The Lumia 950 XL is one of two Windows 10 Mobile flagship phones to be launched by Microsoft in October 2015, with the other being a similar but smaller Lumia 950.
During its development, it went by the internal codename Cityman, which originates as one of Nokia’s first mobile phones the Nokia Cityman 100 originally released in 1990. As such, it serves as a nice bookend to Nokia’s mobile history, matching one of their first and last phones designed by the Finnish company.
The Lumia 950 XL is a continuation of the 9xx series of Lumia Windows Phones originally started by Nokia and now continued by Microsoft. It is considered a direct follow-up to the Lumia-1520 even though it drops the 15xx series designation and has a smaller display (5.7-inch versus 6). This shift in naming is to help streamline Microsoft’s Lumia line. Microsoft first added XL to their Lumia 640 XL series, which signifies the same phone but with a larger display.
Lumia 950 XL Hands-on Video
Lumia 950 XL Specs
- Matte White or black polycarbonate body
- Dual-SIM optional
- 5.7 inch WQHD (1440x2560) OLED display
- Snapdragon 810, 64-bit Octa core
- Iris scanner (near-infrared) for Windows Hello
- 3GB of RAM
- 32GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot (up 2TB micro SD card)
- 20MP f/1.9 PureView camera with triple LED flash
- 5MP Wide-angle front facing camera
- 3300 mAh removable battery
- Qi wireless charging
- Glance Screen
- Qualcomm rapid charge
- USB Type-C
Lumia 950 XL Hardware
The 5.7-inch 950 XL consists of a polycarbonate frame that comes in both black and white variants. The back shell of the phone is removable, allowing access to the battery, SIM and microSD slots. In addition to the original matte black and white finishes, there are a variety of third-party shells available for the 950 XL as well, in various different materials and colors.
Inside the 950 XL is a Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor. 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and a 3300mAh battery. An awesome 20MP PureView camera gets you amazing photos, and the 5MP wide-angle front camera also lets you snap some decent selfies. There's Qi wireless charging and a USB-C port to round things out.
Lumia 950 XL Camera
One of the standout features of the 950 XL is the 20MP PureView camera. It's sporting a 1/2.4 sensor with 1.12 μm pixels and phase-detection autofocus. The six-element Carl Zeiss lens has a f/1.9 aperture and OIS, and there's a triple-LED flash to boot. The camera can capture images up to 4992x3744 in 4:3 aspect ratio, and 5344x3008 in 16.1 ratio. Video is supported up to 4K (3840x2160) as well as 120fps slow motion.
Lumia 950 XL Availability
Microsoft announced the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL in New York City on October 6, 2015. The phone is sold unlocked direct to customers.
