Microsoft today announced a pair of Lumia smartphones: the flagship Lumia 950 and the slightly larger Lumia 950XL. In fact, it's the third major mobile company to do so in the last month — first, Apple with the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus in September, then Google with the Nexus 5X and 6P this time last week. That's six flagship devices across three major mobile platforms; something slightly bigger, something slightly smaller.

At its core, each of these pairs represent the ideal portal into the respective platforms (i.e., iOS, Android, and Windows 10 Mobile). When we talk specs, it's more for sport — the real test will be some combination of the platform itself, its respective ecosystem, and personal taste. Oh, and the camera, too — definitely the camera. But until we can get some prolonged quality time with Microsoft's new devices, let's enjoy the sport: