If you long to compare their smartphones with the public sector on Android and sentence “but they are not slow on cheap hardware” — it will take quite some time before the flagship for the budding operating system will become unclaimed. So it was with smartphones Nokia Symbian in an era when Android was exotic and devoured an obscene amount of resources — so is the case with modern Windows Phone devices that keep proud 3% market share and become the option for those who need “anything but fucking braking the Game”.
Last year’s Nokia Lumia 930 was supposed to rectify the situation, but ended up in a vicious circle: fans of vindobona “and old good”, and followers of iPhone and Android lacks convincing “chips” model, which generally would cost to change habits.
But the new 950 series already allows Microsoft engineers not to justify ridiculous phrase “don’t compare our unique smartphone with these your androids”, because even by the very characteristics of new items look competitive. And, at once, “square-window” system is a parasite on the reputation of desktop Windows — it is, conversely, turned past Windows Phone in preseau of all computer systems in the phones, and enough twists, which neither the iPhone nor the Galaxy best.
On the other hand is innovation for innovation in the new cellphone and so are ongoing (can be called something special in smartphones 2014-2015 year, what you’re lacking in the previous models?). So the bells and whistles in the new Lumia should be useful in practice, otherwise the smartphone will “drown” in the market even more faster than its competitors on iOS and Android.
Unlike our sweet colleagues who “drifted” from where it should, and those who criticize Microsoft-Nokia because of resentment of the king of Peas, we have a chance to make an unbiased review. In General, you are welcome.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL
Features
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL
Operating system
Windows 10 Mobile
Screen
5.7 inch, 2560×1440, AMOLED, 518 ppi
Processor
Qualcomm MSM8994 Snapdragon 810 2 GHz (8 cores, 4x Cortex-A53 + Cortex-A57)
Graphics
Adreno 430
Operational memory
3 GB
Constant memory
32 GB, Micro SD slot
Link
4G (LTE Cat.6) , 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 (IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, GLONASS, NFC
Camera
20 MP main with autofocus, 3840×2160 video, front — 5 MP
Battery
removable 3300 mAh
Sizes
151,9×78,4×8,1 mm
Weight
165 g
The price at the time of publication
45 000 rubles
Price according to price.EN
Design and management
Plastic plastic strife — if “on paper” materials flagship Lumia still cause misunderstanding (like, not even a taste of metal in expensive model), the live panel from Matt polycarbonate look fit. In the black version of the smartphone looks stressed businesslike, like a brutal man in an expensive suit.
Rear panel Microsoft Lumia 950 XL
But to make a body without flaws, Microsoft could not — less than two weeks, as a removable lid began to creak on any occasion, like a chair in the auditorium. Here really it was impossible to catch such defects at the stage of prototypes, the “leaks” which fellow engineers Microsoft teased the news divisions of the media? Would in such case be included in the package branded tissue paper? Going to enclose under cover of the smartphone cost 50 thousand rubles, as manual sound insulation. And no need to tell tales about the fact that in smartphones with removable back cover creaks became the norm — from ASUS ZenFone 2, which is half the price of extraneous sounds will not squeeze out at all desire.
Again crunching the latest vendion, and spoils, in General, excellent body
The top face of the Microsoft Lumia 950 XL
Lower the line Microsoft Lumia 950 XL
The right side of the Microsoft Lumia 950 XL
The same mistakes unfortunate, because for all other parameters of the body well, very nice: compact (smaller in all directions than Samsung Galaxy Note 4), angular, with a beautifully inscribed in the body of the camera (and not anyhow, as 7 in the Huawei Honor or Samsung Galaxy S6), and it is beautiful and practical. As for removable battery, two slots for separate SIM and Micro SD that impudent manufacturers-competitors have forgotten how to even install in Lopatina.
Front panel Microsoft Lumia 950 XL. Hole soft keys — located crudely microphone
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL with the cover removed
Big the power button and a tiny volume controls on each side — the layout is strange, but you get used quickly. Dedicated camera button is very convenient, but generally in the design of the Lumia 950 XL confused by that clumsy hole on the front panel. For the good of NR and kachestvennoi camera recording Microsoft shoved in your cool smartphone with four microphones, one of which was located in the front and it looks like the smartphone was tortured with a nail.
Windows Hello, that is, authorization from the retina of the eye — feature fun and stable (does not fail even in a Blizzard and in pitch darkness), but to unlock it always takes about 3 seconds, so that new fingerprint scanners work faster.
