The Microsoft's Lumia 950 XL is the face of the new Windows series and a reboot of the company's smartphone business. Microsoft may have been slow in adopting new tendencies and features, but it made sure everything is done right with the Windows 10 Mobile premiere.
Key specifications
5.7"1440x2560 pixels
20MP2160p
2GHzSnapdragon 810
3GB RAM32GB memory
3300mAhLi-Ion
And indeed the Lumia 950 XL lives up to all the promises and then some. The Lumia 950 XL is the most powerful Windows phone to date.
Design and build quality
The Microsoft Lumia 950 XL offers great build-quality and clean simplistic design, but the polycarbonate back doesn't feel as premium as the phone's price tag would suggest.
The Lumia 950 XL may be big, but it's not monstrously big. It can easily fit in most pockets because of its slim profile and rather lightweight construction. The build is excellent - the rear cover fits perfectly around the chassis and there are no squeaks or creaks.
Handling a phone made of matte plastic is always a pleasure and this choice of materials pretty much guarantees an excellent grip. Operating the Lumia 950 XL with just one hand, or taking pictures, is rather easy and you don't feel the phone will slip any moment now - a rarity these days.
The Lumia 950 XL back panel is removable and what's more, the battery bellow it is removable as well, which allows you to carry a spare if a single battery charge is not enough.
Speaking of removable stuff, the Lumia 950 XL is among the few high-end phones to actually offer a microSD slot, so you can expand the built-in storage cheaply and easily.
The Lumia 950 XL has a USB Type-C connector - it's the new reversible connector for USB that builds on top of USB 3.1. If you like to use USB OTG or USB Host, you should either get the Microsoft's Display Dock or other compatible accessory or adapter. If none of those matter to you, it's enough to know that the port provides speedier transfer speeds but none of your existing chargers will fit. In fact, we couldn't get the Lumia 950 XL to work with any other USB Type-C cable or charger we had around, so we could guess they have some sort of a proprietary implementation. Not good, Microsoft, not good!
Design and build quality score
2.5
Display
The 5.7-inch display on the Lumia 950 XL has Quad HD resolution, which equals 1440 x 2560 pixels. The pixel number sits somewhere in the middle between 1080p and 4K and in 2015 it established itself as the flagship smartphone resolution to go by.
The screen makes use of an AMOLED panel but it is also enhanced by ClearBlack technology, which is an extra layer of polarizing filter, which is supposed to reduce glare. We're not quite sure how much it improves things, but the end result is stellar performance outdoors in the bright sunlight but we're already used to seeing that from AMOLED screens.
Colors and contrast on AMOLED displays are usually gorgeous to look at and this screen makes no exception.
The Lumia 950XL has only average maximum brightness (335nits) if you have the brightness control set to manual, but as soon as you switch to Auto, the phone will push the brightness all the way up to 705nits given the environment is bright enough.
Color rendering is amazingly accurate. With an average color deviation of only 1.6, it's among the best we've seen on a mobile phone. You have got to remember that anything below 3 is considered calibration-level color accuracy so we're really happy with the fact that Microsoft provides that out of the box.
People want bigger phones, all that extra screen opens up a raft of new possibilities. Don't believe me? Check out the excellent Samsung Galaxy Note 4 that has seen plenty of success.
It took Apple a while, but it finally got there. In typical Cupertino fashion it's entered the phablet arena with an almighty splash.
A big iPhone makes a lot of sense when combined with the Apple Watch. With that adorning your wrist the idea is you won’t need to pull the iPhone 6 Plus out of your pocket or bag all the time. And it does work that way to a small degree, but you'll still find yourself clamouring for a bigger screen whenever you want to do anything even remotely taxing.
The iPhone 6 Plus is really just a super-sized iPhone 6, at least that's exactly what it looks like. There's a more to it than that when you dig a little deeper, though. The big differentiator is that that huge 5.5-inch screen, but some other changes make it a very different proposition to it's little sibling.
This is a phone that displays all Apple's key trademarks. Great screen, superb quality fit and finish and one of the best point-and-click cameras you can find on a phone. Unlike other iPhones it also has excellent stamina – you can get two days of use out of the iPhone 6 Plus if you're careful.
