sensors that don't do anything with their megapixels. But every time I see someone make this claim about megapixels and PureView it is obvious right away they don't understand PureView. And no this camera will not beat the 41 MB Pureview sensor in every way and not in the most important way which is the lossless zooming capability of the full PureView. It will also be using an inferior flash and while I don't know what it will have for microphones it is highly likely they will be inferior as well. What we need is the full PureView sensor in, Xenon flash, advanced microphones like the 1020 had and the latest updates developed since then. The camera in my 1520 wasn't nearly as good as camera in my 1020.

 

[Krystianpants]

To be honest I'm glad the negative people are jumping ship. Won't have to read their constant negativity. I've shown the recent photos to people and they love the screen. My friend had her iPhone 6 stolen but she's considering going to windows over iPhone again. So there will always be new people coming and old going. If your done with windows then go elsewhere don't complain about it to us.

 

[Krystianpants]

This is true of sensors that don't do anything with their megapixels. But every time I see someone make this claim about megapixels and PureView it is obvious right away they don't understand PureView. And no this camera will not beat the 41 MB Pureview sensor in every way and not in the most important way which is the lossless zooming capability of the full PureView. It will also be using an inferior flash and while I don't know what it will have for microphones it is highly likely they will be inferior as well. What we need is the full PureView sensor in, Xenon flash, advanced microphones like the 1020 had and the latest updates developed since then. The camera in my 1520 wasn't nearly as good as camera in my 1020.

1.9 aperture of not better and multi timed flash will produce better detail than even a xenon. Xenon just produces better brightness but has the same disadvantages as any single flash tech. And 1020 had a small condenser.

 

[aXross]

I just wanted to share this in relation of 950 and 950 XL. I'm experimenting the look of the back of these devices with some minor changes like alignment of Microsoft logo and changing the speaker design.

 

[aXross]

This for some reason represent my feelings about these devices. Though I think 950 and 950 XL more like an engine of Shelby GT350 Mustang but with a body of Prius. Still high-end devices but looks, not so much.

I'll just leave this here.View attachment 113347

Sent from my D6616 using Tapatalk

Also I want to add regarding on how the new flagships compared to some devices that share closeness of design language/theme. (Also before somebody will say that phones all look similar, no that's not a point and phones still can have different and distinct designs compared to the competition, previous Lumia for example).

 

[EspHack]

1.9 aperture of not better and multi timed flash will produce better detail than even a xenon. Xenon just produces better brightness but has the same disadvantages as any single flash tech. And 1020 had a small condenser.

until I see moving fan blades frozen by this fancy triple led, I'm not giving up my 928

 

[EspHack]

View attachment 113386

its funny how they all look the same to me except for the old colorful lumias, their designs were "different" and I think that's what I liked the most about them, when they announce a new lg or samgdung I just think "another one..." same as budget lumias, more of the same

 

[Krystianpants]

until I see moving fan blades frozen by this fancy triple led, I'm not giving up my 928

Really hard to tell how it's designed . The best goal with multiple flash is to cast each flash in a different direction. We will see.

 

[RaRa85]

This for some reason represent my feelings about these devices. Though I think 950 and 950 XL more like an engine of Shelby GT350 Mustang but with a body of Prius. Still high-end devices but looks, not so much.


Also I want to add regarding on how the new flagships compared to some devices that share closeness of design language/theme. (Also before somebody will say that phones all look similar, no that's not a point and phones still can have different and distinct designs compared to the competition, previous Lumia for example).
View attachment 113386

Exactly however after the actual pictures of the phones leaked yesterday I have changed my opinion. The new flagships are still a little less premium than previous generations but Microsoft has thrown in the specs of a monster device and the matte black indeed looks rather nice. I still think Microsoft could have added some differentiating design elements besides the camera hump and flash setup to separate the 950/950XL from the looks of the 640/640XL/550 but we know that they will be thinner which lends to a more premium feel. I am all in for either one unless they won't be available through T-Mobile. No other phone has everything these phones are offering. The iPhone still comes at a ridiculous 16gb base model with no storage expansion. All of Samsung's offerings loss their ability to expand storage and remove the battery. I don't think any phone on the market offers an Iris scanner. The cameras on these devices are set to wipe out the competition judging from the still excellent 1520/930 sensors. They literally have everything except for the "Wow" factor. And the biggest thing yet, ability to run Netflix to your TV from your phone while still being able to use it for calls, emails and games through Continuum. It's going to be huge.

