Isn't it suppose to be full Windows 10 on the phone? If that is the case would I be able to install Google Chrome Browser on it and use the Chrome apps on it?
Very long time Android user thinking about trying out the Lumia 950 XL
- Thread starter itguyjax8430
- Start date
I'd say check to be sure the apps you absolutely cannot live without are available on Windows Mobile.
As long as it has them then as far as a quality operating system you'd definitely be making the right choice.
As long as it has them then as far as a quality operating system you'd definitely be making the right choice.
Laura Knotek
Retired Moderator
That's what I figured. I wonder why they didn't use an Intel chip in the phone. That would have opened up a lot for the OS.
I think most of the apps I use have web versions so I can just use them in a browser. Not a huge deal.
Laura Knotek
Retired Moderator
That is supposedly coming with the Surface phone which is projected for a late 2016 release. What it includes and whether or not this will be possible is still unknown.
Well hopefully Google will hook up Windows 10 mobile with some Google Apps soon. Show some love to the Windows Mobile people.
Chad Welsh
New member
ferretzombie
New member
Really? When I tried IM+ for hangouts and all it would do is get a list of contacts. It wouldn't receive or send any hangouts messages.
I use IM+ for AIM and Yahoo IM because Trillian STILL doesn't have an app on the platform, though they've said they were considering it for a couple of years. It's really not that good of an app, it's just the only option. I wouldn't call it bad, but the thing is very basic, it loses your chat history on a whim, and it hasn't been updated in, like, 18 months. Crashes a lot on W10M, relative to WP8.
Joshwin
New member
I use IM+ almost everyday, it works perfectly. I can send msgs and receive without any trouble.
Ariel Takom
New member
As a WP user for the past 3 years (My first smartphone happened to be a 620 just because it was a Lumia, and fell in love with the OS immediately. Now rocking 830), I can tell you that the 950/XL is almost the perfect phone (minus the design part, easily and expensively fixed with the Mozo leather-backs).
Hardware-wise, it has almost everything: processor, RAM, screen quality, camera quality, light-weight (relative to its size. My 5' L830 weighs exactly the same as the 5.2' L950, which is really good), USB Type-C, USB OTG, wireless charging, expandable memory slot, etc.
TL;DR: L950/XL gets almost everything correct spec-wise.
Now, the OS.
Undoubtedly, W10M provides huge improvements over WP8.1, as well as setbacks. Bugs are common even on the most basic of features i.e: Phone calls. Look up the thread on Bugs & Defects of W10M in this very forum to know what you'll might be up against.
My advice to you is to wait for a while before buying this phone. The price now is quite ridiculous, and the OS is still half-baked. But I know that Msft will fix the OS after some time, and the price would've already dropped by then. So just wait it out.
Orrrr, if you're too impatient to try out the OS, pick up the cheap L640. Users have reported that the 640 works smoothly with W10M, so use that to scout the OS first, before you try out the 950 for additional features like OTG, USB-C, or Continuum.
Hardware-wise, it has almost everything: processor, RAM, screen quality, camera quality, light-weight (relative to its size. My 5' L830 weighs exactly the same as the 5.2' L950, which is really good), USB Type-C, USB OTG, wireless charging, expandable memory slot, etc.
TL;DR: L950/XL gets almost everything correct spec-wise.
Now, the OS.
Undoubtedly, W10M provides huge improvements over WP8.1, as well as setbacks. Bugs are common even on the most basic of features i.e: Phone calls. Look up the thread on Bugs & Defects of W10M in this very forum to know what you'll might be up against.
My advice to you is to wait for a while before buying this phone. The price now is quite ridiculous, and the OS is still half-baked. But I know that Msft will fix the OS after some time, and the price would've already dropped by then. So just wait it out.
Orrrr, if you're too impatient to try out the OS, pick up the cheap L640. Users have reported that the 640 works smoothly with W10M, so use that to scout the OS first, before you try out the 950 for additional features like OTG, USB-C, or Continuum.
Pete
Retired Moderator
Unfortunately, this may not be the case. Although Microsoft has been happy and benevolent enough to support it's customers across platforms (Office apps, Outlook, OneDrive, etc.), and allow Google to be used as a search provider on Windows Phone, Google has really done nothing to support its customers using competing operating systems. A big shame.
There are also many people who have been using Windows 10 Mobile as their day-to-day operating system and been very happy with it. There's been a few ups and downs, and some things don't work as well as they could, but (at least for me), the positives by far outweigh the negatives. I wouldn't want to turn this into yet another love/hate Windows 10 thread, but I'd say that the 950/950XL is a relevant choice right now.
