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Microsoft 950 XL vs Apple iPhone 6s Plus vs Samsung Galaxy Note5: specs comparison

posted by Peter K. / Oct 06, 2015, 11:19 AM

Microsoft 950 XL vs Apple iPhone 6s Plus vs Samsung Galaxy Note5: specs comparison

Microsoft just announced its brand new 5.7-inch Lumia 950 XL, a new addition to its smartphone portfolio. The thing that truly captures in this device is the liquid cooling tech that aims to put the leash on the on-board Snapdragon 810 chipset and prevent it from over-heating, which is an issue plaguing it.

The Lumia 950 XL has a pretty good specs sheet, to say the least. We won't list all of the specs here, as these can be viewed by scrolling down. Apart from the raw technical data, you will certainly notice the two other rather notable headsets that we've also thrown in: the iPhone 6s Plus and the Galaxy Note5.

As we are curious to see how the three compare against each other.

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL vs Apple iPhone 6s Plus vs Samsung Galaxy Note 5

Display

Display size

5.7 inches

5.5 inches

5.7 inches

Resolution

1440 x 2560 pixels

1080 x 1920 pixels

1440 x 2560 pixels

Pixel density

515 ppi

401 ppi

518 ppi

Technology

AMOLED

IPS LCD

Super AMOLED

Screen-to-body ratio

74.15 %

67.91 %

76.62 %

Peak brightness

500 cd/m2 (nit)

Camera

Rear

Single camera

Main camera

20 megapixels

12 megapixels

16 megapixels

Hardware Features

Optical image stabilization, Autofocus, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI)

Sapphire crystal lens cover, Optical image stabilization, Phase detection autofocus, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI)

Optical image stabilization, Phase detection autofocus, CMOS image sensor, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI)

Specifications

Aperture size: F1.9; Focal length: 26 mm; Sensor size: 1/2.4"; Pixel size: 1.12 μm

Aperture size: F2.2; Focal length: 29 mm; Sensor size: 1/3"; Pixel size: 1.22 μm

Aperture size: F1.9; Focal length: 28 mm; Sensor size: 1/2.6"; Pixel size: 1.12 μm

Video recording

3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (60 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (120 fps)

3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (120 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (240 fps)

3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 2560x1440 (QHD), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (60 fps), 1280x720 (HD), 640x480 (VGA)

Recording format

MPEG4, H.264

Features

Optical image stabilization, Continuous autofocus, Video light, Video calling, Video sharing

Optical image stabilization, Time-lapse video, Continuous autofocus, Video calling, Video sharing

Optical image stabilization, Continuous autofocus, Object tracking, Digital image stabilization, Video calling

Front

5 megapixels

Video capture

1920x1080 (Full HD)

Design

Dimensions

5.98 x 3.09 x 0.32 inches (151.9 x 78.4 x 8.1 mm)

6.23 x 3.07 x 0.29 inches (158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3 mm)

6.03 x 3.00 x 0.30 inches (153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6 mm)

Weight

5.82 oz (165 g)

6.77 oz (192 g)

6.03 oz (171 g)

Materials

Back: Plastic

Back: Aluminum

Back: Glass; Frame: Metal

Biometrics

Iris scanner

Fingerprint (touch)

Features

Touch sensitive control keys

Notification light

Stylus, Touch sensitive control keys

Hardware & Performance

System chip

Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 MSM8994

Apple A9 APL1022

Samsung Exynos 7 Octa 7420

Processor

Octa-core, 2000 MHz, ARM Cortex-A57 and ARM Cortex-A53, 64-bit

Dual-core, 1840 MHz, Twister, 64-bit

Octa-core, 2100 MHz, ARM Cortex-A57 and ARM Cortex-A53, 64-bit, 14 nm

GPU

Adreno 430

PowerVR GT7600

Mali-T760 MP8

RAM

3 GB LPDDR4

2 GB LPDDR4

4 GB LPDDR4

OS

Windows (10 Mobile)

iOS (13.x, 12.x, 11.x, 10.x, 9.x)

Android (7.0 Nougat, 6.0 Marshmallow, 5.1 Lollipop), Samsung TouchWiz UI

Battery

Capacity

3340 mAh

2750 mAh

3000 mAh

Charging

Yes

Talk time

25.00 hours

Stand-by time

12.0 days (288 hours)

16.0 days (384 hours)

Talk time (3G)

19.00 hours

24.00 hours

22.00 hours

Internet use

3G: 12 hours; LTE: 12 hours; Wi-Fi: 12 hours

Music playback

75.00 hours

80.00 hours

64.00 hours

Video playback

11.00 hours

14.00 hours

15.00 hours

Shopping information

MSRP price

$ 949

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL

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21 Comments

1. gazmatic

Posts: 812; Member since: Sep 06, 2012

why is the MSRP missing? you guys need to update the tables. these are all amazing devices. credit to their respective os. No matter which you choose you're choosing right.

posted on Oct 06, 2015, 11:25 AM 3

2. TechieXP1969

Posts: 14967; Member since: Sep 25, 2013

The 950XL is $649 ro start, same cost as an iPhone and $50 less than the Note. But again I dont understand why this is being compared to a Note. The Lumia doesn't come with a stylus or Stylus specific features. Why is it not being compared with the S6 Edge+? A fair comparison --- http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=7263&idPhone2=7243&idPhone3=7467

posted on Oct 06, 2015, 11:36 AM 0

14. Spedez

Posts: 542; Member since: Aug 29, 2014

Hmmm...brand spanking new iPhone 6S or this. Tough choice. Not.

posted on Oct 06, 2015, 11:58 AM 0

20. vincentwansink

Posts: 2; Member since: Nov 05, 2015

Yes, it should be compared against the Galaxy 6S Edge, but unfortunately that link you posted shows an incorrect processor for the 950XL. It shows a Quad-Core 1.5Ghz, but it should be an Octa-core 2.0Ghz. Makes me wonder what else they got wrong in those spec sheets.

posted on Nov 05, 2015, 6:13 PM 0

3. Diego!

Posts: 876; Member since: Jun 15, 2009

950 XL looks great! It's my next phone for sure! :D I don't get this: Display Physical size 5.7 inches 5.5 inches 5.7 inches Resolution 1440 x 2560 pixels 1080 x 1920 pixels 1440 x 2560 pixels Pixel density 515 ppi 401 ppi 518 ppi If 950XL and Note 5 have the same size and resolution, why does Samsung Galaxy Note 5 have more ppi than 950XL?

posted on Oct 06, 2015, 11:36 AM 2

5. NOKIAest1865

Posts: 13; Member since: Aug 18, 2015

The note 5 has 3 extra pixels added in by Sammy for no particular reason

posted on Oct 06, 2015, 11:40 AM 0

6. TechieXP1969

Posts: 14967; Member since: Sep 25, 2013

Click the link in post 2. GSM has it right. The PPI is also 518.

posted on Oct 06, 2015, 11:42 AM 2

8. nuldolor5x.com unregistered

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL (151.9 x 78.4 x 8.1 mm) Screen-to-body ratio: 74.15 % and Samsung Galaxy Note5 (153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6 mm) Screen-to-body ratio: 76.62 %. aah, no time for the icrap, too tall. Can someone explain to me why the Note 5 is taller than the MS 950 XL but still have a better screen to body ratio?

posted on Oct 06, 2015, 11:47 AM 0

10. TechieXP1969

Posts: 14967; Member since: Sep 25, 2013

Smaller bezels on the Note?

