Mircosoft Lumia 950: By far worst experience with a smartphone

[wing-a-ding]

Can you let me know which shop in the UK has these in stock?

Got mine through Carphonewarehouse. Got replacement without much fuss

 

[frank pik]

I had the same issue but it started...eventually. It seemed to download best while plugged in but the 950 definitely less stable than my 1520 running the same update. So far my biggest gripe is that the battery life has so far been terrible

 

[Bri D]

just like a desktop os, some people have issues, others don't. i'd say go ahead with the recovery tool. even if it is the same version, some have had great luck with their 950 after going that route.

A phone is no where near the same as a desktop OS. The desktop OS has infinite hardware configurations it needs to run...the OS these phones released with was made for 2 hardware configs. Lumia 950 and 950XL

 

[uselessrobot]

I finally got around to doing a reset of my phone and right from the start I found stability and performance to have improved.

My Band also works properly with the phone again, although I'm not holding out much hope that it stays that way. But still, I think it was worth the hassle of manually updating the phone and downloading my apps.

 

[Winterraven]

Aside from minor issues with stability, im very pleased with the 950 XD

 

[Paul-AJ]

Please check your title. "Mircosoft" !?

 

[dvdwnd]

Must be a different model 950 to the one I have. Excellent device. Battery life on par with my iPhone 6s. The updating error is often seen on devices where too many device are registered

Interesting to hear that you get excellent battery life, while my experience has been the exact opposite since day 1. My 950 Dual SIM won't last a day and sometimes draws 20%/hour, burning my leg. It varies, though.
Then we have the horrible, horrible OneDrive client, which I have now quit using. Releasing a phone that forces you to use USB to transfer photos in 2015 is unforgivable. How could this happen?
I can accept that Windows Hello has some warts (not with the recognition itself, though), since it's supposedly "beta". But many other aspects of the phone and OS have contributed to make the Lumia 950 the worst smartphone for me, by far. Let's see if Microsoft manages to fix this, since I believe most, if not all, issues are software related.

I helped an older relative with a new Lumia 640 this Christmas, and that is a good smartphone.

 

[Byrese]

Just another update:

Having fully charged the 950 before heading in to work, I noticed that the device remained very warm. My 1hr journey resulted in almost 50% battery drain, so I decided to factory reset again and just set up a blank device and leave it to see if the heavy battery drain resolved itself.

To my surprise the heavy drain disappeared.

It's now been running about 12hrs from last full charge and am down to 40% battery with light use. I have Windows Hello on.

I have downloaded a couple of Apps and on this occasion installed properly without having to turn the device off and on.

Fingers crossed I've worked out most or all the gremlins and this device turns out to be a worthy replacement for my current daily driver.

Congrats

 

[Byrese]

This thread represents the very best and very worst parts of this forum. The best: People bending over backwards to help someone and offering genuine advice and words of encouragement. The worst: Overly sensitive people who took one look at the thread title, never actually read the OP's complaints, and lashed out at him irrationally.
He didn't say the 950 was a bad phone. He didn't say other companies don't ever run into problems or make the occasional lemon. He said, as far as his own personal experience with phones that he has actually used, this ranks at the bottom. Given what he's experienced, it isn't hard to see why. He isn't "being impatient" or "being update greedy". He is using the phone as intended with the OS it was shipped with (an OS that should be able to be updated when an update is available).
The fact that he has actually followed through and attempted virtually all the advice offered to him should demonstrate he isn't here just to complain about Windows or Microsoft. The fact is, most typical consumers would have given up long before him. I'm personally glad he's sticking it out and I am embarrassed at some of the responses I've seen here.

Great post. You're dead on here

 

[Byrese]

Except, it's not fair because the iPhone 4 rollout was a disaster for many people. Forums were full of complaints about reception. Steve Jobs initial response was the "you're holding it wrong" comment. Apple eventually gave out free cases to mitigate the problem. My point stands. Every manufacturer has had what is perceived as a disastrous rollout (which usually is not a disaster for the majority of purchasers). But, that said, it doesn't make the people that are having problems feel better. I sympathize with them and believe that where forums like this can excel, users helping users.

Ok we're being side tracked from original point. A point ur actually kinda making for me- We WP fans can SOMETIMES be very defensive about the the OS. The slightest comment about trouble (even if the person likes it and sticks it out like the OP) can SOMETIMES get this reaction. Just look at some if the comments on this thread.

 

[uselessrobot]

I've been playing with a Nexus 6P a friend got for Christmas. I've been thoroughly impressed with the phone. Everything is incredibly smooth and battery life has been excellent straight out of the box. OK Google responds instantly and reads back search results, unlike Cortana. I also haven't observed a single crash.

I have to admit, if I had seen that phone sooner I would have returned my 950. Not that I'm pessimistic about Windows 10 nor do I necessarily regret my purchase. I also haven't had quite as many problems as others here, beyond the frustrating connectivity issues with my Band. However, the pervasive lack of polish is a disappointment. It feels like Microsoft put the B team on mobile. It really is tough to recommend Windows 10 when you consider the level of refinement offered by the competition.

Mobile might eventually match the quality of the desktop version, but how long is that going to take? How much goodwill will Microsoft burn through before they accomplish that?

 

[ashram]

A phone is no where near the same as a desktop OS. The desktop OS has infinite hardware configurations it needs to run...the OS these phones released with was made for 2 hardware configs. Lumia 950 and 950XL

no, the OS was made for a few configurations, and then tweaked for 2.

