+Panzer_Z I love both OSes and I really want MS to succeed too. I like Android for it's flexibility and customization but I like Windows for it's design.
I'm getting tired of Android. MS needs check their pride and appease Google to get their apps on W10. Nadella seems to be open minded about that kind of stuff.
They can't. Google fears another competitor in the market. The only way is to get enough users so that Google has no choice or to straight up steal it. Or Google has to have a change of heart for some reason.
+Pocketnow Do a camera review with the Nexus 6P :) I would like to see the differences of both of them...good and bad. The Pure Android of the Nexus and the Microsoft cameras. If you don't mind. Thanks :)
+Pocketnow Whenever I see a Michael Fisher review longer than 8 minutes, I pause the video, make myself a coffee and play the video and enjoy. Others at Pocketnow are great also, but Michael's reviews and Jaime Rivera's Pocketnow Daily Recap are my favorite videos to watch. Btw Michael, awesome review as always, honest and to the point. However, judging by the words and the tone you used in this video and by knowing that you love Windows Phone (you still have the L1020, lol), I am 99,99% sure that you gonna buy either 950 or 950XL firstly out of curiosity to see where this will go and that on the back of your mind you already have planed an "After The Buzz" episode for this phone. :)
+Pocketnow no problem, thank you for going the extra miles to investigate the problems (unlike most quick-release reviews) and even ask for replacement unit(s), big two thumbs up for you guys.
+Pocketnow I have been using windows 10 mobile insider for months now on my lumia 620, far far less powerfull than 950, and I have none of the problems you mentioned in the review esp the notification shade and rebooting. I can say that from past three builds or so the notification shade works like a charm, and not a single reebooting. So may be its the hardware or the att specific model which is the culprit.
I've waited SO LONG for this review & once again you've done an excellent job Mr.Fisher! This was so thorough & objective! You touched on so many pros & cons that every other tech site glazed over or completely ignored. I can't stress enough how refreshing it is to get a review from someone who actually understands the platform. Thank you.
nothing special really, I could do basically the same thing with my 6 year old Sony xperia S which has a HDMI output, and add the accessories via Bluetooth. Microsoft is years behind everyone.
Trinajskaa Continuum is not about mirroring to a screen, I could do that with my Nokia 5800 XM as well... It's exciting because you can use the "PC" part separately from the phone one.
+TheRAINMan059 No it isn't. But thanks for watching! :) pocketnow.com/2013/07/27/nokia-lumia-1020-review-the-warthog-of-cameraphones pocketnow.com/2013/12/12/nokia-lumia-1520-review-big-buttery-badness pocketnow.com/2014/08/26/htc-one-m8-for-windows-review ^M
These reviews are absolutely incredible. I love the way the presenter speaks, how everything easily rolls from his mouth. No stuttering, no sentence fillers like "ummmm" and "errrrrrrrr". He speaks clearly and concise and with clarity. The camera work is spectacular, the video quality is outstanding on my Nexus 6P's 1440p screen. The sound editing is marvellous with excellent choices in background music and the transition between speaking and playing music. These videos are an absolute pleasure to watch. Good work!
Just bought a 950 after two years of my iPhone 4S. Absolutely no complaints, especially about the appgap. Such a unique and awesome phone. Glad I got this over the S7 or 6S
+Michael Boumann I think the real issues with windows mobile is it's lack of apps support and updates. I was once a user of Lumia 1520, felt in love with everything it has, unfortunately, the number of apps that windows mobile offered does not convince me to use it as my daily driver. Such as waste of great design and hardware
+Michael Boumann I have windows 10 lastest update installed on my lumia 640 and i haven't experienced most of the problems he is talking about either, it's still not perfect but its definetly not that bad (on my phone at least)
+Nuno Santos I do run into these problems on my Lumia 520 running build 10586.29. The problem was Microsoft should have waited till the January to smooth out all bugs and should have given more time in design. The phone looks like a beta device to be honest.
Still holding onto my Lumia 1520. Currently using an iPhone, but I have high hopes for Windows Phone to catch up and meet the app gap, and I'll return.
I watch your review videos because of the fabulous script and editing. Awesome again. I feel like I know everything I need to afterwards. Keep up the great work.
Could phones with rear speakers fuck off finally? Don't point your speaker away from the ear - it's so fucking basic! You'd think that after HTC, Sony and Google other manufacturers would especially get it... I guess not.
9:22 Man those reboots... The worst part my my 950 XL. I managed to significantly reduce their frequency by doing a factory reset and NOT restoring a backup, but they still happen now and then.
You all might pick up the 950/950XL but I just hope for all your sakes that the app gap starts to fade. I can't give up my iPhone 6S for (app issues,) not yet anyway. And if the apps get better can I really let Apple Pay/Touch ID/iTunes, Mute Switch, excellent battery life go? Because I'm a Windows Fan, I wouldn't get rid of my iPhone but I would certainly try the 950.
I have been a iPhone fanboy and came to like Android and today i use both side by side (still iPhone as main). I really want MS to succeed with their phone. Competition is great for consumers and i feel iPhones have been standing still in term of features for a while now. Same with Androids really. Also Androids phones are getting to similar to iPhones with their build in battery and no SD. This is why i got the LG G4 which i really like. I recently bought the 950 XL to chip in my support. I agree that the OS is not really ready and lacks refinement. But its a great phone that has potential. I truly hope MS invest more in the updates and bring up the OS fast. Also i wish the next version brings touchID, the iris scanner is just crap.
Jbizzle 1998 That's because you can't read probably . If You can't read the description and reviews of apps then you wouldn't find shit. Windows is good enough for Pocketnow writers to use it as their daily driver... So it's good for them but not you?...Get the fuck out of here!!!
