First bad review of the 950

[awesomeindeed]

Here's my take on the 950, both as a fan of MS and WP, and as a realist:

This phone should not have been released, at least not yet. The OS has very noticeable bugs and quirks, and there are features that either don't work or don't work well. It's the only phone I have on 3 platforms that doesn't fully integrate with my vehicle's infotainment system (it's 2015, this should just work and the device manufacturers should make sure of this). The fact that the devices themselves are more powerful and capable really makes the app gap more of an issue than it hides it, IMO. It's just not a very good representation of a "premium" product, especially when you're launching a brand new mobile platform and this is the device you're using to do it.

We've waited this long without a flagship device, and I think they're shooting themselves in the foot by rushing the devices and the OS to market. If you don't see it the same way, so be it, but if you go use some competing platforms' flagship devices, it should be pretty clear.

I still like the phone for what it is, but it definitely falls short of expectations.

 

[ssapre]

This is why you don't release phones with an unfinished OS and beta features. And people will read through these reviews and of course they won't sell as a result.

Lumia 950 review: Windows Phone finally has a new flagship?will anyone care? | Ars Technica

Its all one's point of view to say whether a phone is good or bad. I stopped reading that review when he said he could not test the phone for some specific tests since the screen was not ON for more than 5 mins !! I feel pity for such reviewers who can change settings in iPhone or some android phones but when they have WP in hand they prove how poor their technical knowledge is. Anyways that site is not in my 'read reviews' list.

 

[sugarbowl06]

I think they really just needed to get a new phone out. Hence the limited rollout (AT&T only, and only the 950). And this is probably why Microsoft's says these phones are for 'windows phone fans'.

 

[Krystianpants]

Its all one's point of view to say whether a phone is good or bad. I stopped reading that review when he said he could not test the phone for some specific tests since the screen was not ON for more than 5 mins !! I feel pity for such reviewers who can change settings in iPhone or some android phones but when they have WP in hand they prove how poor their technical knowledge is. Anyways that site is not in my 'read reviews' list.

In the comments he said he tried changing it in settings but wasn't doing anything. Another frustrating bug. Unless at&t version had some limitations. Apparently Double tap to wake is disabled by at&t.

 

[Krystianpants]

I think they really just needed to get a new phone out. Hence the limited rollout (AT&T only, and only the 950). And this is probably why Microsoft's says these phones are for 'windows phone fans'.

So we get stuck with the bad phones? hope they have a stellar trade in deal if they release new ones.

 

[DoctorPizza]

you think that I don't know how to change the settings?

The longest screen time out is 5 minutes.

 

[Krystianpants]

If you think paying $600 for a phone with a 3 star review is good, then, I'll defer. But, most phones they review are 4 stars...

No. It's obvious that these bugs and issues are going to drop the score. People don't pay that much money for something that's not finished. The people who would buy them is windows fans because they know updates will come. But the benchmarks are even enough to turn windows fans off.

 

[phelme]

it's worth listening to Pocketnow talk about the 950 on their podcast today. (Michael Fisher is a WP fan)

 

[odin09]

I think Daniel's review is pretty accurate. He said that non windows phone fans wouldn't be tempted to switch and he is proving right with Android and iOS fan critics.

 

[odin09]

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Microsoft-Lumia-950-The-first-48-hours_id75950.

Not a full review but much more positive than I was expecting from Phone Arena.

 

[DoctorSaline]

Luckily, managed to upgrade my Lumia 525 to 10586.11 from 10536 somehow on a metered connection(hint: had to remove SD card for that stuck update bug) and boy is it an improvement! It is actually faster than WP8.1 on my 525. No hiccups in app updates. No app crashes and loading/resuming screens rarely happen now that too for a microsecond which is actually better performance than WP8.1. With this hands-on experience on my 525, no reviewer can tell me how unfinished W10m is on 950. The only thing I can accept is lack of apps which would be fair. Other than that, it is just brilliant stuff. And really we're in 2015 and no other platform vendor provides an elegant screen projection solution let alone working over it. Tbh, continuum is one of those "simplest ideas are usually the best ones." We will see who's laughing in the end.

 

[DoctorSaline]

Okay, just read the actual review. Here are my two cents.
Low 3D and Edge benchmarks. Well I'm glad someone high lighted it. Microsoft doesn't making any grounds with 3D APIs in W10m was one of my major beefs with W10m development. But then again, like he said, it's not like game developers are dying to bring high end games to Windows so Microsoft has all the time in the world. About Edge, well what did you expect. We have IE in WP8.1 until now ffs! Edge is certainly an improvement. But the good thing is it is on the right track. I can definitely see it becoming on par with chrome and safari in terms of performance in years to come.
That w10m berating was totally uncalled for. He judged the recent most build, the build it comes with(which is pretty stable), through the glasses of previous insider builds which were buggy.
About Windows Hello, I can definitely see its use case. Since I'm one of those who get lost in their own train of thoughts while reading something on their phones with their eyes still looking at phone and mind elsewhere. I have to agree fingerprint is a more elegant solution for nfc payments and unlocking phone in dark. Still all isn't bad though. I can really imagine some interesting use case scenarios for IR scanner. Like not locking phone in the first place when user gets lost in his own thoughts while still looking at the device. The more efficient solution will be to only turn the screen off and keep it unlocked in those scenarios.

 

[jdballard]

ffs, you think that I don't know how to change the settings?

The longest screen time out is 5 minutes.

Dang... someone got called out by the reviewer himself!

And he's right. I believe it was my T-Mobile 925 on WP8 that was limited to 5 minutes but my HTC 8X was either 15 or 30 minutes. And my 640 is more than 5 minutes running 10586, so it can definitely vary by phone...possibly even carrier.

I'm pretty sure Doctor Pizza knows how to change the settings. And his review was honest and his criticisms are no different than reports from others around the forums.

 

[runamuck83]

A part of me feels like it would get negative reviews regardless of how sexy the phone is, how polished the OS is, or what unique features it offered.

Why?

Because it always comes back to the apps and ecosystem.

Let's be honest - over the last 5 years there HAS BEEN some amazing windows phones that pack beautiful designs and solid stable OS - yet those phones were always smacked down over apps.

So yea, is the OS flawless? No,it needs some fixes that will come.

Is the hardware super sexy? I guess that's a matter of opinion.

In the end Microsoft just needs to keep supporting and updating these devices to send a message to devs that the goal of Windows 10 everywhere is going to happen, no questions asked.

 

[Laura Knotek]

ffs, you think that I don't know how to change the settings?

The longest screen time out is 5 minutes.

I'm concerned about the iris scanner not working with glasses. I have a very strong prescription, and I would not be able to see anything on the screen if I took my glasses off. I also wear glasses with high index plastic lenses.

Posted from my Moto X Pure Edition via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[LumiaWorld]

I think The Verge review is worse than this. I LOL'ED on that video's comment section

 

[LumiaWorld]

Based on phone reviews, I actually think Blackberry is in a better position now than Microsoft.

We are in the dark days, guys

 

[runamuck83]

Based on phone reviews, I actually think Blackberry is in a better position now than Microsoft.

We are in the dark days, guys

It's all up to windows 10 to succeed

 

[LumiaWorld]

It's all up to windows 10 to succeed

Hopefully it will. Let's pray for it to succeed

 

[MikeSo]

Have there been any positive reviews about the Lumia 950? Every site I have seen, nobody has recommended the phone.

Even worse, every review is saying Windows 10 mobile is buggy and not ready for every day use. It's unbelievable that Microsoft released the phone in this state.

Lots of us on this site use Windows 10 Mobile already every day. Yeah, it has some bugs, but the OS is definitely ready for prime time. I have no problems at all recommending the 10586 build to anyone with a Windows phone.