ON THIS DAY: Are the Lumia 950 and 950 XL victims of the Surface’s success?

As Windows Central approaches its 20th anniversary in 2027, we’re looking back at the stories that built our community. From Microsoft and Xbox to Windows and PCs, these memories remind us of how far we’ve come together.

Back in 2015, the success of the Surface line led many to hope Windows phones would offer a similar level of design and innovation. Our own Jason Ward wasn’t shy about sharing his thoughts back then! Did you happen to skip the Lumia 950 and 950 XL?

The following article was originally published by Jason Ward on Saturday, October 31, 2015. – Ben Wilson, Senior Editor

My wife and I recently saw a movie about a law enforcement officer who travels through time, pursuing a dangerous bomber who also jumps through time. At the end of the film, the officer finally confronted the bomber.

He faced a bizarre paradox: his enemy turned out to be a future version of himself. As this future self boasted about how he’d become who he was, the man vehemently denied it, insisting he’d never end up like that. He then shot and killed his future self.

He became the instrument of his own demise.

In good company

On October 6, 2015, Microsoft unveiled a range of premium devices. The HoloLens introduced augmented reality and holographic technology you could wear. The updated Band 2 featured a redesigned, curved display. The Surface Pro 4 was a thinner, lighter, and more powerful tablet designed to replace laptops. And the Surface Book, described as Microsoft’s top-of-the-line laptop, could also be used as a detachable digital notepad.

Microsoft released its most powerful Lumia phones, the 950 and 950 XL, as part of its line of premium Windows 10 devices.

“A” game

While the Lumia phones began development under Stephen Elop, their design was also influenced by Panay, the designer behind the Surface. The Lumia 950 and 950 XL actually use a liquid cooling system – a first for smartphones – inspired by the Surface’s technology.

I noticed these phones have a really cool feature – iris scanning, which you won’t find on iPhones or Samsung Galaxy phones right now. Plus, using something called Continuum, you can actually connect either of these Lumias to a monitor, mouse, and keyboard – either wirelessly or with a cable – and use it like a regular PC. It’s like having a computer in your pocket that can transform into a desktop experience.

The Lumia 950 and 950 XL offer a unique set of features, combined with impressive core specifications. They boast a high-quality screen, plenty of RAM, advanced camera technology, expandable storage, and a USB-C port – all features that compete strongly with other top smartphones. This isn’t just speculation; Microsoft made sure the Lumia’s specs were as good as, or better than, those of the iPhone 6S Plus, even though Apple wasn’t expected to release an update until the third quarter of 2016.

The best yet

Like all companies, Microsoft is already planning its next generation of devices – it’s a standard business practice. Just as Apple was developing the iPhone 7 while releasing the iPhone 6S/Plus, we can expect future products from Redmond.

Apple fans were already convinced. When the new iPhones came out this September, millions quickly bought them, calling them the best models yet. Interestingly, some of these customers had recently upgraded, having been among those who purchased the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus when it first launched just a year earlier.

As I previously mentioned in my article about the Lumia 950 and XL, fans of Windows Phone have been hoping for a flagship smartphone for the past one to three years that can compete with – or even beat – other top phones on the market.

The Lumia 950 and 950 XL fulfilled Microsoft’s promises. Plus, even if you don’t love the phone’s initial look, you can change it up with a variety of stylish third-party back covers.

Putting off for tomorrow

It’s ironic that many fans are skipping over what are currently the best Lumia phones, expecting even better models to come out next year. This hope for something better ‘next year’ is a common pattern in the tech world, where things are always changing and improving.

Technology moves quickly, so any product a company releases will inevitably be surpassed by newer versions in the future.

It’s a never-ending cycle for those who constantly seek the newest technology. There’s always something better just around the corner, leaving them feeling like they’re constantly striving for an unreachable goal.

Inaction speaks

What people do is more meaningful than what they say. Conversely, inaction can be just as telling. Both actions and a lack of them can send powerful messages, and those messages might not be what you intend.

“For people who love Windows, we’ll have a flagship device.”-Nadella 7/14/15

The Lumias 950 and 950 XL are for the fans.

The lack of excitement from fans about Microsoft’s new Windows 10 Mobile phones sends a clear, and negative, signal to those watching the tech industry – including customers, the press, investors, and competitors. Essentially, the response has been a shrug – “meh” – and that’s a serious problem. Let’s analyze Microsoft’s attempts in the mobile market from an industry perspective.

As a researcher following the mobile market, it’s clear that Microsoft’s roughly 2.7% share is widely seen as a failure. Most observers – from industry experts to everyday consumers – believe their mobile efforts have been rejected by both users and developers. It’s a common narrative in journalism and blogging that Windows Phone is essentially finished, given Apple and Android’s overwhelming 97% control of the market. Many have already written it off as a lost cause.

Despite the doom and gloom, however, one hope remained.

Many people – including Microsoft, its fans, and even critics – see Windows 10 as the final chance to revive the Windows Phone platform.

Windows 10 launched to positive reviews on PCs. In just three months, it was installed on 120 million devices, and developers building apps for the platform saw a significant boost in engagement and earnings – a promising beginning for the Universal Windows Platform.

Strong sales of the Surface Book and the positive response to the Surface Pro 4 are building a good base for Windows 10 hardware made by Microsoft and its partners. The Band 2 has also been a popular device directly from Microsoft.

