Microsoft Lumia 950 XL phone review: different, but not in a good way

Microsoft is thinking different, just like Apple used to. That turns out to be good thing when it comes to its Surface tablets, but not its Lumia phones.

The Lumia 950 XL, pictured, and the Lumia 950, are the first Microsoft flagship phones built for Windows 10. Photo: Microsoft

The Lumia's PureView camera includes three different flash colours to balance tone. Photo: Microsoft

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Back in the 90s Apple ran ads with the slogan "think different", fancying itself as the cool alternative to Microsoft. How times change.

Continuing the legacy of the Nokia Lumia line under its own name and operating systems, Microsoft is definitely the underdog when it comes to smartphones. According to Kantar World Panel, just 6.5 per cent of Australians were using Windows Phone in October, compared to 54.9 per cent using Android and 37.9 per cent using iOS.

I give Microsoft full marks for thinking outside the box with its latest flagship phones, the Lumia 950 and 950 XL, particularly the "Continuum" concept which turns these Windows 10 mobile devices into desktop devices. Its execution is somewhat clunky though, and the lack of apps is still a big problem.

Look and feel

The Lumia 950 XL is 5.7 inches and sports a Quad HD AMOLED Corning Gorilla Glass 4 display with super-crisp 2560 x 1440 resolution. Unlike other high-end phablets - Galaxy Note 5, Apple iPhone 6S - it's made of plastic and can get a bit hot when you're using the screen for extended periods.

Windows Hello

Instead of using a PIN or a fingerprint scanner to unlock the homescreen, you can get the Lumia 950 XL to read your eye's irises with "Windows Hello". It's totally nifty but it doesn't always work and takes longer than a fingerprint scanner. Despite Microsoft demonstrating to a room of journalists that it works when wearing sunglasses, this didn't work for me (probably because mine are covered in scratches).

Camera

Lumia cameras usually look like they mean business, and 950 XL's 20 megapixel "PureView" camera is no exception. It features three different coloured flashes to adjust shots to the tone of the environment. I was able to focus much better on close-ups with this camera than with an Apple or Samsung camera.

However megapixels aren't everything, and I still think iOS's photographic software is tops. The iPhone 6s iSight camera has just 8 megapixels but its shots tend to retain more definition than the Lumia's. This was true also for the front-facing "selfie" cameras, with the iPhone sporting 1.2MP and the Lumia 950 XL 5MP.

The Lumia 950 XL, left, has better tone, but the iPhone 6s has better definition (note the detail in the hair).

Battery

The Lumia's 3340mAh battery lasted me through the day, though I have a habit of plugging in when I'm at my desk. Comparison tests by GSM Arena show it performed much better than an iPhone 6.

Apps

Apps have always been a problem for Windows Phone because of low developer uptake.

Despite Microsoft saying back in April it would make it easier for developers to transpose their iOS and Android apps onto Windows Phone, there's been little progress, with some favourites like Google Chrome still not available. Instagram is still in beta, while Facebook for Windows 10 has a clunky user experience.

Despite the phone boasting the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, I found a lot of the apps buggy and/or slow to load – including some inbuilt Windows apps.

Cortana

The Aussie version of Microsoft's personal assistant, Cortana, arrived on Windows 10 devices last month. She's on par with Apple's Siri; perhaps a little smarter when it comes to recognising speech.

I found Siri sometimes gives more complete answers though. For instance, when I asked the population of Melbourne, Cortana simply brought up a Bing search result, whereas Siri read the answer out to me. When I asked Siri and Cortana to "Play me some Linda Ronstadt", Siri automatically opened Apple Music and started playing an awful crooner (which I couldn't figure out how to stop, much to my embarrassment in front of my workmates). Cortana, again, just brought up a Bing search.

Continuum

A key feature of Windows 10 is "Continuum", which can convert devices from mobile to desktop. But you'll need to buy a $149 adaptor, plus an HDMI cable and monitor or smart TV, to do it with the new Lumias.

It's a novel feature but the main let down again is apps. In desktop mode, you can only use what Microsoft calls "universal apps", which work on both mobile or desktop. A quick browse through the Lumia's pre-installed apps reveals many popular apps such as Dropbox and Facebook are not supported. Even Netflix won't adapt to the big screen.

You can get around this to some extent by running apps through a web browser, but that sort of defeats the purpose, and things can run slowly with too many browser tabs open.

Verdict

At $1129 with 32GB storage, which can be expanded with a storage card, Microsoft's flagship is more expensive than the latest Samsung phablet, the 64GB Galaxy Note 5 ($1099), and a pinch cheaper than a 16GB iPhone 6s Plus ($1299).

I'm a fan of Samsung's Note range and there's little that appeals to me about the Lumia 950 XL over one of those if we're talking big phones. Plus, the Note 5 comes with a stylus.

Microsoft is leading the way on larger mobile devices with its hybrid laptop-tablet Surface range, but thinking outside the box with its phones hasn't won me over yet. Until Microsoft fixes its app problem, experiments in multi-tasking won't be enough to get iOS or Android users to switch.

The story Microsoft Lumia 950 XL phone review: different, but not in a good way first appeared on The Sydney Morning Herald.

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