I never wrote anything here but Michael, your reviews are always EXTREMELY well done! You play with the words, background music and scenery aswell as lighting. Never quit your job okay? :)
I've been using Windows Phone since 2013,after the google catastrophe that pulled their apps from the platform,i started with a Lumia 521,it was a hell of a good phone for its price,build quality and performance, it was unparalleled for a dual core 512mb ram phone. I'll even go as far as to say it was smoking iPhone in that department with win8/8.1 . I worked my way up to a 640XL and it's not a bad phone with win10. Just needs optimized ,It was around the time of the win10 announcement that these things started dying. And Snapchat promised an app for the platform which would have topped it off for the platform. (for as sad as that is) it ended up never happening,the app gap is not as bad as it is made out to be,unless you count clones of first party apps. My final opinion on it is that there needs to be a third platform in the picture,I'm frankly tired of the same old two platforms. Windows Phone can definitely make it in the market. But it's going to take dedication and time from consumers. And until they work the bugs out.
Perhaps one of the most, if not the most objective review on CZcams at the moment. Absolutely thorough and unbiased. Hats down to Michael for such a true to heart review. However, I just feel that Windows has potentials but fails to deliver. I went from the Lumia 1520 to an iPhone 6s+ 2 weeks ago and I have never looked back. The app ecosystem and fluidity of iOS are simply too awesome to pass up. Windows could learn a thing or two from Apple in terms of refining their user experience.
I can't be the only one who was a little caught off guard by Mr. Mobile doing this review. But also, at the same time, I'm not surprised that he reviewed this.
I was planning to own a 950xl an hand over my 1520 to my brother! Also was dissapointed for absence of Win10 update. Thanks to your review, I'm keepin' my phone and won't upgrade forever :)
I seriously windows with a passion, I don't consider myself a MS fanboy as I currently have an iPhone and an android tablet etc, but it's just so unique from all other OS on both PC and mobile phones. The customization is dope and I truly feel they could do sooo much to it if they buckled down and pushed good updates.
continuum and this phone are very promising. Universal apps seems a legit reason to start coding windows apps, I'll give it a shot for my next program. Hope I won't miss WPF.
Developers are not interested in Windows mobile OS as much they are in Android and iOS. Windows needs more apps in the app store,and a more refined version of Windows 10.
+Soumyobrata Sen Windows 10 eliminates the mobile/desktop distinction. Microsoft's desktop position will be leveraged to drive developers to the rapidly growing Windows 10 user platform. Microsoft advertises 110 million users in 6 months which accounts for approximately 9% desktop market share. Windows 7 still has some 56% market share, which is a free upgrade to Windows 10. The app gap that will result will be apps that are not universal across all devices. Apple and Android are highly aware of this and are looking to make their platforms universal across all devices just like Microsoft has done with the Windows 10 OS. The transition for Apple looks much easier than it does for Android as their ecosystem is weak outside of mobile.
+FormulaWill I'm saying that Windows 10 needs to be polished and windows mobile needs way more dev support to stand up to Android and iOS. Windows doesn' even have an CZcams app.
+Soumyobrata Sen Project Islandwood is the next hope for Windows Mobile. It's actually gotten good feedback from developers in the iOS community. Windows 10 is definitely going to get more refined as updates get pushed.
A good and fair review. The 950 (XL) is not a beta device but sometimes it feels like a beta device, because of the software bugs. But I can remember my old 920 had some of the problems (like the randomly restarting) too. And when the time past by I got updates and my Lumia 920 runs rock solid. Used it three years and I'm still loving this device. With my new Lumia 950 XL I expire now the same problems like on the 920 at the beginning, maybe in few updates this will be a thing of the past.
Michael, thank you for not holding back on this review. My first smartphone was a Samsung Focus that was left on 7.5 followed by a 920 and 1020 (now on 10 through Insider) while my mother uses a 640 now (an upgrade from her 520 from last year), and I want is for this platform to be worth something again (if there ever was a time where it was). I miss the days of their top-notch email integration tattered now by that awful Outlook app, the People Hub was brilliant back with social media integration as it kept you from needing the lackluster apps in full, and the make-it-how-you-want-it camera experience is still something I miss. Please continue to cut Microsoft no slack on this matter as they have had a dirty year thanks to that Nokia buyout and all those layoffs due in large part to the Trojan horse Elop returning home to Redmond, and hey, maybe the 950 XL will be better. Might you try an unbranded/unlocked one?
If I would buy a windows phone it is gonna be the 950XL for the higher specs.Every windows user understands that if you want a smooth and well working windows on the long run, to use it in the next 2 years for example, you need high configurations, this is applied on both PC and phones.After using IOS and Android for about 7 years now, I have to admit, windows 10 as a software looks cooler, more modern and futuristic.if MS can focus more on the apps store and encourage more developers to put their apps in it, I think windows 10 will have a significant change in the users perspectives, I mean, nothing better than having the same OS on your phone, tablet and laptop, right?
What a review! However, if app gap is the only reason why you do not recommend this device to "others", you should reconsider your opinion. Because in many countries like India, app gap is not that wide. All the major banks, online shopping sites, railways, network providers and many others have fully functional apps on Windows phone and PC.
Picked one of these up on Tuesday to try as its been a while and I have to say I haven't had one reboot or any problems with shooting in 4k. I've filled a 64gb card with 4k stuff. I do like the camera and I prefer it to the one on the S6 edge I have.The lack of apps isn't the problem for me its the quality of them.
In the UK, you can get this phone from Microsoft directly for just £249 (about $305) with a free display dock which suddenly makes this phone one of the best deals available. The equivalent iPhone costs almost 3 times as much direct from Apple.
I must say I was a long time android fan but when I tried Lumia 735 for the first time I simply fell in love in Win 8.1. I am just a bit disappointed now when I see Lumia 950 isn't the phone I would purchase just yet. Hopefully they will fix these issues that I also think are essential.
I've been a devoted Windows Phone user since the very beginning, been using it for close to 6 years now and I was hoping to renew my mobile plan to get a newer Windows Phone, then i found out that Microsoft CEO cancelled production on all future Windows Phone and is laying off people that worked on them and is currently focusing on developing the Surface Phone. I really hope the Surface Phone's worth all the hassle and lives up to the standard.
