The Microsoft Lumia 950 XL is one of the first two devices to feature Windows 10 Mobile OS. It boasts of a 5.7-inch full HD screen that is protected by a Corning Gorilla Glass 4. The screen also comes with Nokia’s very own clear black technology that drastically improves viewing in bright sunlight.
The device comes with a plastic body, which is bit of a letdown at this price. An offbeat detail about the design is the placement of buttons. The power, camera shutter, and volume rocker buttons, all are located on the right side of the phone, instead of being placed on either sides in some manner.
This takes a little getting used to, but given some time, feels rather comfortable. The speakers are located on the back, right next to the 20-megapixel shooter packed with the revolutionary Pureview technology. The 3mm headphone jack is located on the top, while the charging cum USB port lies at the bottom of the device.
The phone is quite handy, but a little more exciting design was expected at this price range. This flagship device is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset along with an Adreno 430 GPU. The device boasts 3 GB of RAM and is able to handle multi-tasking and heavy gaming with relative ease.
This dual-sim device supports 4G for both sim slots, and also comes with dual-band Wi-Fi b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.1, USB OTG, NFC, Qi wireless charging, FM radio, GPS, A-BeiDou and GLONASS. The device does heat up at certain times, but quickly cools down due to the liquid cooling technology present.
It comes with a 3340 mAh battery which enables the phone to go on for about 12 hours without charging. The picture quality is as amazing as one can expect from a flagship windows phone. The rear 20 megapixel pure view shooter comes with a triple LED flash, and is capable of recording 4K videos.
The front camera is a 5 MP shooter that supports wide angle view and is capable of recording 1080p videos. The rear camera comes with Zeiss optics, a 1/2.4 inch sensor that supports image stabilization, and has an f/1.9 aperture. The rich capture mode is also a nice feature to click crisp images in low-lighting.
However, this doesn’t work really well with moving objects, as the pictures clicked are blurry. Overall, the front shooter is great for selfies and the rear one is an absolute stunner and captures wonderful images. A very special thing about the Lumia 950 XL is that it carries the Windows 10 Mobile OS.
The interface is not really different compared to Windows 8/8.1 phones. Microsoft’s personal assistant, Cortana, adds quite some usability to the latest windows 10 mobile OS. Instead of a fingerprint sensor, the Lumia 950 XL comes with Microsoft Hello, an iris recognition feature that adds security to the device.
Microsoft Hello works quite well in all lightings. Windows 10 mobile’s anticipated feature, continuum, also works with this device, and enables one to connect the phone to a bigger screen. The functionality of continuum is fine, but it costs some extra bucks to buy Microsoft’s Display Dock for the function to work.
Although better than before, the Windows app store still lags behind in comparison to Google Play Store. The Lumia 950 XL delivers on all its promises and is an excellent flagship device. However, it is a bit pricey compared to its competitors.
Price: AED 1900.