Yes it has a lot of top features, but there’s no escaping how big it is. It will feel enormous to iPhone 5S owners who will initially baulk at its heft, but anyone concerned by its size shouldn't write it off. It really doesn't take very long to get used to it.
The iPhone 6 Plus is massive compared to some other 5.5-inch phones like the LG G3 or LG G4. LG worked hard to make those phones as compact as possible and achieved something of a miracle. It's a lot smaller than the 6 Plus in everything barring slimness.
Apple, on the other hand, has duplicated the exact same design as the iPhone 6, and it doesn’t work quite as well with the larger size.
What makes it tricky to handle are the large top and bottom bezels. They’re big and they make the phone taller than it should be, something that could have been a deal-breaker had Apple not made the 6 Plus fashionably slim at just 7.1mm. It also comes with a typically accomplished quality design. The glass and aluminium back merge seamlessly together and the iPhone 6 Plus feels great in your hand.
It’s well balanced and light enough too at just 172g. You’ll happily hold it for hours and that screen is perfect for browsing the internet or watching movies on the hoof.
Its size means getting to the more inaccessible sections of the screen with one hand can be a struggle and can result in some strained digits. Apple has thought of this issue and has added a feature to the iPhone 6 Plus that brings the top of the screen closer to your thumb.
Tap the home button twice and the active area of the screen drops, giving you access to icons, address and search bars. Unlike on the iPhone 6, which is much slimmer, this doesn’t resolve all the issues caused by a big phone. You’ll still find it a bit of a stretch to get to the sides of the screen unless you’ve got big hands, especially when texting. Most people will need to use both hands to be comfortable in this scenario. Still, it’s an elegant solution that makes using the iPhone 6 Plus much easier day to day.
Just as on the iPhone 6, the 6 Plus has the power button on the right hand side, about an inch and a half from the top. It’s quite easy to reach but if we're being picky we'd say it would have been better if it was a little lower down. It’s the same story with the volume buttons on the left.
Despite the slightly awkward location of the side buttons the iPhone 6 Plus handles well even when you’re using it one handed. It feels like a premium product – no-one can quite match Apple’s superb build quality – although Samsung has come a whisker away with the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge . The iPhone 6 Plus manages to feel both solid and soft at the same time.
There is one area where Apple couldn’t quite get everything to fit smoothly into the body of the 6 Plus. The camera is a little raised from the back so it can fit the sensor with the addition of optical image stabilisation. It only comes out slightly and the edges are chamfered, so it looks good and doesn't snag on material as you put it in your pocket.
They better be large pockets, though. The 158.1mm tall, 77.8mm wide and 7.1mm thick body fits into tight jeans, but not with much to spare – we've found that in some pockets a corner pokes out of the top. Its thinness helps it slide into pockets, but it is larger than some other phones that come with the same size screen.
For that reason the iPhone 6 Plus isn’t quite the design triumph we’ve come to expect from Apple. It’s very well made and feels great in hand, but is just a bit too big. It's nowhere near as problematic to handle as the enormous Nexus 6 , but LG has shown that a 5.5-inch screen can be fit into a body that feels more like a phone than a phablet. Apple could have tried harder to make a bespoke design to this size, rather than zapping the iPhone 6 with a growth ray.
So, if you’re happy with the size of your current iPhone, or if you struggle with larger phones, then you should go for the iPhone 6 as opposed to its bigger brother. It’s a lot more pocketable and big step up from the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S.
If you do opt for iPhone 6 Plus, though, it’s well worth considering Apple's leather case. It adds very little bulk and provides a super grippy surface to ensure you don’t fumble your phone. The larger phone is little slippery thanks to its curved corners and greater width.
Finally, we need to address the issue that has gone viral – the bendable iPhone. Apple has responded by claiming that there have only been nine cases so far and we believe it. We’ve been using the iPhone 6 Plus in tight jeans while cycling, sitting and walking around for months and it's still as straight as an arrow.
It's a story that has been blown out of all proportion, and seems totally unfounded based on our experience with half a dozen or so iPhones. Put a load of pressure on any phone and it will bend or break, this isn't an issue you should worry about at all.