Branding is huge and the Surface brand is Microsoft's current jewel. "Windows Phone" and "Lumia" and the myriad of numbers differentiating them (650, 950, etc) didn't click with consumers and represents the failed past. That's the bitter truth of it. As a Surface owner (the original Surface and the Surface 3), I'm kind of excited.
Branding is huge and the Surface brand is Microsoft's current jewel. "Windows Phone" and "Lumia" and the myriad of numbers differentiating them (650, 950, etc) didn't click with consumers and represents the failed past. That's the bitter truth of it. As a Surface owner (the original Surface and the Surface 3), I'm kind of excited.
+bizmonkey007 same here, i'm really excited for the release of the surface phone. After seeing the rumoured spec sheet that the surface phone has it seems Microsoft is finally going high end. Though the aesthetics looks kind of dull, i'm still excited nonetheless
This review is spot on. Positives and negatives of the phone and the OS explained clearly. I love the Windows Phone but I also accept the shortcomings.
I simply wasn't expecting nothing less from you, and you delivered it! Outstanding review! Congrats! Although you should have mentioned the one-handed mode. I know it's a very bad solution for hamburger menus, but... And the 1.7% market share is the quarterly. The anual is probably a little better. But yeah, it's very sad that the OS didn't succeed. For me, simply the most unique OS!
Nice job on the review. ..was waiting to hear this one. As a three year 920 user, I'm glad to finally see a flagship,. but I'll wait a while for the price to drop as at this point it doesn't seem worth the $600 their asking.
Wow. Great review Michael! (Y) Presenting the pros and the cons With class and without whining. One quick thing though, I have had no problems recording in 4k like you, or the reboot issue.. But then again, I have the XL Version :) But great review! I agree on the hamburgers not the best Choice, but they're growing on me after usage...
You might want to wait for the insider update which is supposedly coming next week. I'm using the 1520 running Insider slow and to my surprise hiccups are really rare. The only time it crashed was when I have 14 tabs in M$ edge. The only thing I hate about windows 10 is that Hamburger which is pretty hard to reach when you are using a 6" device, there is a one-handed mode but it's pretty cumbersome. Nice review as always, but I would love to see the USB otg featured, which supposedly works quite well with the new USB type C.
We really do hope they stick with one platform already. WP7 - Silverlight really slow and closed code that I'm glad they dumped, WP8.1 - APPX (C#, HTML5 etc.) much improved but still not as supported by devs, W10M - Universal apps, now this one is a boom at least from my perspective. They can run on any screen size, and they have tools by MS which makes it easier for devs to port their iOS or Android apps. Another thing is that the design guidelines are not as strict as they were before (hence the hamburger menus) and devs don't have to bother changing the design too much from their existing app. Overall Windows 10 FTW. Devs, get on board NOW! Up until now the platform was bad but this one is amazing.
i think the new software update solved lot of bugs and now windows 10 mobile is working great on my lumia 1020..i was in new york and purchased the surface pro 4 and totally lovin it...as i retured back home lumia 950 white arrived home...soo happy with my 2 new microsoft gadgets...mozo cover with red leather and gold rim is waiting shine on lumia 950...aka limited edition lumia 950
Too bad the Lumia 950 locks up when recording in 4K. While recording in 4K with my Sony Xperia Z3v, within seconds it turns into a very functional space heater and warns you it must shut down :-)
If you have a tablet with you, owning a Lumia device is really not bad at all. For the lack of needed apps, an old iPad mini, iPod or something could fill the gap. Great review as always BTW. Could the blurring issue on the camera be a software problem?
The app gap is one thing I hoped improved. The ONE thing that would make me switch. And after hearing about that Android partnership thing,I had so much hope. But honestly, I really like this phone. So I'll probably just get it and keep my current phone (M9) and use it to compensate for the app (even if its a bit of a hassle)
The thing that potentially concerns me is the battery connectors on the battery. It appears they are still using those god awful terrible spring connectors which were a terrible problem even going back several years. I know from experience. Out of 10 batteries on a lumia 520, only about three ended up working. They'd either short out or the connectors would defect.
BTW, there is many skype features that not many people know. there is also many phone featuers like set recoder to phone call that you have the option to record calls when phone ring. After that tag the recorded call. There is also Skype Video app to stream call on TV that support DLNA. WiFi Continuum on TV(if support) with just a phone. My Lumia 950 XL is fine with that. Using phone screen as mouse and keyboard...Also use voice recognition to replace typing(much faster). Chinese can be set as one of the langauge for recognition too. other language will depend...
I'm not completely sure if it's because of the sublime product release that Microsoft set up or perhaps I'm just curious, but I'm actually feeling the want to get a Lumia 950/950XL. That leather case on the 950 is heavenly, by the way.
This phone would be amazing if it has more apps to download like in android. Lacking apps limits its functionality. I mean it's fast it's tough, but limiting the apps really brings everything below, in smartphone competitions.
Ah Lumia 950, the best phone camera of the 2010s you can get for less than $600 at launch. I still have it and occasionally capture brilliant details with very low noise.
Good to know I switched to Android. W10 apparently still retains WP's bugs: getting images stuck in tiles (no solution), lack of apps, screen unresponsiveness, no updates for most programs. It's sad, I wish the lumia 1020 wasn't just a big camera.
There are a whole lot of non-power users who don't care at all about third party apps. They use the phone just as it comes out of the box. This is the perfect market for Microsoft to aim for, especially since they already have an advantage in ease of use over the more popular phone OSes.
Too little too late. As a HUGE fan of WP and a devotee from day one of WP7, moving to iPhone early 2015 was the best thing I did. I badly want WP to succeed, but three reinventions, developers pulling apps and market share shrinking, all due to MS's DISMAL marketing and support of their own amazing OS points nowhere but down. I played with a L950XL the other day, and it was gorgeous. But it left me sad. It was like walking past an old girlfriend I haven't seen in years. Agh, excruciating, MS. You've destroyed an amazing opportunity.
android fan now using lumia 950. For my usage it's fantastic as I'm not a massive app downloader so works well for me. Everything seems more smoother the android and ios yes there are some bugs but in most cases works well. Camera is fantastic.