Hello Windows reads the information about the retina of the eye
The screen and sound
AMOLED displays taking over the world. Because cheap (Samsung and LG got the hand in production), economically (the color black does not consume energy), and customers like (loud oversaturated colors). Lamentations geeks about low definition in comparison with IPS and implausible the picture of very few people care about. However, in new Samsung, and in our current Lumia color can be customized to your taste.
Even with the damned Pentile, image sharpness the new flagship, Microsoft — the tiles and the font on them look great, without fault of spetspribor simply not what. Brightness, of course, could be abruptly and peak (300 CD/m is good, but Samsung Galaxy Note 5 gives the picture brighter 30%), although to grumble on this occasion will be the only fans to keep the display the limit.
Luxurious AMOLED-matrix is ideal for contrasting design Windows. Flagship Samsung it is slightly higher quality, but the difference is small
On part sound absolutely ordinary phone — the HTC One M9 and Sony Xperia Z5 sound about the same, and the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ and Meizu MX5 give better sound quality. By the standards of non-audiophile smartphone Lumia 950 XL no different from the flagships of 2015, either for better or for worse.
Iron
Microsoft would not be itself, if it created a smartphone with the latest hardware, so while manufacturers are preparing new models running the Snapdragon 820, redmonds release flagships at 810 series California chipmaker.
But the family feature scandalous osmeteria the company successfully overcame. The smartphone was initially designed to work with obscenely hot processor. Microsoft mentions water cooling, and graphite tube and frame made of magnesium alloy, complete set in order to dissipate heat and avoid drops in performance.
We have, incidentally, is cross-platform measurements in the benchmarks, therefore, to evaluate the potential of the platform in comparison with the androidofony you can’t throw on the basis of reasoning (“I think, no brakes”), and on the basis of dry figures.
Overall system performance (the test of Basemark OS II)
The new Snapdragon 810 Lumia speed records beats, but it works consistently
Gaming performance (the test of Basemark OS II)
Itself Windows 10 Mobile in smartphone, to be honest, not perfectly optimized. On the one hand, move through menus and running programs (3 GB of RAM, you can open a lot), and realize — nothing is as quick running Windows mobile was not.
On the other — smartphone manages to “give the pretzel” and to slow down in the most unexpected places. For example, when you try to adjust the brightness level of the display in the settings interface works smoothly. Company tradition for Microsoft “if all is well, but in some places bad in General works out fine” has passed and the latest smartphones.
Software
In the software component of the new Lumia is all of the “Makoto”. Itself Windows 10 Mobile looks revolutionary about the predecessor changes had accumulated about the same as in Android 6.0 compared to Android 4.4. Improved security and now the software is started in a random location in memory. Owners androidofony the disadvantage of the system used when the bypass button to go to the games, but, honestly, this hole in security of IOS brings nothing good.
Windows 10 Mobile not Lumia allows the owner to climb in the “hard places” of the system, but all the attributes of a modern smartphone already have
Interface operating system Windows 10 Mobile
Skype is now integrated into Windows mobile on a par with conventional GSM dialer and SMS, synchronization applies to computers, cell phones, tablets, and even Xbox, OneDrive cloud screw it to the file system flawlessly — if there is a 4G or fast Wi-Fi disappears very meaning to store something locally.
And the Microsoft engineers have implemented in the now fashionable system of restriction of access rights for applications and the opportunity to record conversations (very useful feature that many androidofony don’t get even as root). The other improvement is hidden “under the hood”, but they turn the system into a full-fledged Windows 10 for phones, and not just a service pack for Windows Phone 8.1.
Continuum Windows, or the computer from the phone
Lumia 950 XL replace the system unit with the help of just one accessory. The phone must be connected to a special docking station (Dock Display), from this very Dock to plug the HDMI/Displayport cable to the monitor or TV, then add keyboard and mouse to taste. Although you can do without manipulators and control computer functions with the touch screen Lumia.
The connectors in the Dock Display Microsoft more than many of noutbukov
Microsoft Display Dock
At first you catch yourself thinking that this is carefully ported to phones desktop Windows 10, although it is not so. Actually Microsoft has abandoned the idea of crossing rectilinear smartphones and computers, so instead of the usual “naselnikam” programs will be limited for General smartphones, tablets and computers the app store.
Adapted to “big screen” of the software so far, very few outside of Microsoft Office and other “courtiers” tools, universal apps in the store are rare. With instant messengers (Whatsapp, Viber, etc.) matter, and with the games, things are also not the best way.
