With the Lumia 950 XL, Microsoft wanted to turn the smartphone into a single computing device so that you wouldn't need a tablet, desktop or laptop anymore. It seems to have made a good, but stuttering start.
If you plan to buy one of the Lumia 950 phones you should pick up the display dock called Continuum that is sold separately. It mirrors the phone on to your monitor. Microsoft designed this as it sees a future in universal apps that will run across Windows 10 on phones, PCs, tablets, and the Xbox.
It works by connecting this Windows 10 phone to the Continuum dock with the supplied cable. The dock is then connected to a monitor using HDMI or DisplayPort cables.
While setting it up I was aghast to find that neither of these cables came with the box. I had to buy them separately. It also supports wireless connectivity between the dock and the monitor, but the wireless adapter has to be bought separately.
The dock is a rectangular device that measures 64.1 mm by 25.6 mm. On the top row, at the back of the dock, there are 2 USB ports for connecting your mouse and keyboard and one for charging other devices.
In the bottom row there is the DisplayPort, the HDMI port and one USB type C port that is connected to the charger. The front USB-C port connects to the phone. The Continuum is compatible with only the Lumia 950 series phones.
The Continuum is a fine concept, but I was disappointed because I could not play games or watch YouTube on the monitor, as most apps do not support Continuum. But, Microsoft's own apps work, so it should be good for those on the go and need to frequently project their work onto a larger screen, whether it is on Excel, PowerPoint or Word.
The Lumia 950 XL is an extremely futuristic device. You can unlock the phone by simply looking into it. The phone has a beautiful 5.7-display which turns it into a phablet. It has a big user replaceable battery, dual SIM support and a powerful Snapdragon processor backed up by expandable memory going up to 2 TB.
The 20-megapixel camera throws a challenge to the iPhone 6. You can take a picture with the new triple tone LED flash and then decide how much of the flash you want. Or you could take out manual controls and find your own ISO, exposure and focus levels with sliders.
The camera supports Living Images. If you snap a photo of your child making funny faces, you will see a snippet of that movement in the Living Image. This feature is exactly like Live Photos in iPhone 6s and 6s plus.
The Lumia 950 XL has a powerful hardware, but is let down by its poor design. Considering that it is Microsoft's flagship product a lot more thought should have gone into the aesthetics. The phone is priced at Rs 49,399 and the Continuum display dock at Rs 5,999.
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