+Pocketnow Awesome review Michael. You still outline why I will not go to a windows device despite the attractiveness of the device and OS.. The App gap is what pulls me away every time I consider a windows phone.. Apps that haven't been updated in a year and still in a form of beta cannot give the average consumer certainty reassurance and peace of mind in the product that they are buying myself included. in today's society we rely on our apps from ios and Android and not to have them on windows is a very big reason why no one else wants to jump aboard. Conclusion... Close the app gap and there will be a force to reckon with in the windows system. Period.
Great review, have been windows fan for a while, but current state of windows 10 makes me hesitate between lumia 950xl and nexus 6p, but if I switch I hope I will be able to come back to windows in next year or so
The Lumia 950 is a great phone, I have one. I have the Lumia 950 XL, I would not trade it for any other phone. Great camera, quick speed, and beautiful display.
As a long time user of windows phone, 4 years and 3 phones, i had enough of windows system and moving to android because of 950. 950 might have the spec but i wish more on improvement of the system and more on the design. It was ok to make a normal simple design phone in the past but not for a flagship. I don't need my phone to be a computer when i got a laptop that can do that for me.
I think you hit the nail on the head with this one. I owned the phone for about 4 days and ended up resorting to activating my 2013 Moto X until I could return the Lumia. The start screen is gorgeous, and the look and feel is great, but the performance... So terribly, terribly buggy. Just couldn't stay with it.
One cause of phone restarts is being connected to an AC WiFi network. Pretty damn maddening. If you're on an older b/g/n WiFi network, you won't suffer from these restarts. A pretty big compromise.
Although I'm an Android guy, I so want Win 10 mobile to succeed. I see so much promise and innovation it hurts to see it still stumbling.
+Panzer_Z I love both OSes and I really want MS to succeed too. I like Android for it's flexibility and customization but I like Windows for it's design.
I'm getting tired of Android. MS needs check their pride and appease Google to get their apps on W10. Nadella seems to be open minded about that kind of stuff.
DrGanja99
Appease them how? Google always basically tells them, "go do it yourself so we can just take it down".
Mr. Mxyzptlk Exactly. MS NEEDS Google to succeed on mobile. They're going to have to find a way to get on Google's good side.
They can't. Google fears another competitor in the market. The only way is to get enough users so that Google has no choice or to straight up steal it. Or Google has to have a change of heart for some reason.
Sorry to keep you waiting, folks. The full review (over 4500 words!) is now live at Pocketnow. Enjoy: pocketnow.com/2015/12/04/lumia-950-review ^M
+Pocketnow The Surface phone that's coming late next year will be the phone to get, not this one.
+Pocketnow Do a camera review with the Nexus 6P :) I would like to see the differences of both of them...good and bad. The Pure Android of the Nexus and the Microsoft cameras. If you don't mind. Thanks :)
+Pocketnow Whenever I see a Michael Fisher review longer than 8 minutes, I pause the video, make myself a coffee and play the video and enjoy. Others at Pocketnow are great also, but Michael's reviews and Jaime Rivera's Pocketnow Daily Recap are my favorite videos to watch. Btw Michael, awesome review as always, honest and to the point. However, judging by the words and the tone you used in this video and by knowing that you love Windows Phone (you still have the L1020, lol), I am 99,99% sure that you gonna buy either 950 or 950XL firstly out of curiosity to see where this will go and that on the back of your mind you already have planed an "After The Buzz" episode for this phone. :)
+Pocketnow no problem, thank you for going the extra miles to investigate the problems (unlike most quick-release reviews) and even ask for replacement unit(s), big two thumbs up for you guys.
+Pocketnow I have been using windows 10 mobile insider for months now on my lumia 620, far far less powerfull than 950, and I have none of the problems you mentioned in the review esp the notification shade and rebooting. I can say that from past three builds or so the notification shade works like a charm, and not a single reebooting. So may be its the hardware or the att specific model which is the culprit.
That like button has to be clicked as soon as your hear Michael's voice.
you*
Either michael or jaime....
So true!!!
Mazeltov👌👌👍👏
I've waited SO LONG for this review & once again you've done an excellent job Mr.Fisher! This was so thorough & objective! You touched on so many pros & cons that every other tech site glazed over or completely ignored. I can't stress enough how refreshing it is to get a review from someone who actually understands the platform. Thank you.
+Yanano Bere Glad you enjoyed the review. Thanks for your patience, and your support! ^M
Pocketnow Always a pleasure.
+Yanano Bere sentiment shared (y)
It this was like 300$, I'd consider the jump from Marhsmallow to W10. But a plastic, back-speakered phone for 600$ ain't cutting it up for me.
I'm in the same boat but I do admit the features look pretty cool
600 bucks for a smartphone that restart on it's own... Sorry...
+Azarul Nazim Abdullah Yeah I've always hated that about Windows
Wait 6 months until 10.1. Better experience plus the phone will be cheaper.
+Azarul Nazim Abdullah It is not like other phone don't reboot on its own sometime.
This is by far the only Windows Phone to date that has caught my attention. The whole "continuum" thing has me super fascinated.
and it's(Continuum) only in "beta" stage or demo whichever. can't wait to see what it'll bring to the table later on.
nothing special really, I could do basically the same thing with my 6 year old Sony xperia S which has a HDMI output, and add the accessories via Bluetooth.
Microsoft is years behind everyone.
Trinajskaa Continuum is not about mirroring to a screen, I could do that with my Nokia 5800 XM as well... It's exciting because you can use the "PC" part separately from the phone one.
Alexandru Tuca you can't use it as a pc that's why it's not special,it just runs your mobile apps on a monitor.
***** yes I know,but that's not impressive at all, it's still basically screen mirroring with the addition of being able to use the phone separately.
I am very impressed, Pocketnow. This is one of your first WP reviews not intentionally meant to paint WP in a bad light.
+TheRAINMan059 No it isn't. But thanks for watching! :)
pocketnow.com/2013/07/27/nokia-lumia-1020-review-the-warthog-of-cameraphones
pocketnow.com/2013/12/12/nokia-lumia-1520-review-big-buttery-badness
pocketnow.com/2014/08/26/htc-one-m8-for-windows-review
^M
+Pocketnow Nailed it lol
These reviews are absolutely incredible. I love the way the presenter speaks, how everything easily rolls from his mouth. No stuttering, no sentence fillers like "ummmm" and "errrrrrrrr". He speaks clearly and concise and with clarity. The camera work is spectacular, the video quality is outstanding on my Nexus 6P's 1440p screen. The sound editing is marvellous with excellent choices in background music and the transition between speaking and playing music. These videos are an absolute pleasure to watch. Good work!
Just bought a 950 after two years of my iPhone 4S. Absolutely no complaints, especially about the appgap. Such a unique and awesome phone. Glad I got this over the S7 or 6S
Michael seems disappointed. Is he?
+ridzuan shah He seems excited for Windows 10 mobile's potential, but disappointed in it's current state and setbacks. Rightfully so.
+Michael Boumann I think the real issues with windows mobile is it's lack of apps support and updates. I was once a user of Lumia 1520, felt in love with everything it has, unfortunately, the number of apps that windows mobile offered does not convince me to use it as my daily driver. Such as waste of great design and hardware
+Michael Boumann I have windows 10 lastest update installed on my lumia 640 and i haven't experienced most of the problems he is talking about either, it's still not perfect but its definetly not that bad (on my phone at least)
+Nuno Santos I do run into these problems on my Lumia 520 running build 10586.29. The problem was Microsoft should have waited till the January to smooth out all bugs and should have given more time in design. The phone looks like a beta device to be honest.
Who wouldn't? Just look at all the bugs and app gap.
Still holding onto my Lumia 1520. Currently using an iPhone, but I have high hopes for Windows Phone to catch up and meet the app gap, and I'll return.
lumias have pretty good cameras tho
They do, but my Lumia 1520 is sitting there collecting dust.
+YOITSBENVO Same goes for me! I absolutely love the 1520's battery life & camera but the lack of apps is the reason why I still use a 5S.
I watch your review videos because of the fabulous script and editing. Awesome again. I feel like I know everything I need to afterwards. Keep up the great work.
Could phones with rear speakers fuck off finally? Don't point your speaker away from the ear - it's so fucking basic! You'd think that after HTC, Sony and Google other manufacturers would especially get it... I guess not.
Exactly, they don't even have to be amazing speakers but the placement on the front Is just a million times better than on the bottom
+Basil Walker True, I bet in 2 years apple will have front facing speakers and they'll call it "The first of its kind" and "Revolutionary"
eli heerter oh now but it'd spoil the 5yo identical design!
+eli heerter if apple did it, chances are other oems are going to follow along
Don't forget Motorola
need more developers to get apps
need more apps to get developers
that's messed up
Shadow Slayer That's one problem hard to decipher.
9:22 Man those reboots... The worst part my my 950 XL. I managed to significantly reduce their frequency by doing a factory reset and NOT restoring a backup, but they still happen now and then.
Am I the only one that hates the camera ring on the back? Makes the phone look so ugly!
same.. but with the case you'll hardly ever know it's there
It's beautiful!
Yeah, it makes the phone look extremely cheap.
+Christian Gabriel I'll take that over the Nexus 6P's visor any day
go for lumia950 xl... it's beautiful
Who owns a Windows phone? Must really be a hardcore fan
Alvin Capalad I own several. Several Windows
Mobile phones, too. Now I own a Windows 10 Mobile phone...
it has all I need tbh.. it's pretty cool.
I moved from iPhone 6 Plus to Lumia 950 XL, and I like it more.
+Alvin Capalad I have the HTC One M8 Windows version.. Its not so bad.
You all might pick up the 950/950XL but I just hope for all your sakes that the app gap starts to fade. I can't give up my iPhone 6S for (app issues,) not yet anyway. And if the apps get better can I really let Apple Pay/Touch ID/iTunes, Mute Switch, excellent battery life go?
Because I'm a Windows Fan, I wouldn't get rid of my iPhone but I would certainly try the 950.
I have been a iPhone fanboy and came to like Android and today i use both side by side (still iPhone as main).
I really want MS to succeed with their phone. Competition is great for consumers and i feel iPhones have been standing still in term of features for a while now. Same with Androids really. Also Androids phones are getting to similar to iPhones with their build in battery and no SD. This is why i got the LG G4 which i really like.
I recently bought the 950 XL to chip in my support. I agree that the OS is not really ready and lacks refinement. But its a great phone that has potential. I truly hope MS invest more in the updates and bring up the OS fast. Also i wish the next version brings touchID, the iris scanner is just crap.
Applications is the only thing people dont buu it. Apart from that its almost perfect.
परिक्षित पोखरेल I found all the apps I need.
+Muyanzi Reid I couldn't find shit
Jbizzle 1998 That's because you can't read probably . If You can't read the description and reviews of apps then you wouldn't find shit. Windows is good enough for Pocketnow writers to use it as their daily driver... So it's good for them but not you?...Get the fuck out of here!!!
***** You reply to me dumbasss, you get the fuck out of here.
+परिक्षित पोखरेल (Parish) perfect?? a phone that restarts, errors here and there, bugs, typical windows!!
I never wrote anything here but Michael, your reviews are always EXTREMELY well done!
You play with the words, background music and scenery aswell as lighting.
Never quit your job okay? :)
I've been using Windows Phone since 2013,after the google catastrophe that pulled their apps from the platform,i started with a Lumia 521,it was a hell of a good phone for its price,build quality and performance, it was unparalleled for a dual core 512mb ram phone. I'll even go as far as to say it was smoking iPhone in that department with win8/8.1 . I worked my way up to a 640XL and it's not a bad phone with win10. Just needs optimized ,It was around the time of the win10 announcement that these things started dying. And Snapchat promised an app for the platform which would have topped it off for the platform. (for as sad as that is) it ended up never happening,the app gap is not as bad as it is made out to be,unless you count clones of first party apps. My final opinion on it is that there needs to be a third platform in the picture,I'm frankly tired of the same old two platforms. Windows Phone can definitely make it in the market. But it's going to take dedication and time from consumers. And until they work the bugs out.
