[Real Users] My Lumia 950 Review

rhapdog

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Who has a Lumia 950? Which Variant?

What's the good, the bad and the ugly? How long have you had it and what do you think?

Put your User Review here to help others. The more detail the better, we really appreciate hearing how it performs in the field.

You can find the detailed specifications here: http://forums.windowscentral.com/mi...ual-sim-specs-features-questions-welcome.html

Here is a quick spec sheet.:
5.2" Display
20.0 MP Main camera sensor
32 GB Mass memory
4G LTE Network
Front camera: Full HD 5 MP wide angle
Flash type: Natural flash
Processor type: Hexa-core 1.8 GHz
Charging: Built-in wireless charging, Fast charging
Maximum talk time (3G): 18 h
Maximum standby time: 12 days

We want to see your in-depth reviews here. Also for quick posts about the device as you get used to it, we have another thread as well. http://forums.windowscentral.com/mi...-impressions]-who-has-gotten-lumia-950-a.html

Looking forward to seeing both of these threads fill up with 950 goodness!!!
 
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SpicyKB

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re: [Real Users] My Lumia 950 Detailed Review


I have a standard AT&T 950 in black.

The build quality is mostly fine. I'm itching to replace the plastic back cover with a Mozo or something, but it'll suffice. The thing is when you tap it where it attaches... I don't know I might be crazy, but it kinda reminds me of plastic tupperware.

The screen is stunning, bright and crisp. USB 3.1 is fantastic with my Skylake PC. And can we get an Amen for removable battery?

The OS is a little choppy still compared to the uber-slick 8.1, but it more than makes up for it with the overall new look. The icons... The menus... AND ACTIONABLE NOTIFICATIONS. My goodness, they're worth their weight in gold.

There are APPS!!! AND THEY WORK! Facebook... Instagram... UBER! These aren't betas anymore. They are glorious and beautiful first-party apps catered to the WP10 interface. Windows Phone is back in the game, baby. I love the new maps app. Much like HERE Maps and Drive, Microsoft once again has the best navigation system on earth. It's crazy intuitive and a little too smart (taking my old routes and favorites from my 920). Groove Music is spectacular. Outlook is great and trust me, I've HATED IT all during the Insider program. But it's good now. Real good and real usable.

Windows Hello is going to be a showstopping, killer, tell-your-friends feature. My roommate was blown away. Hey Cortana is similarly a wonder as it combines the always-on cleverness of Google Now with... well, with Cortana, which was already the most accurate AI assistant.

The bad...

Windows Camera has a long way to go. Going to your Collection (formerly Gallery) from the Camera app is a nightmare and a half. Bugs and glitches and missing files galore. The Photos app is much better, but the refresh time can be frustrating after taking a new 1080p60 or 4K video or photo burst. It has more to it, but it doesn't FEEL as good as 8.1. Overall, the Camera and photo functions are just not very good, even if the pictures (including low-light) are pretty. Microsoft needs to up their game FAST in this area.

Microsoft Edge is just... not up to par yet. It's clumsy with render certain sites (yup, Windows Central too). I can't use WordFlow typing? The tab screen leaves a lot desired as far as navigation. Not intuitive, but I'm used to it by now.

Finally, the combination of pivots and hamburger menus creates issues with swipe registration. I'll want to yank a pivot up and get a hamburger or vice versa. It's annoying periodically, but fairly rare after a few hours. Good news is that I don't miss the hardware buttons and the haptic, on-screen versions are great and don't get in the way.

That's my knee-jerk review. Hit me with specific questions.
 
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doghouseriley

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My Quick Review of the 950

One day in here it is.

1. Design. Underwhelming but acceptable. The snap on back and large bezels make this feel like a low end Lumia. Actually feels less premium than the 830 and thats saying something. The phone is thin, but still too large for a 5.2" phone. I was hoping something sized like my second gen Moto X. This is bigger.

