The US looks like a tougher and tougher market to crack for Microsoft and Windows smartphones in general, as Verizon reportedly turned down Lumia 950 and 950 XL activation on the nation’s largest network, while T-Mobile was inexplicably refused a stab at the two.
As such, the platform’s future clearly rides on Asian and especially European device sales, which is probably why Redmond reconsidered Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL pricing in one of the old continent’s paramount countries.
Initially valued at £500 and £550 respectively, the world’s first Windows 10 Mobile flagships are now ready to go on sale for £450 and £530. Mind you, nobody got to spend the original sums on the ultra-high-end Lumias, nor can Brits actually order and pay for them today.
The local Microsoft e-store merely offers to inform you by email when the handhelds will be available at last, and says they’re both “coming soon.” What’s odd is no similar price trims seem to have been enforced elsewhere, though the US branch does lack a Lumia 950 tag at the moment, so perhaps change is imminent.
Americans will definitely still be asked to cough up $650 on the larger, Snapdragon 810-powered variant free of contractual obligations, which remains theoretically a better deal than the British cut. £530 converts to a lot more, namely $815, but includes VAT and other taxes, so don’t blame it on Microsoft’s greed.
It’s worth highlighting before we wrap up that, while not customary, premature European pre-sale discounts have been known to happen in the past. Sony pulled the exact same stunt in early September, likely overestimating customer interest in the Xperia Z5 trio.
Source: Microsoft Store (1), (2)
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