After the disastrous Nokia deal, Microsoft is here with its Windows 10 mobile to lure Android and iPhone users. Its flagship smartphone, the Lumia 950 XL, is one of the most coveted devices of 2015.

Design and display

The commendable 5.7-inch QHD AMOLED display with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 will impress users at the first glance. The higher resolution results in a remarkable pixel density of 518 pixels per inch, which matches that of Samsung Galaxy Note 5. The device is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4.

The device sports a simple design and a polycarbonate casing; rounded edges and very thin bezels. The remarkable screen overshadows the material design. But being a flagship, Microsoft could have considered a metal-clad smartphone like other premium smartphones.

Hardware

The top-end hardware running on a brand new operating system makes the device faster and smoother than any other Lumia device. The Lumia 950Xl is powered by Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor by Qualcomm backed by 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB internal storage.

The smartphone supports expandable memory up to 2 TB via microSD card slot. Furthermore, this is coupled with the 200 GB of OneDrive cloud storage offered by Microsoft.

Software

The Lumia 950XL runs on Windows 10 with liquid cooling technology on board. Windows Continuum will help users to optimise their working environment. The Lumia 950XL can be connected to a Display Dock and used as an external monitor.

With Windows Continuum, users can now effortlessly swap between devices. Users can take phone calls even if the device is running with web pages open in desktop mode, reports Pocket Lint.

The Display Dock can be purchased separately. It can be used to connect the phone via Bluetooth with any screen with an HDMI port. It’s accompanied by a keyboard and mouse. Microsoft has heavily promoted the device as “the phone that works like a PC”.

Camera

The camera is major highlight of the phone. As expected, the PureView beefy 20 MP main camera at the back touts triple LED flash, optical image stabilisation (OIS) and 4K video recording capability. On the other hand, the 5 MP front snapper is equipped with 1080p video recording and capable to capturing wide-angle selfie.

Battery life

The smartphones in the Lumia family boasts commendable battery life. The latest addition is no exception. The device houses a massive 3,340 mAh battery unit coupled with a USB-C fast-charger .

Although the smartphone scores less in design and display, it makes up for these drawbacks with cross-platform compatibility, a huge battery and an excellent camera module. It’s worth mentioning that pre-orders for the Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL started in Europe on Nov. 26.

Lumia 950 carries a tag of €599 (AU$882) whereas the bigger sibling, Lumia 950 XL, costs €699 (AU$1,030). In Australia, the Lumia 950Xl can be purchased directly from the online Microsoft Store at AU$1,129.

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