2. Performance. This thing is fast, really fast. Everything in W10 works better. Store is fast and responsive apps pop up quickly. No complaints here. Also, I have not had the excessive heat issues I've heard unless the phone is charging, but the phone does run warm when performin taks. Calls (yes, I make those on a smartphone) are quite simply the most clear and perfect I've heard on any smartphone.

3. Power. Have a charger handy. It would help if this had double tap to wake (a glaring mistake to leave out) and if I would turn brightness off 100%. However, with this display you won't want to.

4. Display. Best.....display....ever. It's there with the gs6, iPhone and other top tier displays. No pixels, images pop and no overexposure. A treat to view.

5. Camera. Without a doubt the star of the show. Both photos and video are the best ever on any smartphone. Handles low light well.

6. Windows 10. Still needs work but is getting there. Still too hard to locate basic features like hey Cortana. Really, really needs double tap to wake. App gap still bad but not an issue with me.
 

Pete

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Re: My Quick Review of the 950

Well, double-tap to wake should be there in the touch settings.

The settings are pretty easy to find when you know where they are. If not, you can search for them with Cortana or use the search bar in the main settings screen.

Windows 10 will continue to be improved upon over time - it's never really going to reach a "finished" state in the same way as Windows Phone 7/x or Windows Phone 8.x
 

doghouseriley

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Re: My Quick Review of the 950

Oh, and the iris scanner is great. Run it about 5 times through when setting up and it's instant. I'm hoping the mozo replacement back (if it ever gets here) will help improve my lack of design enthusiasm.
 

doghouseriley

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Re: My Quick Review of the 950

Well, double-tap to wake should be there in the touch settings.

The settings are pretty easy to find when you know where they are. If not, you can search for them with Cortana or use the search bar in the main settings screen.

Windows 10 will continue to be improved upon over time - it's never really going to reach a "finished" state in the same way as Windows Phone 7/x or Windows Phone 8.x
Double tap is not in the touch settings or anywhere else on the phone.
 

doghouseriley

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Re: My Quick Review of the 950

Finally continuum. It's really impressive. Still doubt it's practicality, since when I travel it's just as easy to carry a surface than the display dock and a portable keyboard, but it really feels like a glimpse into the future. I've used it wirelessly and it looks incredible for PowerPoint presentations. MS really dropped the ball on coming up with a specific accessory keyboard for this like they did Surface.
 

doghouseriley

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Re: My Quick Review of the 950

Also, was hoping the messaging app would now function on my surface like android and Imessage. It really needs to get done and quickly. While I like that Cortana lets me text from my pc, I really would like to view texts as they arrive and respond from my pc. This should have been done by now with or without skype
 

Marc_SP

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Re: My Quick Review of the 950

Interesting quick review. Thanks! :)

But...

4. Display. Best.....display....ever. It's there with the gs6, iPhone and other top tier displays. No pixels, images pop and no overexposure. A treat to view.

iPhone? I know pixel density is not everything but Phone 6 has about HD resolution (like a Lumia 640), and the Plus 1080P (Like the 'very old' and quite smaller Lumia 930).
 

runamuck83

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Re: My Quick Review of the 950

I have also been unable to find double-tap to wake. I'm crossing my fingers this shows up with an update at some point...
 

doghouseriley

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Re: My Quick Review of the 950

Interesting quick review. Thanks! :)

But...



iPhone? I know pixel density is not everything but Phone 6 has about HD resolution (like a Lumia 640), and the Plus 1080P (Like the 'very old' and quite smaller Lumia 930).
If yyou have ever viewed an iPhone you would know pretty quickly that high pixel density is not necessary for an outstanding screen. Iphones display is quite amazing.
 

Krystianpants

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Re: My Quick Review of the 950

If yyou have ever viewed an iPhone you would know pretty quickly that high pixel density is not necessary for an outstanding screen. Iphones display is quite amazing.

It has pretty good ppi though. And it's not as amazing as at the stores. They keep the screen brightness set to highest there. So they look decent. But change it and it's a different story. Still nice no doubt.
 

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