Microsoft Lumia 950 XL & Display Dock Review

OS, Apps, and UI

What sets this apart really among the competition is that it runs Windows 10, and know this – that’s either going to make or break this deal for you.

In essence, it still feels a lot like Windows Phone 8.1, slightly updated to feel more like its desktop counterpart. It has the Start screen, a full list of apps, the action center and all other elements covered with its Modern UI design.

Let’s start with the things that I liked about Windows 10 on mobile, and most memorably, it’s Windows Hello.

Windows Hello is Microsoft’s indirect answer to fingerprint scanners and the like – and at first, I really thought it would be a gimmick – but in reality, it proved more than useful. The Lumia 950 XL was more than good enough to detect my eyes, indicated by a little red light. I was able to unlock my phone in total darkness just by looking straight at it. Not to mention, it’s pretty cool and that’s what got all my friends’ interests.

I also like the Start screen a lot, since it’s very refreshing compared to iOS and Android and because it does its job well of being a homescreen too. I also like navigating through this OS since I’ve already grown accustomed to Windows 10 through its desktop counterpart, and Cortana is just as intuitive.

I still have a few gripes with Windows 10 for mobile though – and the small things that lead to big effects are: 1. Apps occasionally don’t remain open and have to sync again like Facebook Messenger when it closes, and 2. The notifications are messy. Each notification from every app isn’t compiled into one notification.

And also, being a Windows 10 Device, I have high hopes for multi-tasking here, but it’s not really as intuitive as I hoped. I have to hold on the back button and wait for all the windows to appear a la Task Switcher, and I have to reach out to the Windows just to get to another app. I imagine going back to Start and touching your shortcuts is a lot faster.

And finally, we’ve been saying this for years, but Microsoft still has the app problem. Sure, it has improved, we’ll give it that, and with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Line, Messenger and even Spotify, we’re mostly covered – but really, the experience is still disabling: Facebook isn’t as up to date as its Android & iOS counterparts; we can’t manage Pages, view Photo Carousels and other new Facebook features. Twitter’s app is still ugly, no polls, no videos – nothing. Instagram doesn’t have support for videos either, and it won’t host non-square photos. And finally, even if let’s say you’re not a heavy Google user, you’ll find your experience lacking without an official YouTube app.

Display Dock

What sets this flagship phone apart from its competitors is the Display Dock. The Display Dock is an accessory that you plug your smartphone into, along with extra power, and it transforms your Lumia 950 XL into a pseudo-desktop Windows 10 computer via HDMI.

If you’re going to get this accessory, we should mention that you have to get a USB or Wireless keyboard and mouse as well – since it’s really hard to navigate the desktop via phone – though it is possible. When needed, your phone turns into a touchpad and a keyboard, and you can still use your phone as usual, but to get the full experience (Print Screen + other functions), you really need a physical keyboard. Besides, that’s why you have the Display Dock anyway — productivity.

When you plug your phone in after the very easy setup, you’ll find that it’s not exactly like your phone, nor is it exactly like your desktop OS either. There’s a bar up top which I thought would slide down, but really, it does nothing, and the notifications come through the side. A right click on the desktop space doesn’t give you options either, plus a lot more lacking. Most of those desktop options? Gone.

So what is this Display Dock for? Well, it’s a bigger screen for all your apps and content – and that’s it really. You can’t even have your windows display side by side, the file manager isn’t as intuitive (it’s the same as mobile), and not a lot of apps are compatible. See for yourself in the screenshots above and below.

Even if it’s not the complete Windows 10 experience, it is still valuable with the right apps though, specifically Microsoft Office. Again, they’re not as comprehensive as their Office 2016 counterparts, but the working space this provides you is more than enough to justify the purchase if you’re a heavy Office user mobile.

Camera

Now we’re off to the camera. As expected, this 20 megapixel camera is just purely stunning and easy to use. Photos are sharp and vibrant, with the backgrounds running soft and rich. Images captured showcase a lot of detail, and everything is well-exposed. Even with fast moving objects, the Lumia 950 XL was quick to take a shot, and we’re guessing that’s both due to the amazing hardware and the software – as ‘Rich Capture’ mode in auto has the phone process the shot and improve it further. If you want, manual controls are also available.

Check out these photos below to see what we’re talking about:

The device also has support for 4K and slow-motion video, which produces similar results. The slo-mo isn’t as high resolution though:

And also, if you need it, there’s also a two stage camera button on the device, and the 5 megapixel selfie shooter up front is more than satisfying.

Continued in next page: Performance and Benchmarks, Battery Life, Conclusion