MICROSOFT’S NEW Lumia 950 4G smartphone becomes a mobile computer with its pre-loaded Windows 10 operating system and an optional Display Dock.
So you no longer have to carry around your laptop. All you need is a keyboard and a mouse and the Lumia 950 will do whatever you were planning to do. It’s got Word, Excel and Edge built in.
You need to connect the Display Dock to a USB keyboard and mouse and plug the dock into an LED TV – such as the one in your hotel room – using an HDMI cable. Then you can start working just as though you’d brought your desktop computer along.
The phone is 145×73.2×8.2mm and the Display Dock 64.1×64.1×25.6mm and 230 grams. While the phone’s connected to the dock, it can also be recharging.
Apart from the HDMI port, the Display Dock has a DisplayPort, three full-sized USB 2.0 ports and a pair of USB-C ports. One of these is for connecting to the phone and the other to the wall charger.
I had no problem linking the phone, the dock and my Sony TV. Once connected to the TV, the Lumia adjusted the resolution and asked me to confirm – by tapping on the phone – that it had made the right choice.
While running my tests, I felt the Word app was running fast and smooth, but the typing seemed a little delayed. Some other apps, including Facebook, didn’t work while I was connected to the TV, but I could use Microsoft Edge, which is the Windows 10 browser for using Facebook.
Otherwise the Lumia 950 performs well thanks to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808, which is a 64-bit hexa-core processor running at 1.8GHz, plus its three gigabytes of working memory (RAM) and 32GB of internal storage. You can boost the internal storage up to 200GB with a microSD card.
The touch screen and apps were very responsive and the swiping was fast.
I tested the LTE 4G connection on TrueMove H’s 4G network and was able to speedily post pictures to Facebook and toss them into Microsoft OneDrive cloud storage as backup. Ookla’s Speedtest.net app measured downloads at 56.69 megabytes per second and uploads at 9.30Mbps.
The Lumia 950 has a beautiful 5.2-inch Amoled display with ClearBlack technology and high 2560×1440-pixel resolution at a density of 564ppi. This is fine for viewing HD video clips and photos.
Unlike smartphones running on other operating systems, Windows 10 phones won’t let you jazz up the home-screen with a photo of your own choosing. Instead its “wallpaper” is a tile of the apps you use most, plus a glimpse of your gallery and icons for the feeds in your contacts. You can customise the tiles and windows easily, though.
The 950 comes with fast 802.11ac wireless connectivity. I tested it with my Linksys WRT1200AC and hooked up instantly. Another nice feature is that it supports playback of high-resolution FLAC 24bit/192kHz audio files. Using Sony’s MDR-1ABT hi-res headphones, I was impressed with the sound quality – plenty of detail and awesome bass.
The photos come out quite good, too. The main camera has a 20-megapixel, 1/2.4-inch rear-illuminated image sensor, PureView technology and Zeiss optics, as well as image stabilisation.
An LED natural flash makes sure human subjects show natural skin tones. The lens is fast and bright with an f/1.9 aperture. You can shoot 4K (Ultra HD, 3840×1080 pixels) video at 30 frames per second.
The front camera has a 5MP wide-angle lens with an f/2.4 lens and it is also capable of capturing Full HD 1080p video.
The main camera produced sharp pictures and even offers a “living image” option that mingles video and still photos. When viewed in the gallery, the photos come alive, the video clips giving each photo a great transitional effect.
The Microsoft Lumia 950 is available in black or white for Bt20,700. The Microsoft Display Dock retails for Bt2,920.
Key Specs
– OS: Windows 10
– Networks: GSM – 850/900/1800/1900MHz; 3G WCDMA – 2100/1900/1700/900/850MHz; 4G Lte – 2600/2400/2300/2100/1900/1800MHz
– CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor featuring Hexa-core CPUs and 64-bit support
– Memory: 3GB RAM
– Storage: 32GB and up to 200GB of expandable storage
– Cameras: Rear-facing PureView camera with 20MP sensor, Zeiss optics, OIS, triple LED natural flash and 4K video recording; Front camera 5MP wide-angle 1080p front-facing camera
– Ports: MicroSD slot supports up to 200GB of expandable storage; USB-C charging port for data, AV connectivity and charging; 3.5mm stereo headset connector
– Display: Screen – 5.2-inch Quad HD Amoled with Corning Gorilla Glass 3; Resolution – 2560×1440 (564ppi)
– Wireless connection: |Wi-Fi – MIMO, WLAN IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.1
– Casing: Polycarbonate
– Buttons: Power, volume, |camera
– Battery: Removable 3000mAh battery, USB-C fast charging, wireless charging
– Dimensions: 145×73.2×8.25mm
– Weight: 150 grams
This source first appeared on The Nation Life.