Once again great review Michelle. Did you try voice typing.....
+Saras babu Thanks! (Proper spelling is "Michael," BTW.) And yes, we tested voice dictation. It's ... really not great. ^M
+Pocketnow I love Micheal and jaime :)
+Pocketnow hey michelle you rock haha
+Pocketnow thanks Michael. :-) continue your good work
+Saras babu Michelle? Hahaha what an epic fail
Still can't believe that they took 2 years to deliver this...
+Moustafa Ahmed Yeah right, because you know, Nokia sold really well before MS took over. Ehm.. In the Symbian days.
Moustafa Ahmed true that, 930 is a beauty, so is 1020 and 830.
+Anurag Singh They need more than 2 years, looking at the outcome now still pretty buggy.
Why does everybody say 2 years without a flagship? For the majority of the world, the Lumia 930 launched in July 2014 :(.
That's 1.5 years.
I saw the video and was so happy to hear your voice. Glad you reviewed this one!
Perhaps one of the most, if not the most objective review on CZcams at the moment. Absolutely thorough and unbiased. Hats down to Michael for such a true to heart review. However, I just feel that Windows has potentials but fails to deliver. I went from the Lumia 1520 to an iPhone 6s+ 2 weeks ago and I have never looked back. The app ecosystem and fluidity of iOS are simply too awesome to pass up. Windows could learn a thing or two from Apple in terms of refining their user experience.
No matter what kind of phone this guy reviews, Michael's work is absolutely awesome!!
I can't be the only one who was a little caught off guard by Mr. Mobile doing this review. But also, at the same time, I'm not surprised that he reviewed this.
Superb review! If you hear Michael Fisher starts talking, you know it is quality talking. More power to you sir Reviews Editor! :)
Double tap to wake and sleep is probably one of my favorite features ever.
Would love to see it on all phones.
I was planning to own a 950xl an hand over my 1520 to my brother! Also was dissapointed for absence of Win10 update. Thanks to your review, I'm keepin' my phone and won't upgrade forever :)
I seriously windows with a passion, I don't consider myself a MS fanboy as I currently have an iPhone and an android tablet etc, but it's just so unique from all other OS on both PC and mobile phones. The customization is dope and I truly feel they could do sooo much to it if they buckled down and pushed good updates.
12 minute review, good stuff Pocketnow
continuum and this phone are very promising. Universal apps seems a legit reason to start coding windows apps, I'll give it a shot for my next program. Hope I won't miss WPF.
+Lute Scrat It's good to see that someone cares. Good luck! :)
Developers are not interested in Windows mobile OS as much they are in Android and iOS. Windows needs more apps in the app store,and a more refined version of Windows 10.
+Soumyobrata Sen Windows 10 eliminates the mobile/desktop distinction. Microsoft's desktop position will be leveraged to drive developers to the rapidly growing Windows 10 user platform. Microsoft advertises 110 million users in 6 months which accounts for approximately 9% desktop market share. Windows 7 still has some 56% market share, which is a free upgrade to Windows 10. The app gap that will result will be apps that are not universal across all devices. Apple and Android are highly aware of this and are looking to make their platforms universal across all devices just like Microsoft has done with the Windows 10 OS. The transition for Apple looks much easier than it does for Android as their ecosystem is weak outside of mobile.
+FormulaWill I'm saying that Windows 10 needs to be polished and windows mobile needs way more dev support to stand up to Android and iOS. Windows doesn' even have an CZcams app.
+Soumyobrata Sen Project Islandwood is the next hope for Windows Mobile. It's actually gotten good feedback from developers in the iOS community. Windows 10 is definitely going to get more refined as updates get pushed.
+Soumyobrata Sen it actually does have a CZcams app, but it's a web link, although most people just use MyTube, TubeCast, PerfecTube or MetroTube.
It used to be a real CZcams app that was apparently better than all the other versions but Google shut it down.
A good and fair review. The 950 (XL) is not a beta device but sometimes it feels like a beta device, because of the software bugs. But I can remember my old 920 had some of the problems (like the randomly restarting) too. And when the time past by I got updates and my Lumia 920 runs rock solid. Used it three years and I'm still loving this device. With my new Lumia 950 XL I expire now the same problems like on the 920 at the beginning, maybe in few updates this will be a thing of the past.
Michael, thank you for not holding back on this review. My first smartphone was a Samsung Focus that was left on 7.5 followed by a 920 and 1020 (now on 10 through Insider) while my mother uses a 640 now (an upgrade from her 520 from last year), and I want is for this platform to be worth something again (if there ever was a time where it was).
I miss the days of their top-notch email integration tattered now by that awful Outlook app, the People Hub was brilliant back with social media integration as it kept you from needing the lackluster apps in full, and the make-it-how-you-want-it camera experience is still something I miss.
Please continue to cut Microsoft no slack on this matter as they have had a dirty year thanks to that Nokia buyout and all those layoffs due in large part to the Trojan horse Elop returning home to Redmond, and hey, maybe the 950 XL will be better. Might you try an unbranded/unlocked one?
6:52 - 'Shitting with this phone is a lot of fun' - You had me there
the best review of this phone on internet .. the do not dismiss anything about it right away..
Michael Fisher my favorite reviewer. thumbs up man.
I played around with the 950 and the xl and they feel so cheap compared to my 920 and 1520. Great review.
I'm hoping the surface phone/s are a remake of the 925 & 1520.
+DrGanja99 yeah but with some sort of metal or aluminum alloy.
should have done the 920/925 design. The coolest looking phones in my opinion. Its really sad watching lumia brand slowly die.