Ariel Takom
New member
I'm sorry if what I said in my post indicated I was hating 
Didn't meant for it to be interpreted in that way.
What I'm trying to say is that, the user experience varies for different users of the new OS. Some say it's ready, some say it's not. Honestly I haven't tried the new OS, but like it or not, I will be getting the update within the next few months (I'm living in Asia, so the update may come later or earlier for me, I don't know). And to prep myself for all the new changes that's about to come, I've decided to do some research about the new OS: All the new features, all the bugs/problems, etc.
Judging from all the reviews from W10M users (be it owners of the 950/XL phones or Insiders), the OS still have some fixing to do, and although it has 'a few bugs' only, those bugs might be a deal-breaker for some users and it may not be so for the others . And since the OP wanted to try out the new phone, what I'm suggesting is actually more rationale because if you give it time, the OS will be at a much, much better state in the future rather than now, and the price will also be cheaper by then (I hope! It's too expensive for now).
But by all means, if the OP just wants to try the phone now when it's still at it's 'infancy/adolescent' stage, then it is his choice. If I were the OP, I would wait it out until the OS is much much more stable to use.
On a side note, the 950 doesn't even have the 'Double-tap to wake' function for now, and that feature is promised to come 'soon'. So if the OP waits it out until then, he would be (I think) a bit disappointed.
Didn't meant for it to be interpreted in that way.What I'm trying to say is that, the user experience varies for different users of the new OS. Some say it's ready, some say it's not. Honestly I haven't tried the new OS, but like it or not, I will be getting the update within the next few months (I'm living in Asia, so the update may come later or earlier for me, I don't know). And to prep myself for all the new changes that's about to come, I've decided to do some research about the new OS: All the new features, all the bugs/problems, etc.
Judging from all the reviews from W10M users (be it owners of the 950/XL phones or Insiders), the OS still have some fixing to do, and although it has 'a few bugs' only, those bugs might be a deal-breaker for some users and it may not be so for the others . And since the OP wanted to try out the new phone, what I'm suggesting is actually more rationale because if you give it time, the OS will be at a much, much better state in the future rather than now, and the price will also be cheaper by then (I hope! It's too expensive for now).
But by all means, if the OP just wants to try the phone now when it's still at it's 'infancy/adolescent' stage, then it is his choice. If I were the OP, I would wait it out until the OS is much much more stable to use.
On a side note, the 950 doesn't even have the 'Double-tap to wake' function for now, and that feature is promised to come 'soon'. So if the OP waits it out until then, he would be (I think) a bit disappointed.
I will wait till the first of the year to see what the prices are then. I do think the price for the phone is a little high. I think they could have come down $100 on it so that they could compete a little more with the Nexus / OnePlus line price range. Heck if they really wanted to push the phone put it at $449 off contract and I bet sales would go up.
I am also considering this as well. Are there other phones out there that have gotten the Windows 10 update other than the ones that already come with it? I could probably find a deal on a used not so much older phone and just update it to give it a try.
Now looking back at the date of the article I see that it was posted before the announcement of the new phones. In there they state that they would say something at the announcement about the Google apps but watching the keynote they didn't say anything. I would imagine IF it is going to happen they are going to keep it hush hush maybe as to not get people very excited in case there are delays or something.
Geo Hutchings
New member
Ariel Takom
New member
True that. I find the price of that phone here to be almost $100 more expensive than the price they're selling at the US. Maybe it's due to the tax or shipping fees, but I don't really know. Anyway, the reason why Nexus/OnePlus can afford to lower down their price is because of 'guaranteed buyers', and mass adoption. Guaranteed buyers as in those devices are famous and are more likely to sell well. So they can afford to split the manufacturing cost per device. Nexus have guaranteed buyers because of it's branding, while OnePlus has an invite system so they know exactly how many units they need to manufacture, so this can prevent losses. But alas, all this are just my educated guesses. Feel free to correct me as I am not a student of Economics.
Tbh, EVERY WP can get the W10M update via the Insider program, where it's kind of an open beta testing program for every windows phone users. They get to update to the latest builds available and test them out and give feedbacks regarding bugs, suggestions, and whatnot. I tried it with my L620 last time, and that phone got bricked. Early builds bruh. Early builds. :'(
But for now, the W10M builds that you could get from the Insider Program are very stable,as most of them are similar (and actually more updated) than the W10M build that came with the L950/XL. The L950/XL came with W10M build 10586.00, while Insiders as of now are using 10586.29. Still got bugs tho. Check the threads here in the forums.
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