Old meets new: Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL vs Nokia Lumia 930 and Lumia 1520 (specs comparison)

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Old meets new: Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL vs Nokia Lumia 930 and Lumia 1520 (specs comparison)
Microsoft this week announced the first high-end Lumia smartphones since the Lumia 930 - which, as you may know, was launched in mid-2014 as a Nokia-branded device. The new smartphones are the Microsoft Lumia 950 and Microsoft Lumia 950 XL, both running Windows 10 out of the box. While the two new handsets have a lot in common, they can be seen as successors to different devices: the Lumia 950 succeeds the aforementioned Lumia 930, and the Lumia 950 XL could pass as a successor to the Nokia Lumia 1520 - the very first extra-large, high-end Lumia smartphone, which was released back in November 2013.

Let's see how things have evolved for the Lumia brand under Microsoft by comparing the specs of the 950 and 950 XL to those of the Nokia Lumia 930 and Lumia 1520, respectively. Of course, for a proper look at the 950 and 950 XL we have to wait until November, when Microsoft will stat selling them. But, for a preliminary look, you can check out the comparisons below. It's worth mentioning that both the Lumia 930 and Lumia 1520 will be updated to Windows 10, so, at least from the software point of view, they will be able to stand next to the newer and more advanced 950 and 950 XL.

Display
Size
5.0-inch
5.2-inch
Technology
AMOLED
AMOLED
Screen-to-body
70.78 %
69.77 %
Features
Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor, Scratch-resistant glass
Scratch-resistant glass, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor
Hardware
System chip
Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 8974-AA
Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 MSM8992
Processor
Quad-core, 2200 MHz, Krait 400
Hexa-core, 1800 MHz, ARM Cortex-A57 and ARM Cortex-A53, 64-bit
GPU
Adreno 330
Adreno 418
RAM
2GB (LPDDR3)
3GB (LPDDR3)
Internal storage
32GB
32GB
OS
Windows Phone, 8.1
Windows (10 Mobile)
Battery
Capacity
2420 mAh
3000 mAh
Charging
 
Fast charging
Talk time
11.50 hours
the average is 13 h (780 min)
23.00 hours
the average is 13 h (780 min)
Stand-by time
23.0 days (552 hours)
the average is 25 days (600 h)
12.0 days (288 hours)
the average is 25 days (600 h)
Talk time (3G)
15.50 hours
the average is 0 h (0 min)
18.00 hours
the average is 0 h (0 min)
Music playback
86.00 hours
67.00 hours
Video playback
7.50 hours
10.00 hours
Camera
Rear
Single camera
Single camera
Main camera
20 MP (Features: OIS, Autofocus, BSI sensor)
20 MP (Features: OIS, Autofocus, BSI sensor)
Specifications
Aperture size: F2.4
Focal length: 26 mm
Sensor size: 1/2.5"
Aperture size: F1.9
Focal length: 26 mm
Sensor size: 1/2.4"
Pixel size: 1.12 μm
Video recording
3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps)
3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (60 fps)
Recording format
MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV
 
Features

OIS, Continuous autofocus, Video light, Video calling, Video sharing

OIS, Continuous autofocus, Video light, Video calling, Video sharing
Front
1.2 MP
5 MP
Video capture
1280x720 (HD)
1920x1080 (Full HD)
Design
Dimensions
5.39 x 2.80 x 0.39 inches
(137 x 71 x 9.8 mm)
5.71 x 2.88 x 0.32 inches
(145 x 73.2 x 8.2 mm)
Weight
5.89 oz (167.0 g)
the average is 6.3 oz (179 g)
5.29 oz (150.0 g)
the average is 6.3 oz (179 g)
Materials
 
Back: Plastic
Biometrics
 
Iris scanner
Features
 
Touch sensitive control keys
See the full Nokia Lumia 930 vs Microsoft Lumia 950 specs comparison or compare them to other phones using our Phone Comparison Tool.


Display
Size
6.0-inch
5.7-inch
Technology
IPS LCD
AMOLED
Screen-to-body
70.95 %
74.15 %
Peak brightness
600 cd/m2 (nit)
 
Features
Scratch-resistant glass, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor, Polarizing filter
Scratch-resistant glass, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor
Hardware
System chip
Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974
Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 MSM8994
Processor
Quad-core, 2200 MHz, Krait 400
Octa-core, 2000 MHz, ARM Cortex-A57 and ARM Cortex-A53, 64-bit
GPU
Adreno 330
Adreno 430
RAM
2GB (LPDDR3)
3GB (LPDDR4)
Internal storage
32GB
32GB
OS
Windows Phone, 8.1, 8
Windows (10 Mobile)
Battery
Capacity
3400 mAh
3340 mAh
Charging
 
Fast charging
Talk time
27.40 hours
the average is 13 h (780 min)
25.00 hours
the average is 13 h (780 min)
Stand-by time
32.0 days (768 hours)
the average is 25 days (600 h)
12.0 days (288 hours)
the average is 25 days (600 h)
Talk time (3G)
25.10 hours
the average is 0 h (0 min)
19.00 hours
the average is 0 h (0 min)
Music playback
124.00 hours
75.00 hours
Video playback
10.80 hours
11.00 hours
Camera
Rear
Single camera
Single camera
Main camera
20 MP (Features: OIS, Autofocus, BSI sensor)
20 MP (Features: OIS, Autofocus, BSI sensor)
Specifications
Aperture size: F2.4
Focal length: 26 mm
Sensor size: 1/2.5"
Pixel size: 1.12 μm
Aperture size: F1.9
Focal length: 26 mm
Sensor size: 1/2.4"
Pixel size: 1.12 μm
Video recording
3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (30 fps)
3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (60 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (120 fps)
Features

OIS, Video light

OIS, Continuous autofocus, Video light, Video calling, Video sharing
Front
1.2 MP
5 MP
Video capture
1280x720 (HD) (30 fps)
1920x1080 (Full HD)
Design
Dimensions
6.41 x 3.36 x 0.34 inches
(162.8 x 85.4 x 8.7 mm)
5.98 x 3.09 x 0.32 inches
(151.9 x 78.4 x 8.1 mm)
Weight
7.37 oz (209.0 g)
the average is 6.3 oz (179 g)
5.82 oz (165.0 g)
the average is 6.3 oz (179 g)
Materials
 
Back: Plastic
Biometrics
 
Iris scanner
Features
 
Touch sensitive control keys
Buyers information
Price
$ 749
$ 649
See the full Nokia Lumia 1520 vs Microsoft Lumia 950 XL specs comparison or compare them to other phones using our Phone Comparison Tool.

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