+Punkkari Reiska I agree, the iconic Lumia design is gone :(
mindprison88 The 925 is the most comfortable phone in the hand in my opinion... Even Samsung is starting to make brick phones like apple
Currently owning the bigger XL version, and undoubtedly the best phone I ever owned since I left Android some more than three years ago.
If I would buy a windows phone it is gonna be the 950XL for the higher specs.Every windows user understands that if you want a smooth and well working windows on the long run, to use it in the next 2 years for example, you need high configurations, this is applied on both PC and phones.After using IOS and Android for about 7 years now, I have to admit, windows 10 as a software looks cooler, more modern and futuristic.if MS can focus more on the apps store and encourage more developers to put their apps in it, I think windows 10 will have a significant change in the users perspectives, I mean, nothing better than having the same OS on your phone, tablet and laptop, right?
What a review! However, if app gap is the only reason why you do not recommend this device to "others", you should reconsider your opinion. Because in many countries like India, app gap is not that wide. All the major banks, online shopping sites, railways, network providers and many others have fully functional apps on Windows phone and PC.
Another great and precise review from Michael. Been waiting for this a while now. Thanks Mike.
Picked one of these up on Tuesday to try as its been a while and I have to say I haven't had one reboot or any problems with shooting in 4k. I've filled a 64gb card with 4k stuff. I do like the camera and I prefer it to the one on the S6 edge I have.The lack of apps isn't the problem for me its the quality of them.
Awesome review! You just said what I wanted to hear: Advantages and disadvantages pretty clear.
In the UK, you can get this phone from Microsoft directly for just £249 (about $305) with a free display dock which suddenly makes this phone one of the best deals available. The equivalent iPhone costs almost 3 times as much direct from Apple.
Dude that intro was WAY to serious
"It must've been designed to blend in, not to stand out." -Michael Fisher, 2015
Oh boy, how can I not agree more.
I must say I was a long time android fan but when I tried Lumia 735 for the first time I simply fell in love in Win 8.1. I am just a bit disappointed now when I see Lumia 950 isn't the phone I would purchase just yet. Hopefully they will fix these issues that I also think are essential.
We can’t argue that this is ahead of it’s time. Windows 10 mobile is so beautiful!
The flash level change feature is amazing
I've been a devoted Windows Phone user since the very beginning, been using it for close to 6 years now and I was hoping to renew my mobile plan to get a newer Windows Phone, then i found out that Microsoft CEO cancelled production on all future Windows Phone and is laying off people that worked on them and is currently focusing on developing the Surface Phone. I really hope the Surface Phone's worth all the hassle and lives up to the standard.
Branding is huge and the Surface brand is Microsoft's current jewel. "Windows Phone" and "Lumia" and the myriad of numbers differentiating them (650, 950, etc) didn't click with consumers and represents the failed past. That's the bitter truth of it. As a Surface owner (the original Surface and the Surface 3), I'm kind of excited.
Branding is huge and the Surface brand is Microsoft's current jewel. "Windows Phone" and "Lumia" and the myriad of numbers differentiating them (650, 950, etc) didn't click with consumers and represents the failed past. That's the bitter truth of it. As a Surface owner (the original Surface and the Surface 3), I'm kind of excited.
+bizmonkey007 same here, i'm really excited for the release of the surface phone. After seeing the rumoured spec sheet that the surface phone has it seems Microsoft is finally going high end. Though the aesthetics looks kind of dull, i'm still excited nonetheless
I can't believe that one of the great tech reviewers on tech has not uploaded any of the new Microsoft products this year, Marquess Brownlee..
This review is spot on. Positives and negatives of the phone and the OS explained clearly. I love the Windows Phone but I also accept the shortcomings.
I simply wasn't expecting nothing less from you, and you delivered it! Outstanding review! Congrats! Although you should have mentioned the one-handed mode. I know it's a very bad solution for hamburger menus, but... And the 1.7% market share is the quarterly. The anual is probably a little better. But yeah, it's very sad that the OS didn't succeed. For me, simply the most unique OS!
Once again u nailed it
I clicked the like button as soon as I heard the Michel Voice
Loving Pocketnow
The intro got me like as if I'm watching "UFO Today" or "Aliens in the Atlantic"
Nice job on the review. ..was waiting to hear this one. As a three year 920 user, I'm glad to finally see a flagship,. but I'll wait a while for the price to drop as at this point it doesn't seem worth the $600 their asking.
Wow. Great review Michael! (Y) Presenting the pros and the cons With class and without whining. One quick thing though, I have had no problems recording in 4k like you, or the reboot issue.. But then again, I have the XL Version :) But great review! I agree on the hamburgers not the best Choice, but they're growing on me after usage...
I've been waiting so long. Thank you Pocketnow for another amazing review
Great review! I don't know what it is but I always end up liking Michael's reviews the most for some reason. Still, keep up the good work!
You might want to wait for the insider update which is supposedly coming next week. I'm using the 1520 running Insider slow and to my surprise hiccups are really rare. The only time it crashed was when I have 14 tabs in M$ edge. The only thing I hate about windows 10 is that Hamburger which is pretty hard to reach when you are using a 6" device, there is a one-handed mode but it's pretty cumbersome. Nice review as always, but I would love to see the USB otg featured, which supposedly works quite well with the new USB type C.
Watching this right after saw you live with windows phones 👍 good days!
We really do hope they stick with one platform already. WP7 - Silverlight really slow and closed code that I'm glad they dumped, WP8.1 - APPX (C#, HTML5 etc.) much improved but still not as supported by devs, W10M - Universal apps, now this one is a boom at least from my perspective. They can run on any screen size, and they have tools by MS which makes it easier for devs to port their iOS or Android apps. Another thing is that the design guidelines are not as strict as they were before (hence the hamburger menus) and devs don't have to bother changing the design too much from their existing app. Overall Windows 10 FTW. Devs, get on board NOW! Up until now the platform was bad but this one is amazing.