Apple iPhone fans on a budget have traditionally had a tough time of it and this remained true in 2015.
Despite the success of the moderately more affordable iPhone 5C, come the firm’s big 2015 iPhone event, Apple chose not to release a follow-up to the colourful handset. Instead Apple unveiled the iPhone 6S, which carries a premium price tag.
However, Apple has wisely chosen keep selling and reduce the price of its 2014 iPhone 6. The phone still features powerful internal components and is being upgraded to Apple’s latest iOS 9 software. The combination of factors mean it could be the ideal choice for bargain hunters.
We’re working of an updated iPhone 6, with iOS 9 review. Make sure to check back and find out if the iPhone 6 is the iOS-flavoured bargain Apple-fans need.
VIDEO: What's new in iOS 9?
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WHAT IS THE IPHONE 6?
When it was released in 2014 the iPhone 6 was one of the hottest smartphone on the market.
Featuring a completely rethought design, Apple loaded the iPhone 6 with a wealth of custom software and hardware features.
The combination of hardware and software features made the iPhone 6 one of the most innovative and powerful smartphones ever seen.
However, one year on Apple’s competitors have come out swinging releasing their own wave of top-end innovative handsets.
Each featuring a similarly impressive array of custom technologies the phones have made many buyers justifiably question if the iPhone 6’s time in the sun has ended and they’d be better off waiting for Apple’s next iPhone.
However, having used the iPhone 6 solidly since it’s launch, we’re happy to report even though it’s beginning to show its age, there is still plenty to like about Apple's 2014 flagship.
The iPhone 6 opts for soft curves and seamless joins between the screen and the back. It's a very different look from the iPhone 5S, which has shiny machined edges. Barring some plastic detailing on the rear it’s all glass and metal, and looks great for it.
It’s not as striking as its predecessor. The angular design of the iPhone 5S made it stand out amore. It’s the same with the iPad mini and iPad Air, although they marry the diamond cut edges with rounded metal sides.
It may not be as instantly arresting, but the iPhone 6 looks like it’s been hewn from a single piece of metal and glass and fused seamlessly together. The effect is particularly strong in the space grey finish and with the screen turned off. It is a beautiful slab of black glass and anodised aluminium. We feel the design is safe rather than ground-breaking, though. The white bezel on the silver version ruins the seamless effect a little – we’d go for space grey every time.
The iPhone 5S, left, next to the iPhone 6
As always with Apple’s phones the iPhone 6 has superb balance, it just feels right in your hand. The comfy edges are also a lot easier on the palm than the sharper ones on the iPhone 5S and the 6.9mm thickness makes it feel sleek yet strong.
Some owners are claiming that it may not be quite as robust as Apple hopes. Reports of the iPhone 6 bending in pockets have surfaced. We’ve had it in the front pocket of jeans and have not experienced any issues for the months we've been using it or the iPhone 6 Plus. We're not talking super skinny jeans, but we've been cycling with it in tight pockets and there's not been a bend in sight. In fact since the initial furore we've heard very little about it. We've hear similar reports surfacing about the Samsung Galaxy S6 but unless you intend to use your iPhone 6 as a see-saw we wouldn't worry about it at all.
We do suggest you fork out for a case, though. Like all phones you run the risk of smashing the screen if you drop it and iPhone 6 repairs don't come cheap. Check out our selection of the best iPhone 6 cases before you buy.
It’s big, but not too big
While the iPhone 6 is bigger, it doesn't feel too big. Aside from being much thinner and lighter at just 129g it’s very similar in size to the original HTC One, one of our favourite phones of 2013. If you have small hands you might struggle to get to the top corners of the screen, but we've not experienced these problems.
There is some help if you do find the screen of the iPhone 6 too big. Clunky one-handed use features are available on some Android phones, but they’ve never felt particularly intuitive. They often just shrink the whole screen diagonally down. Apple has come up with a typically elegant solution. Tap twice on the home button and the entire top of the screen jumps down bringing all the hard to reach areas into your thumbs range. It works on every app that works in portrait mode too, so you can easily get to the address bar or a browser without a problem.
