Microsoft had a short Android experiment, killing its Nokia X line immediately because it didn't have the hoped success. Instead, the company continued to improve its operating system and released multiple Lumia devices with better or weaker specs. The Lumia 950 XL is a flagship running on the new Windows 10, but can it replace any Android device? Let's see what it hides inside and what features will attract you.
Design and DisplayThe Lumia 950 XL has a simple design, featuring a polycarbonate casing which reminds of an old generation Android device, but we can't really say that it's ugly, but it doesn't look premium either. The phone is very tall, which makes it a phablet with a height of almost 152mm, but it's also wide at 78.4mm and it has a thickness of 8.1mm. On the back, in the center, sits the camera with a large circular lens and a 1mm silver ring around it. However, the phone doesn't feel heavy in your hand, as it weights 165 grams, an average weight for its dimensions. On the front side, the bezel is minimal, the screen measures 5.7-inch and it uses Samsung's AMOLED technology (1440 x 2560 pixels at 518 ppi), which provides very vibrant colors, but the battery doesn't get drained fast, because it has a big capacity of 3340 mAh and it lasts long enough. Also, the battery is charged via the USB-C port, which sits at the bottom of the device, while at the top is found the headphone port and on the right side were placed all physical buttons, including a dedicated camera button.
HardwareUnder the hood, or under the battery, more exactly, hides the chipset, which is a
Qualcomm MSM8994 Snapdragon 810. The phablet is very fast with the pair of quad core processors clocked at 1.5GHz and 2GHz, which, combined with 3GB of RAM and the new Windows 10, offer a flawless performance, without lags or other inconveniences. The Lumia 950 XL users can install full PC applications, because the internal memory supports a capacity of 32GB, which is enough for filling it with your favorite applications or games. Also, there was added a microSD card slot which allows expansion up to 200GB. Also, Microsoft offers 200GB of OneDrive cloud storage for saving photos and videos.
The main camera is very impressive, using PureView technology and Carl Zeiss optics, but it can also support OIS, autofocus and triple-LED RGB flash. Also, it's able to record 4K videos at 30fps with optical image stabilization. What will bother you is that there are too many separate camera applications, but they can be pulled together into a single camera application and use various lenses available. As for the front camera, it has a resolution of 5MP.
SoftwareWindows 10 comes with lots of new features and functions. Continuum will sync your devices so that you can continue writing an email on your laptop/computer after starting it on your Lumia 950 XL. Also, you can personalize your homescreen with tiles and the quick selection titles can be accessed from the pull-down menu, where you can find WiFi, Settings, Flashlight etc.