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[Implement]

I was a little worried about the renders showing the Lumia 950 camera ring, but the photos look much better.

The only thing I am worried about now is the speaker quality, the performance of the 808/810 Snapdragon, the performance of the OS, and of course the price.

I am still going to buy a Lumia 950 day one, unless something catastrophic comes to light.

I actually like the aesthetic design. Any responsible phone owner is going to have a case anyways, especially on an expensive flagship. And that is where you can add your own personal touch. The "barebones" base aesthetics I prefer.

 

[anon(8977867)]

This is not a flagship. As the devices that you own - 830 and 520. It is suitable for you, but me and i think not just me, WE expected a flagship. Spacs are not flagship, design is not flagship.
Thats why we talk about - not whining. I am not satisfied with mid range looks and more of the Chinese producers made better ones. Even thier mid range devices are with SD808.
If you do not like our opinion, don't read it. We got it - you like it.
But most of us dont.

If you don't like hearing people talk well of them why bother starting a discussion about it? Different people like different things. For me, I'm certainly getting a 950 XL. I've had plenty of nexus devices, Samsung flagships that all had a major hardware fault after about 6 months, and family have had iPhones that break after one drop on the floor. So, I believe - after seeing my wife's new 640 XL - that the 950 XL 'is' a premium design, and will have the quality a flagship would require to be worthy of the name.

 

[RaRa85]

I actually like the aesthetic design. Any responsible phone owner is going to have a case anyways, especially on an expensive flagship. And that is where you can add your own personal touch. The "barebones" base aesthetics I prefer.

No. Any responsible phone owner is wise enough to know to take care of their phone. I own the Sony Xperia Z3 which is way more premium in terms of quality and I do not own a case for it nor will I ever do such a thing. I do plan on getting a very nice white carbon skin from https://forums.windowscentral.com/e...%3A%2F%2Fwww.slickwraps.com%2F&token=sy46Nz3S but that does not take away from the design and aesthetics of the device. My motto is if it's cheap or not something to show off, you get a case for it to cover up. If it's nice and the designers actually put in the effort to make it a compelling device you don't hide their efforts. I always get a good laugh at the people who buy an iPhone cause it's a "premium" device and hide it with those ugly Otterbox bulky cases or other bulky cases. What's the point in that?

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[Implement]

Ok sure,

but by having the design as a "bare" design, it reaches more mass appeal. If you start to try and get cute with the design, it's not going to appeal to certain people. As long as the craftsmanship and materials are high quality, the aesthetic design becomes almost irrelevant at that point. Unless of course they try to overdesign the aesthetics, and end up with something that looks radical and niche.

I disagree on the case argument, but I understand your point. You want the phone to speak for itself, but cases are designed to "protect" your phone from scratches and falls. It makes sense that a responsible phone user will protect their investment.

Cases are not always bulky.

They also come in a variety of colors and materials, and you can customize them with graphics or logo's.

My basic point was that the phone looks good in my opinion. A case can add that design flair some people think are missing, which is always subjective anyways.

 

[charish putta]

"LOW PRICE" MSFT never heard of that word.

 

[charish putta]

But are they cutting on price by using cheaper materials? No (most probably). Average coustomer likes a good looking phone, at least when its a flagship. And cases its just there to protect phone, how a phone looks is a different thing. It should be worth what I pay for it.

 

[kokola]

Early articles on WC mentioned about the silver/chrome ring as one of the key feature...???
I'm going to speculate here...could it be some sort of connector?
Add on lenses perhaps?