Realising a power button at the top of the phone of this size doesn’t work Apple has moved it. The power button is at the right edge, above the nanoSIM tray. This makes it easy to access with your thumb, if you’re right -anded or with your index finger if you’re a lefty. It works a lot better than the top power button on the HTC One M8 which requires a little juggling to get to if you’re not ET.
In all other respects the layout of the iPhone 6 is the same as previous versions. The slightly recessed volume buttons sit on the left just under the mute toggle. The 3.5mm headphone jack resides at the bottom, with the lightning port and six handsome holes for the speaker.
There’s only one area where the iPhone 6 deviates from the principles of smooth, seamless design and that’s with the rear camera. To ensure no compromise on image quality due to the slimness of the phone, Apple has had to raise the camera slightly from the body. But it isn't anywhere near as severe as some other phones. Put a case on and you won’t notice this at all, but you will feel it when holding the phone in landscape. Helpfully, the edges are lightly chamfered, which means it slips into pockets without snagging at all.
All-in-all the iPhone 6 has an accomplished design. It doesn't scream 'look at me', instead it’s refined, elegant and ergonomic, great for long hours of use, whether you’re gaming or visiting your favourite sites. Do we like it more than the HTC One M8’s design? The jury’s still deliberating; we have mixed views at the TrustedReviews' offices.
There’s one final thing to talk about. The iPhone 6 is not water or dust resistant unlike the Galaxy S5 or Sony Xperia Z3. If that’s important for you then you’ll need to either opt for a waterproof case or go for one of the Android phones.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is a phone I'd hate to have had to make. Its predecessor was a multi-award-winning phone, simply because it packed all the power of the 'normal' Galaxy S6 and yet... that curved edge. I wasn't alone in loving it, whipping it out proudly whenever possible.
But that was last year, and the world is bored of the curved design. We've seen it. It's been done. So what can Samsung do to make the new phone a real step forward?
Well, unlike what it's done on the Galaxy S7, which looks (initially) like last year's model, the changes on the S7 Edge are brilliant, adding a zest to a design that could have quickly become tired.
The screen is larger, yet somehow the phone doesn't feel too much bigger in the hand. The rear of the phone is now curved too, making it sit nicely in the hand. It's waterproof. There's a microSD card slot. There's so much power in there I'm pretty sure I could strap it on the back of a speedboat and make my way across the Atlantic.
And that's even more possible because the battery – such a disappointment on last year's S6 phones – is boosted massively too, giving us a handset that's able to last over 24 hours between charges.
All this comes at a cost obviously, and a pretty hefty one. In the UK that cost is £640, while in the US you're looking at a huge $299 on contract. In Australia, the Galaxy S7 Edge attracts the highest price for a Galaxy yet: AU$1,249 for the 32GB version.
That's quite a jump from last year's AU$1,149 starting price, showing this is one of the most expensive phones around.
But, in my view, it's worth every penny.
Design
The Galaxy S7 Edge is a phone that lives and dies by its looks. If you're only interested in the power then just go for the standard Galaxy S7. The smaller, 'normal', model has got all the same smarts, but a slightly sharper screen thanks to packing the same amount of pixels into a smaller area.
What it misses is the clever elements that Samsung's used on the Edge. The display curves further away into the sides of the phone than ever before, which means that even though you've got a phablet-sized display, the phone is as compact as possible.
Place it side by side with the iPhone 6S Plus and you'll see what I mean. The amount of bezel used above and below the display on Apple's phone is almost laughable, especially when you compare it to how tightly packed everything is on the S7 Edge – and the Samsung has a much, much larger battery.
The S7 Edge is shorter and narrower (150.9 x 72.6mm) than the 6S Plus (158.2 x 77.9mm), even though both devices have the same 5.5-inch screen size. The iPhone is however, a hair thinner at 7.3mm versus the Samsung's 7.7mm girth.
It's also very similar in size to the LG G5 (149.4 x 73.9 x 7.7 mm), which again sports a 5.5-inch display - with the Android manufacturers really sticking it to Apple.
One of my favorite parts of the design upgrade on the S7 Edge comes on the rear. A process called 3D Thermo Forming – which sounds like it's been named by a sentient marketing machine – enables the brand to curve the rear of the phone into a single metal rim that runs all around the edge.
