Lumia 950 First Review A No Compromise Smartphone

By Stephen Pate – Microsoft is shipping a true flagship that is “fantastic” according to reviewer Jace Nelson of Windows Power User.

AT&T delivered the first orders of the new Lumia 950 by FedEx yesterday and it looks like it’s going to be a winner.

“Make no mistake, this is the first no-compromise Windows phone flagship device to exist. The screen is great, the battery life is brilliant, and it is packed full of power and tricks.”

• 5.2 Inches, 2560 x 1440, 564ppi, OLED display
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 Hexa-Core, 1.8 Ghz Processor
• 20 Megapixel, PureView, Zeis Lens, optical stabilization enabled Rear Camera
• 4k Video Recording with up to 120 fps slow motion in 720p
• 5 Megapixel Front-Facing Camera
• 3000mAh Battery
• Iris Scanner – Hello security
• 32 Gb internal Storage w/Micro SD expansion up to 200 Gb
• Continuum able for computer connection
• USB 3.1 Type-C port
• Starting at $550 in the United States

“The 950 is wrapped in a completely poly carbonate shell which comes in either black or white. Removing the shell reveals the SIM card and expandable storage slots and  the removable battery.

While some critics decry the poly carbonate shell as “cheap” I’ve run over my Lumia 920 with a 350 lb wheelchair without damage. On the other hand, I know plenty of people who can’t keep their Galaxy and iPhone’s out of the repair shop. Those phones break on a single drop.

The reviewer notes that the Lumia 950 is not the most stylish device. “This device clocks in at a mere 150 grams, which is easily par for the course for any high-end device.  To give some perspective, the 4.7 inch iPhone 6s comes in at 143 grams, while its big brother, the 5.5 inch 6s+ comes in at 155 grams.

“The 5.2 Inch, 2560 x 1440, OLED  ClearBlack Display leaves absolutely nothing to be desired. Colours are bright and vivid and at 564 ppi it absolutely wipes the floor with Apple’s so often referenced buzz word laden “Retina Display” iPhone 6s+ which comes in at 401 ppi.  The screen itself is very accurate and can clearly be viewed from any reasonable angle with minimal distortion.”

“Honestly, I struggle to find anything negative about the 950’s display,  Great resolution, deep blacks, Glance-Screen, accurate colors.  Microsoft clearly it hit it out of the park here.”

“In all seriousness, the 950 performs as well as any device available on the market today. I haven’t had any dropped calls; the call quality is as good as any other device I’ve owned.”

“Games on the device run fast and smooth, taking pictures back to back to back on the device is fast and easy and multitasking is a breeze.”

“Here’s some perspective for you, I’m currently writing this review on the 950, via continuum, wirelessly projecting to my TV, using a Microsoft Universal Folding Bluetooth Keyboard and Surface Edition Arc Touch Mouse, in Microsoft Word, while listening to music from Groove, with Edge running 4 tabs, and messaging my wife, all at the same time, with ONE device.”

The reviewer was enthralled with the camera accuracy and speed. He took an excellent interior shot of his dog shown in the photo above, which is what we’ve seen already with the Lumia 950 and 950 XL. “The 4K video that the 950 captures are absolutely beautiful.  Just like stills, the colors are crisp, the lines are sharp and it’s overall just a wonderful experience. ”

The slow motion video does show the autofocus is hunting a bit. This seems to be a problem with many of the new high-end phones.

In Canada is the Lumia 950  is available from the Microsoft Store for $749.

In the United States the Lumia 950 is available from Microsoft Store starting at $19.97 and from the AT&T stores or online.

From Amazon.co.uk in the United Kingdom for £419.99 in black and white.

Check out the full review here.

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network