  The discrimination of two nonorthogonal states is a fundamental element for
secure and efficient communication. Quantum measurements of nonorthogonal
coherent states can enhance information transfer beyond the limits of
conventional technologies. We demonstrate a strategy for binary state
discrimination based on optimized single-shot measurements with photon number
resolving (PNR) detection with finite number resolution. This strategy enables
a high degree of robustness to noise and imperfections while being scalable to
high rates and in principle allows for surpassing the quantum noise limit (QNL)
in practical situations. These features make the strategy inherently compatible
with high-bandwidth communication and quantum information applications,
providing advantages over the QNL under realistic conditions.