 

[Josh Harman]

Mobile might eventually match the quality of the desktop version, but how long is that going to take? How much goodwill will Microsoft burn through before they accomplish that?

How long is that going to take?

I don't know. I do know that the OS hasn't been officially released to existing phones and only to the 950 series. So making assumptions that it will take a long time may be premature.

As always I have to mention that the firmware/OS on my 950 are working great.

 

[cracgor]

I've been playing with a Nexus 6P a friend got for Christmas. I've been thoroughly impressed with the phone. Everything is incredibly smooth and battery life has been excellent straight out of the box. OK Google responds instantly and reads back search results, unlike Cortana. I also haven't observed a single crash.

I have to admit, if I had seen that phone sooner I would have returned my 950. Not that I'm pessimistic about Windows 10 nor do I necessarily regret my purchase. I also haven't had quite as many problems as others here, beyond the frustrating connectivity issues with my Band. However, the pervasive lack of polish is a disappointment. It feels like Microsoft put the B team on mobile. It really is tough to recommend Windows 10 when you consider the level of refinement offered by the competition.

Mobile might eventually match the quality of the desktop version, but how long is that going to take? How much goodwill will Microsoft burn through before they accomplish that?

I fortunately had more problems that rendered my phone unuseable for daily use. I would have stuck it out and assumed VVM would get fixed at some point. Even if all the other problems were fixed, that single issue would have made my 950xl less useful to me. I ended up getting an Android phone with Lollipop on it. Its funny to read things about my current phone on these forums that I find completely false (instability, cartoonish, less useful, buggy). Whatever phone someone gets, it just has to work. I don't know why these forums jump on any negative comments about the OS like disseminating information on here is going to stop consumers from buying the phone. I think the problem is the average consumer has to take a risk and only an exceptional consumer is going to stick through difficulties like the OP. I've been with WP for years and couldn't handle the 950xl launch. I haven't even turned on my 640 since I got an android phone and even switched away from edge browser, because it was easier to use chrome and sync information on android than to try to continually find work arounds to live solely in the Microsoft ecosphere.

 

[TechFreak1]

I think a factory reset did the trick. Though I can't remember exactly how many times I have done this on the replacement 950. Possibly 3-4 times now.

Currently rocking the .36 update.

I see, at least you got there in the end .

Great to see you stuck in there as most people would have just given up.

 

[greedo_greedy]

I'm not yet an owner of either the 950 or 950 XL.

I'll wait it now maybe until the middle of next year when it goes down in price.

So far based on what I have read, there's really not much to worry for me.

It seems to me most of the issues have to do with the OS itself and not the hardware.
A lot of the OS bugs should be ironed out in time.

 

[sheldon cohn]

Just want to let you know, once you receive the phone and plug it in to be charged, the phone will get
Very Hot, so place the phone on a counter top or something that couldn't catch fire. Once it's fully
charged, the phone will be OK. I plug mine in nightly to charge and not allow the battery to show very
low.

 

[hwangeruk]

All phones have pros and cons. Even between models in the same product family. I've literally had almost every recent phone, and without a doubt Android is the most buggy - its beyond questioning. Can you have a good experience? Yes, but one day, Android will get you

I love my iPhone, its probably the best overall experience of any phone. But right now, I have a bug where the store app shows updates pending, when in fact the apps are updated. Occasionally, the fingerprint reader refuses to work. I use the PIN, then it goes back to working. Point is, all phones have foibles. But some of the most solid experiences I've had, have been with WP.

On the 950, will consumers get a duff unit? Sure. Are there some edges to rub out? Sure, Edge is still immature. The Store still seems to have "update" niggles (just like my iPhone right?). But my Lumia 950 and iPhone 6s are like my ideal dream female partners, one blonde, one brunette. I can't decide Don't make me chose . Yet my Android devices stay in the drawer, even a lovely Note 4 - great hardware, Android just rubs me up the wrong way (Samsung ruin Android). I've even Cyanogen modded it. But then you lose safety. Android is almost great, but then it cr*ps on your somehow.
My 950 has been stellar. Battery life like my iPhone. Stupid high 518 ppi pixel density looks sumptuous. It charges crazy fast. Win 10 mobile runs great on it. Now you can have transparent tiles and full screen background, my start screen looks waaayyyy sexier than the "messy" iPhone.
In fact Windows Phone has made me hate the cluttery interface on iPhone, even though the apps are good the hardware feel like a rock.
Anyhoo, random thoughts.

 

[Blomsternisse]

That's the 950 XL. This is the 950 forum.

Well, all 950 related Microsoft phones have been pulled from amazon.de. That's a pretty big setback for Microsoft. They obviously shouldn't have released the 950 and the 950 XL. It has probably done more to damage Windows 10 Mobile than any of the good things it has brought.

Just look at Pocketnow's 950 XL review. These guy's are generally positive to Windows Phone, but the 950 XL review is even called "Lumia 950 XL Review: Nope". That's not very flattering.

 

[Josh Harman]

Well, all 950 related Microsoft phones have been pulled from amazon.de. That's a pretty big setback for Microsoft. They obviously shouldn't have released the 950 and the 950 XL. It has probably done more to damage Windows 10 Mobile than any of the good things it has brought.

Just look at Pocketnow's 950 XL review. These guy's are generally positive to Windows Phone, but the 950 XL review is even called "Lumia 950 XL Review: Nope". That's not very flattering.

:shrug:

My 950 works great.