On support keyboard or mouse to play the dream is not necessary (however, do not vouch for the GTA series — Rockstar makes quality ports), but it is compatible with desktop variation of Windows toys cat laugh. Most of the games from the app store either do not work at all, or only support touch control.
But this is a software problem, because for adaptation of software for a new regime takes time. But from a hardware point of view everything is well organized now: external dock connectors stuffed worse than any other laptop, any hard drives, and the keyboard-mouse are picked up without problems, and the smartphone is in use Continuum replenishes the battery in the quick charge mode.
In Continuum mode the Lumia may be the same phone, and desktop computer
Branded apps the convenience of integration. Open multiple sites in a browser Edge plug-in smartphone dock and all the tabs when starting the browser open in the same order as they were on my phone, but now with computer controls. Similarly seamless saved Office documents in the cloud — you can write or reproduce it on any other computer with installed OneDrive. The smartphone operates independently of the shell on the big screen — with it you can call and chat as if nothing had happened.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL now perfectly replaces a computer for school or work with the Internet/Word/Excel/Powerpoint
But, after all, to pay 6 thousand for a “computer for school and work” (and it is many cost Microsoft Display Dock) would be appropriate only if the buyer Lumia 950 XL furiously working in Microsoft Office and draws from the Internet related information every single day. Because the beautiful integration with the smartphone looks not so cool when on Aliexpress selling pocket HDMI computers based on the Intel Atom in the comparable 5000-5500 rubles. With full Windows, which, by the way, can and full Photoshop use, and in Counter-Strike NFS Underground to play.
And don’t even get to nod to the fact that de is much more powerful Lumia Chinese neocomputer. In many scenarios, the difference with the “halved” between a phone and a docking station resources Snapdragon 820 negates the advantage of the powerful CPU.
But if the idea will bring to mind, will set the hands of the application developers (universal software written), agree with the game developers (who for the sake of just appeared two smartphones still bother with porting their masterpieces) and surprise is really a breakthrough software (Office is beautiful, but it has already had almost all platforms) — then the conversation will be different.
Camera
Part of the flagship Lumia cameras equipped with terrible rear was responsible for shooting 20-megapixel sensor with a Carl Zeiss lens and optical image stabilization. The flash is equipped with three LEDs — with them reduces the likelihood that the person in the photo will be yellow or blue. Front camera with a resolution of 5 megapixels has finally become worthy of the selfie-era and not like in previous Lumia generations.
Example photos taken with the front camera of Microsoft Lumia 950 XL
But the main thing that glass runs a very efficient software called Pureview algorithms in Lumia 950 XL beautifully balanced, “professional” mode allows you to edit on the go the ISO value, shutter speed, exposure and white balance, and there are some handy features for those who are used to shoot a lot, and then determine the best shot. It is much better than another “special room HDR super night mode”, which are full of the flagships of competitors.
Quality cameras and the convenience of managing Lumia 950 XL — one of the best smartphones of today
This is such a peculiar treatment of the usual types of shooting by Microsoft. First, HDR here for some reason called “the best shot”. In addition to the automatic bonding of multiple images, the smartphone in this mode allows you to define the final shot (of light and dark, made “at one go”) on their own. If Lumia 950 XL is detected in the process of shooting photos just in case it takes a clip (like those that the new iPhone). Seems far-fetched feature, but there are cases when you urgently need to rent something hilarious, and I don’t even know a photo or video would be appropriate in this case.
Example photos taken with rear camera Microsoft Lumia 950 XL
Secondly, the optical stabilization is working here illegally and when he wants – or is automatically enabled, or disabled in preferences entirely. A kind of care for users.
But automatics work in Lumia 950 XL inspiring — the photos are so high quality, as in other fotoflagmanami 2015. I especially want to acknowledge the work of phase AF, which fiercely fights for clarity in night videos. Most cool smartphone in the dark in need of “notations” and manual focus is adjusted, but the Lumia it looks self-contained.
Autonomy and heating
Frankly, we were preparing for the worst opinions about the level of autonomy of the flagship Lumia optimism did not inspire. In fact, the battery life of flagship Microsoft was very close to the results of comparable diagonal display and advanced Galaxy Note 5/S6 edge+. However, unlike Samsung, Lumia is equipped with two SIM slots, and one or more radio module power consumption with two SIM-cards will be much higher.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL
Use (brightness 200 CD/m2)
The duration of the work
Video from a memory card
13 hours 30 minutes
Game
4 hours 15 minutes
Reading
7 hours
The power saving mode is present, albeit simple: “cut background data applications, if the smartphone runs out of power to n%”. Microsoft officials in a conversation on this topic dismiss and condemn “the main thing — fast charging. Our smartphone is charged up to 50% in half an hour!”. And it’s true: with a standard charger (5V, 3A) smartphone gaining charge amazingly fast.