It's a feature that was used last year on the Note 5 (and is also used by brands like Xiaomi) to really help the phone slip into your palm and remove any sharp metallic edges.
Combine that with the same curve on the front of the device and you can see why it feels so smooth in the hand, almost pebble-esque in the way you can roll it around in your palm.
Intriguingly, this has left some people with the impression that it's not quite got the same premium feel as previous Samsung phones. By having less metal to grasp on to you're touching the Gorilla Glass 4 covering, which can feel a little like plastic due to its lightweight (but still very strong) construction.
Tap the back of the phone and it lacks the sheen of metal, but in fairness that lack of metal allows for the wireless charging that's a key feature of the S7 Edge.
That back does have one issue though: it's a fingerprint fairground, a veritable carnival for any crime scene investigators looking to nab you for some dirty villainy.
So many phones have that criticism thrown at them, but it's particularly true for Samsung's new curved phone. It's easy enough to wipe the sticky offenders off, but it's annoying to have to do it time and again.
The camera protrusion on the rear has been reduced to just 0.42mm, which means it's barely noticeable when you're placing the phone down, while still being strong enough to help protect the lens.
And then you remember something else: this phone, with its elegant rim and clean lines, and complete with exposed ports, is waterproof.
No, sorry, water-RESISTANT, as it's IP68 rated. That means it's still able to work after being dunked in fresh water for 30 minutes up to a depth of 1.5 metres, so you'll be able to use it happily in the bath, or beside the shallow end of the swimming pool, and not worry about dropping it.
It's less of a 'let's take our phone scuba diving to get some amazing pictures' feature, and more of a safety feature – and the phone will even refuse to charge if the port is too wet, such is its ability to manage moisture.
Sadly, you're still left with a single speaker firing out the bottom of the Galaxy S7 Edge, which doesn't really have the most premium of sound; however, it's serviceable, and noticeably louder than other mono speakers I've used.
Overall, I can't speak highly enough of the S7 Edge's design. It feels amazing in the hand, and Samsung has managed to bring enough upgrades to make this look and feel like a completely different phone; and most people trying it for the first time will – even if they're not a fan – be able to appreciate something different in a world filled with black, rectangular slabs.
Screen
The display, while technically part of the Galaxy S7 Edge's design, is worthy of chatting about in its own right – simply because it looks so great.
It's the defining feature when you pull this phone out among friends, and while it doesn't elicit the same response that the S6 Edge's display did last year (like I said, curved displays are nothing new these days), it still gets a lot of approving looks, especially as it's combined with the rounded back.
The QHD resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 still looks as good as anything I've seen on a smartphone. Despite being stretched a little from last year, the 5.5-inch size still looks absolutely pin-sharp, and it's very hard to see any artefacts lying around on the screen.
It's amazing to think that, two years after LG brought out the first mainstream QHD phone, we still don't have any dedicated content that can be viewed at this resolution. Despite that, however, I don't feel like the Galaxy S7 Edge really suffers, as that display makes viewing web pages and photos a really great experience.
The S7 Edge uses Super AMOLED technology, which Samsung's been chucking out for close to a decade now, and it really works well to make the phone look premium and the colors really pop.
The contrast ratio – the difference between the whitest whites and the blackest blacks – is still pretty sensational, which is because when they're not in use, the pixels are turned off; with something like the iPhone 6S or the LG G5 you've got a display that just blocks out the backlight when the pixel is showing a black image, so there can be a small amount of light bleed-through.
The Galaxy S7 Edge screen also has the added benefit of the side display, which is accessed by swiping your thumb along from the right- or left-hand side of the phone's screen (you can specify which in the settings).
Where this was a nonsense, useless feature in years gone by, the side display has a much more defined role on the Galaxy S7 Edge. You can easily get access to news, regular contacts, tools (the ruler, for digi-measuring is back – GET IN) and other elements that are currently in development.
Check out the Specs and Performance section of this review to hear a little bit more about this feature – or skip it entirely if you're bored of hearing me witter on about a piece of the display you can swipe.