Lumia 950 is a new product, announced in October 2015, the flagship smartphone from Microsoft, originally designed to work with Windows 10. In addition to its impressive features, the company has prepared surprises that amaze even sophisticated users. In Russia, sales started at the end of November, but so far the smartphone is available only on pre-order. Its cost is 45 thousand rubles. What can the Lumia 950 boast ? The review will tell in detail about the characteristics and capabilities of the smartphone.
Appearance
The design of the Lumia 950 is not much different from the modern expensive models running on Android. It does not pretend to be the thinnest and lightest smartphone, but despite its large size (14.5x7.3x0.8 cm and weight 150 g) it fits comfortably in your hand.
The case is made of durable one-piece plastic, which overlaps the screen with Gorilla Glass version 3. For this model, the company abandoned bright acid colors and settled on classic and austere versions: black and white.
The back cover can be easily removed, giving access to a microSD card and nano SIM card located under the battery.
The location of the physical buttons has remained unchanged since the release of smartphones under the name Nokia - all of them are on the right side: first the volume button, below it - on / unlock, closer to the bottom of the case - the camera button.
"Stuffing" Lumia 950
The characteristics of the smartphone confirm its right to the title of “flagship”. The six-core Snapdragon 808 processor with an integrated Adreno 418 graphics card runs at 1.82 GHz. RAM as much as 3 GB.
But here lies a significant drawback: the smartphone heats up noticeably after half an hour of active use.
The smartphone has 32 GB of internal memory, at the moment it can be increased with memory cards up to 200 GB.
The model has a 3000 mAh battery, which is more than enough if we compare the performance of the closest competitors. But Windows 10 is not as debugged as the "eight", because with the active use of the battery is barely enough for 1 day.
But there is good news: the new USB-C charging cable charges the battery from 0 to 100% in just an hour and a half.
The smartphone has two excellent cameras - the main 20 megapixels with a triple LED flash and a front 5 MP, which can easily replace many digital cameras.
Display
Of course, this is a matter of pride for the Lumia 950. A 5.2-inch AMOLED display with an aspect ratio of 16: 9 and a resolution of 2560 by 1440 pixels is better than even the iPhone 6S or iPhone 6S Plus. The brightness and color saturation allow you to work with your smartphone even in bright sunlight.
The model supports “one-handed” mode - the area of the active screen is reduced to such a size that all functions are easily accessible with one hand.
Interface
Windows 10 Mobile with its tiled design shows itself in all its glory on the large and bright Lumia 950 display. The flawless operation of the hardware components allows the smartphone to work quickly and without freezing.
Tiles can be installed in 3 sizes, and they are beautifully and orderly folded into one common start screen.
A significant drawback is the limited number of applications for a relatively new OS. The work of the cards is also inferior to peers from iOS and even the original Nokia Maps.
At the moment, Lumia 950 reviews of real buyers are not available, since the smartphone went on sale only at the end of November, and in some countries it will have to wait until mid-December (exact dates vary depending on the specific state).
In addition to the advantages and disadvantages of the smartphone mentioned above, experts who were provided with a model for beta testing noted the following disadvantages:
The processor power and screen size do not take away the importance of its main function - making calls. And here, just the manufacturer was deficient: the sound quality from the interlocutor is mediocre, with a noticeable echo. But the microphone works flawlessly.
The camera application, Microsoft Camera, which replaced Lumia Camera 5.0, is still pretty damp, it lacks many useful features that have long been present in Nokia software.
Step into the Future
Lumia 950 “knows how” to scan the retina (the function is called Windows Hello) to unlock the smartphone. But so far this option has a significant drawback - the procedure takes some time. The fingerprint scanner on models of the same class works much faster, but, in truth, it does not have such an impressive effect as a retina scanner.
A Continuum mode allows you to use your smartphone as a personal computer. Using the Display Dock special accessory, which looks like a regular USB hub, you can connect an external monitor, a TV with an HDMI port, a mouse and keyboard to the Lumia 950 (it is also necessary to connect USB-C in order to provide power to the device itself) . Thus, by running Word or Excel on a smartphone, you can conveniently work with a document on a large screen.
Of course, the technology has flaws - for example, it is difficult to connect a wireless mouse and keyboard using Bluetooth, the smartphone does not charge in the process, since all the energy goes to the power of Display Dock and others.
But in any case, this is an interesting addition for active people who often have to solve work tasks on the go.
The difference between Lumia 950 and 950XL smartphones
Two new letters in the model name hide not just small differences in characteristics or additional network connectivity options. Lumia 950XL is no longer a smartphone, but rather a phablet (a device that combines a smartphone and a tablet). It has a 5.7-inch OLED display, as well as a more powerful processor - the eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810. The overheating problem, noticeable on the 950 model, was eliminated by the liquid cooling system. The price for the phablet is about 50 thousand rubles.
Summary
Lumia 950 is an innovative model that pushes us to blur the line between a smartphone and a full-fledged computer. However, the difference between them is still far from the final disappearance. The ardent fans of Microsoft smartphones will be delighted, and it will be difficult for users who are less familiar with them to deal with software flaws that are present. The number of Windows 10 users will still be small for some time, so in case of difficulties and questions, Google and even specialized forums are unlikely to help you. But if you are ready for potential difficulties for the sake of the opportunity to personally touch the progress - go for it.