The phone is central to Microsoft’s mobile plans and a key piece of their Universal Windows Platform strategy. Ironically, despite its importance, it’s also received the most negative feedback.

If fans don’t want the best Lumias ever, why should anyone want a Windows Phone?

The Lumia 950 and 950 XL were Microsoft’s first phones designed to highlight the new Windows 10 Mobile operating system. Given the lack of support from consumers, developers, and the industry for Microsoft’s mobile projects, the fact that even dedicated fans didn’t embrace these flagship phones is a strong signal that Microsoft’s mobile efforts are facing significant challenges.

Most people will probably see Windows Phone users being unsure about these devices as proof that Microsoft’s mobile platform is failing.

It’s clear the 950 and 950 XL have powerful, modern hardware with features that set them apart. Given that many users have been using older devices, updated hardware that fully utilizes the new operating system would likely be very appealing.

If people don’t embrace these new devices when the mobile operating system launches, outside observers – like customers, reporters, investors, and competitors – might see that as a sign the OS is failing and it’s time to give up on it.

Victims of their own success

Many fans seem disappointed with the new Lumias. The main reason appears to be that they were hoping for something more like the long-anticipated “Surface Phone” – a powerful, Intel-based device with Continuum support that would essentially be a full PC in your pocket. They believe the team led by Panos Panay is capable of delivering such a device, and these Lumias don’t quite meet that expectation.

Ok. I feel you. Me too.

The core issue is this: Microsoft’s Surface devices haven’t just influenced computer manufacturers. They’ve also captivated fans of the Windows Phone platform with their stylish design and how seamlessly the hardware and software work together.

Windows 10 devices that can change form and work with different inputs—like touch, pen, voice, keyboard, and mouse—have given us a glimpse of what Windows Phone could have become.

Do you see what I see?

We believe Microsoft’s ideal Windows 10 phone – one that truly brings PC power to your pocket – would resemble the Surface line in both design and performance. While the Lumia 950 wasn’t quite that, let’s imagine if the team behind Surface had been developing a phone for the past year. Would we have seen a ‘Surface Phone’ instead of the Lumias this fall? Most likely not.

I’m a huge Surface fan, and it’s not just about the cool hardware. What *really* makes it amazing is how well that hardware works with the software. It feels really polished and reliable. I think that’s especially true when you compare it to phones – Surface is designed for things like work and creativity, so the software feels more developed for those kinds of tasks, and less about just running apps.

Using the N-trig pen to open OneNote (and now Cortana) feels natural when using the device as a tablet. Quickly attaching the Type Cover instantly gets you ready to work like a laptop. With Windows 10 now fully developed, the different ways you can interact with a Surface are really impressive.

Windows 10 on phone isn’t there yet.

If Panay had been completely in charge of Windows Phone last year, the hardware and software likely wouldn’t have developed at the same pace. We’ve seen what Windows 10 Mobile is becoming – it’s still improving.

What we want

When imagining how we’d use a “Surface Phone,” several ways to interact come to mind – like touch, voice, a keyboard, and a mouse, all features of the upcoming Windows 10 Mobile with Continuum. However, pen input is currently missing. I think using a pen would be even more useful on a larger phone-tablet hybrid (“phablet”) than on a Surface device for everyday tasks.

I believe the pen will be a key feature on Windows 10 Mobile devices, always available whenever and wherever you are. It won’t just be for apps like OneNote or drawing – I expect to see pen support built directly into the operating system, allowing you to interact with live tiles in new and useful ways. When combined with Continuum, a device like the rumored “Surface Phone” could function as both a digital notepad and a full PC, effectively replacing your tablet and even your laptop.

Ultimately, Windows 10 Mobile isn’t quite polished enough to deliver a seamless experience like you’d expect on a Surface phone. Even with Panos Panay leading the team last year, it probably wouldn’t have been ready.

The Butterfly Effect

Can the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil set off a Tornado in Texas

Chaos Theory (Edward Lorenz)

I laid out the following timeline in my previous piece.

Strong sales of the Lumia 950 and XL could significantly boost overall Lumia sales in the last three months of 2015. This increase would likely lead to more activity in the Windows Store and higher earnings for app developers. This positive data could then be used to convince developers to support the upcoming app Bridges feature around the spring of 2016. By the summer and fall of 2016, the anticipated “Surface Phone” from Panay could launch, benefiting from apps initially converted from iOS and Android using the Bridges. By early 2017, other phone manufacturers might start creating high-end Windows phones based on the design and features introduced by Panay in late 2016.

I’m seeing a lot of hope pinned on the success of Windows 10 Mobile, and it seems like the key to getting things moving is strong sales of Microsoft’s new Lumia 950 and 950 XL phones. If those phones, and the new mobile operating system they run, can gain wider availability, that would be a really positive sign.

If a lot of fans continue to wait for the Surface Phone and it doesn’t appear, we could unintentionally create a more negative view of the platform.

From my analysis, the increasing integration of Chrome into Android – Google’s mobile operating system – is a potential concern. The rollout of a combined Android/Chrome OS, starting in 2016 and fully launched in 2017, could significantly shift developer focus away from Windows. Essentially, developers may prioritize building for the dominant Android platform instead.

It’s ironic that while hoping for a better Windows phone, we might actually be hindering ourselves, much like the character in the film I mentioned.

I could be wrong. Time and how these devices sell will tell.

2025-10-31 17:43