It is a pity that the smartphone is constantly heated, not even in the back cover (where the loss of heat prevents the battery and SIM slots, and in the upper part of the front panel) — temperature tempered glass near the volume buttons in a banal Asphalt 8 reaches 50 degrees Celsius! However, no symptoms of throttling (overheating and jerks) was in games of all varieties. And yet, the smartphone is too hot to work.
Competitors
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL
Samsung Galaxy Note 5
Acer Liquid Jade Primo
Operating system
Windows 10 Mobile
Android 5.1 Lollipop
Windows 10 Mobile
Screen
5.7 inch, 2560×1440, AMOLED, 518 ppi
5.7 inch, 2560×1440, IPS screen, ppi 515
5.5-inch, 1920×1080 AMOLED, 401 ppi
Processor
Qualcomm MSM8994 Snapdragon 810 2 GHz (8 cores, 4x Cortex-A53 + 4x Cortex-A57)
Exynos 7420 2.1 GHz (8 cores, 4x Cortex-A53 + 4x Cortex-A57)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 MSM8992 1.8 GHz (6 cores, 4x Cortex-A53 + 2x Cortex-A57
Graphics
Adreno 430
The Mali-T760 MP8
Adreno 418
Operational memory
3 GB
4 GB
3 GB
Permanent memory
32 GB, Micro SD slot
64 GB
32 GB, Micro SD slot
Link
4G (LTE Cat.6) , 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 (IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, GLONASS, NFC
4G (LTE Cat.9), 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 (IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, GLONASS
4G (LTE Cat.6) , 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 (IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, GLONASS
Camera
20 MP main with autofocus, 3840×2160 video, front — 5 MP
16 MP main with autofocus, 3840×2160 video, front — 5 MP
21 MP main with autofocus, video 3840×2160, front 8 MP
Battery
removable 3300 mAh
non-removable, 3000 mAh
non-removable, 3000 mAh
Sizes
151,9×78,4×8,1 mm
153x76x7,6 mm
n/a
Weight
165 g
171 g
n/a
The price at the time of publication
50 000 rubles
60 000 rubles
~ 42 000 rubles
Price according to price.EN
Call for price:Samsung Galaxy Note 528011
Call for price:Acer Liquid Jade Primo28011
Conclusions
Meet some time with a girl — and the head from such a companion is spinning. And then for a pint of tea in a circle of friends you learn some of the ins and outs of the ladylove, it is unclear why start looking at the disadvantages, and find disappointed.
Geeks-the maximalists and the flagship windpony — not a couple, verily I say unto you. Go with test Lumia 950 XL, and less advanced in technology friends say: “the camera is controlled cool!”, “photos and video edit more comfortable than the androids, and that, by morning your red eyes also learns when you unlock?”, “Windows 10? From a cell phone?!” and feel whether the guide in the apartment after super repair, if the owner of a racing car on public roads.
And then, guys, there is a catharsis — creaky body in a new smartphone on your nerves (like rattling on the go an expensive car), Continuum is interesting in itself, but yet thin, and the mobile iron in the desktop task doesn’t seem as steep as in smartphone. In addition, you will have to shy away from categories of citizens “do not be a shame, I took this money” and “I’m on my Zopo desacuerdos for n-thousand can even crack the Wi-Fi and your Windows can not do that!”.
What we get in balance? Beautiful smartphone with very high quality display, excellent camera, makings “of a computer for study/work”, original (Android and iOS horror as boring) and practical operating system, the ordinary sound quality and the average autonomy. In addition, if before expensive vindobona were bought or adventurers on the start menu, or the Mavericks/lovers of the brand of Nokia, today, software platform does not look uninhabited — with so many apps (and official too) it is already possible to live. And the smartphone has its own unique flavor with a great future — it will not stick to screens and iPhones to redraw, so innovation is not at the expense of the standard functionality of the smartphone we Lumia 950 XL awarded by the award “innovation”.
Nokia Lumia 950 XL
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
+ Clear display with manual adjustment
— The creaks of the hull at an early stage of operation
+ High quality front and rear cameras
— Significant heating of the front part in the games
+ Useful in the mode Continuum
— Too few universal apps (in the “desktop” almost nothing to do)
+ Practical design (removable battery, two slots for SIM and Micro SD)