posted on Oct 06, 2015, 11:50 AM 0

11. TechieXP1969

Posts: 14967; Member since: Sep 25, 2013

5.7 inches (~74.3% screen-to-body ratio) - 950XL 5.5 inches (~67.7% screen-to-body ratio) - iPhone 6S 5.7 inches (~75.9% screen-to-body ratio) - Note 5 5.7 inches (~75.6% screen-to-body ratio) - S6 Edge+ GSMARENA has these posted. Not sure what PhoneArena is doing.

posted on Oct 06, 2015, 11:54 AM 0

18. hound.master

Posts: 1044; Member since: Feb 27, 2015

Em there's also bezels at sides with are less noticeable!

posted on Oct 07, 2015, 6:27 AM 0

21. vincentwansink

Posts: 2; Member since: Nov 05, 2015

Another spec sheet I saw listed 518 ppi for the 950 XL. Maybe this one is wrong?

posted on Nov 05, 2015, 6:14 PM 0

4. hound.master

Posts: 1044; Member since: Feb 27, 2015

Wtf is wrong with the standby time they're surely wrong both 2g and 3g. And wtf again iPhone 6s plus is bigger than these phones. Hey why there's no mention of the liquid cooling technology they announce!?

posted on Oct 06, 2015, 11:38 AM 0

7. samgsam15

Posts: 50; Member since: May 09, 2014

good thing is it will also have a dual sim version

posted on Oct 06, 2015, 11:46 AM 0

9. TechieXP1969

Posts: 14967; Member since: Sep 25, 2013

I am amazing how the S6 Edge+ is slightly larger than the 950XL, slightly smaller than the iPhone 6S plus, packs in far more internals and manages to be lighter.. Good job Microsoft. I havent used a Windows Phone in a while because i tried 2 way back with Windows Phone when they first came out and I was so disappointed with them. But now it looks very good, with Flagship classed hardware. Ii am surprised there is no biometrics on the phone. I want a 20MP camera

posted on Oct 06, 2015, 11:47 AM 0

12. fyahking

Posts: 1146; Member since: Jan 28, 2015

I guess, ill be rolling with the xl and 6p for the next 6 months.:)

posted on Oct 06, 2015, 11:57 AM 0

13. alaw.14

Posts: 426; Member since: Sep 10, 2013

Dx12 and sd810, interesting.

posted on Oct 06, 2015, 11:57 AM 0

15. ZeroCide

Posts: 816; Member since: Jan 09, 2013

Stupid Sprint better get the Lumia 950XL phone

posted on Oct 06, 2015, 12:01 PM 0

16. TechieXP1969

Posts: 14967; Member since: Sep 25, 2013

Don't count on it. CDMA carreiers just arent going to carry them. You need to get with ATT or T-Mobile. But more so ATT. Microosft has a bigger/better relationshop with ATT because all the business guys work for companies that purchase their phones and they use ATT because they are GSM, they travel and its that's simple. If you want a Windows Phone ATT is your best shot. Sprint and VZW combine have less business customers and thus have the fewest Microsoft phone sales. This has been the case for decades. Sprint and Verizon are not stupid to carry phones that dont sell on their network. That focus is on you for not moving to a network that supports the devices you want to buy. I fell into that too and I finally pulled the plug on Verizon for the same reasons. The Lumia isnt a consumer oriented phone. It is a business phone liek Windows Mobile has always been, and the network that is for business is AT&T.

posted on Oct 06, 2015, 12:29 PM 0

17. SundovChildress

Posts: 71; Member since: Sep 20, 2015

Here is a video about transferring important data from Android smartphone to galaxy s6 edge+, also works with iPhone 6S Plus and Galaxy Note 5 fb.com/KSOFT.CC/videos/725841427521172/

posted on Oct 07, 2015, 1:42 AM 0

19. Droids-R-us

Posts: 35; Member since: Sep 17, 2012

Hmm, the note 5 does have time lapse and video sharing, why is it missing from the list here? Perhaps because it is called by a different name or used in a different way? Check out the web to find out.

posted on Oct 10, 2015, 5:35 AM 0

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