I've had it with Windows Phone. Coming from me, that's not a good sign. Great review as per usual, Michael.
i think the new software update solved lot of bugs and now windows 10 mobile is working great on my lumia 1020..i was in new york and purchased the surface pro 4 and totally lovin it...as i retured back home lumia 950 white arrived home...soo happy with my 2 new microsoft gadgets...mozo cover with red leather and gold rim is waiting shine on lumia 950...aka limited edition lumia 950
Love these Michael Fisher videos so much!
Too bad the Lumia 950 locks up when recording in 4K. While recording in 4K with my Sony Xperia Z3v, within seconds it turns into a very functional space heater and warns you it must shut down :-)
+Greg Owsley Not even my Lumia 930 did that XD
If you have a tablet with you, owning a Lumia device is really not bad at all. For the lack of needed apps, an old iPad mini, iPod or something could fill the gap. Great review as always BTW.
Could the blurring issue on the camera be a software problem?
The app gap is one thing I hoped improved. The ONE thing that would make me switch. And after hearing about that Android partnership thing,I had so much hope. But honestly, I really like this phone. So I'll probably just get it and keep my current phone (M9) and use it to compensate for the app (even if its a bit of a hassle)
The thing that potentially concerns me is the battery connectors on the battery. It appears they are still using those god awful terrible spring connectors which were a terrible problem even going back several years. I know from experience. Out of 10 batteries on a lumia 520, only about three ended up working. They'd either short out or the connectors would defect.
BTW, there is many skype features that not many people know. there is also many phone featuers like set recoder to phone call that you have the option to record calls when phone ring. After that tag the recorded call.
There is also Skype Video app to stream call on TV that support DLNA.
WiFi Continuum on TV(if support) with just a phone. My Lumia 950 XL is fine with that. Using phone screen as mouse and keyboard...Also use voice recognition to replace typing(much faster). Chinese can be set as one of the langauge for recognition too. other language will depend...
Can't agree anymore. Great review, and please do check the Insider builds (the laggy action center has greatly improved)
I'm not completely sure if it's because of the sublime product release that Microsoft set up or perhaps I'm just curious, but I'm actually feeling the want to get a Lumia 950/950XL.
That leather case on the 950 is heavenly, by the way.
This phone would be amazing if it has more apps to download like in android. Lacking apps limits its functionality. I mean it's fast it's tough, but limiting the apps really brings everything below, in smartphone competitions.
Ah Lumia 950, the best phone camera of the 2010s you can get for less than $600 at launch. I still have it and occasionally capture brilliant details with very low noise.
lol sure
Good to know I switched to Android. W10 apparently still retains WP's bugs: getting images stuck in tiles (no solution), lack of apps, screen unresponsiveness, no updates for most programs. It's sad, I wish the lumia 1020 wasn't just a big camera.
Impressive review. Lots of work put into it. And useful too!
There are a whole lot of non-power users who don't care at all about third party apps. They use the phone just as it comes out of the box. This is the perfect market for Microsoft to aim for, especially since they already have an advantage in ease of use over the more popular phone OSes.
Great Review as always Michael!
Too little too late. As a HUGE fan of WP and a devotee from day one of WP7, moving to iPhone early 2015 was the best thing I did. I badly want WP to succeed, but three reinventions, developers pulling apps and market share shrinking, all due to MS's DISMAL marketing and support of their own amazing OS points nowhere but down. I played with a L950XL the other day, and it was gorgeous. But it left me sad. It was like walking past an old girlfriend I haven't seen in years. Agh, excruciating, MS. You've destroyed an amazing opportunity.
Michael's review was awesome. I love the way u review the phone. 😘
android fan now using lumia 950. For my usage it's fantastic as I'm not a massive app downloader so works well for me. Everything seems more smoother the android and ios yes there are some bugs but in most cases works well. Camera is fantastic.
Great Review..Best review for 950 on CZcams.
another amazing review michael :-)
your videos deserve atleast 10 times the likes they actually get
If the app problem weren't there the only real issue this phone has is the plastic back. Looks amazing with the Mozo
Everything of windows phone was far better than any other android.. but their app store was way behind.. but still expecting it to be back on market
+Pocketnow Awesome review Michael. You still outline why I will not go to a windows device despite the attractiveness of the device and OS.. The App gap is what pulls me away every time I consider a windows phone..
Apps that haven't been updated in a year and still in a form of beta cannot give the average consumer certainty reassurance and peace of mind in the product that they are buying myself included. in today's society we rely on our apps from ios and Android and not to have them on windows is a very big reason why no one else wants to jump aboard.
Conclusion... Close the app gap and there will be a force to reckon with in the windows system. Period.
Thanks for the sincere opinion Michael
Great review, have been windows fan for a while, but current state of windows 10 makes me hesitate between lumia 950xl and nexus 6p, but if I switch I hope I will be able to come back to windows in next year or so
That was a very classy review. I will start working on that app gap right away
The Lumia 950 is a great phone, I have one. I have the Lumia 950 XL, I would not trade it for any other phone. Great camera, quick speed, and beautiful display.
+halonerdo89 which would you say is better between the 950 and 950 XL. I'm not sure which one I should buy
As a long time user of windows phone, 4 years and 3 phones, i had enough of windows system and moving to android because of 950. 950 might have the spec but i wish more on improvement of the system and more on the design. It was ok to make a normal simple design phone in the past but not for a flagship. I don't need my phone to be a computer when i got a laptop that can do that for me.
I think you hit the nail on the head with this one. I owned the phone for about 4 days and ended up resorting to activating my 2013 Moto X until I could return the Lumia. The start screen is gorgeous, and the look and feel is great, but the performance... So terribly, terribly buggy. Just couldn't stay with it.
One cause of phone restarts is being connected to an AC WiFi network. Pretty damn maddening. If you're on an older b/g/n WiFi network, you won't suffer from these restarts. A pretty big compromise.
Why not review the 950XL? This wasn't a bad review at all, however I think it deserves a second look.
That iris scanner is the only reason i'd want to buy this.. If it were in something like S7 or 6P i'd be in heaven.