This is how it ends, Lumia fans: Microsoft is using the Black Friday weekend sales event to clear out its remaining inventory of Lumia smartphones. This includes the Lumia 950 and 950 XL, and also the Lumia 650.
To be fair, Microsoft has been clearing out Lumia inventory all year long, via various limited-time offers. And this weekend’s special deals and sale prices aren’t exactly among the best we’ve seen, which is surprising. They are available at the Microsoft Store, online and at retail.
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Before getting to the pricing, my advice remains unchanged: None of these phones will provide a satisfying smartphone experience in late 2016 or have any meaningful longevity. The Lumia 950 and 950 XL, in particular, are lackluster smartphones and should be avoided. The Lumia 650 is a thin, light and elegant device, and a sad reminder of what used to be.
On that note, here’s what Microsoft is doing.
Buy a Lumia 950 XL, get a Lumia 950 and a Microsoft Display Dock for free. We’ve seen this one before, but the price here—$500—is simply too high. Who on earth would spend $500 on Lumia now? You’d be better off putting that money towards an Alcatel IDOL 4S or HP Elite x3 if you simply must have a Windows phone.
Buy a Lumia 650 for $99. I’m pretty sure we’ve seen better deals on this device, but you can get a Lumia 650 for half off, or $99. If you do take the plunge, you can also get the the ScreenBeam Mini Continuum Edition dongle for half price. But the Lumia 650 doesn’t even support Continuum, so this would just be a normal Miracast experience.
Curiously, the Lumia 550 isn’t on sale, so it’s temporarily more expensive, at $139, than the more capable and interesting Lumia 650. Likewise, the Lumia 640 XL is also still $99 at the Microsoft Store. And if you just want a 950, it’s still $399. Which is crazy.
You can find a complete list of Microsoft’s swamp, er, remaining Lumias here.
5134
<blockquote><em><a href="#27151">In reply to </a><a href="../../../users/ghostrider">ghostrider</a><a href="#27151">:</a></em></blockquote>
<blockquote><em>that much money?</em><em>50$ for the display dock, 200$ for a 950, 250$ for a 950XL</em></blockquote>
<blockquote><em>lackluster ?</em></blockquote>
<blockquote><em>brilliant screen, brilliant camera on the 950XL, very light, 20+ hours battery life (for me)</em></blockquote>
<blockquote><em>who should buy this ? </em></blockquote>
<blockquote><em>if you don’t need apps – other than some major ones </em></blockquote>
<blockquote><em>if you live in a Microsoft eco system </em></blockquote>
<p> </p>
5510
<p>Nobody wants to buy these phones. They should be giving them away.</p>
4010
<blockquote><em><a href="#27146">In reply to </a><a href="../../../users/Bats">Bats</a><a href="#27146">:</a></em></blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>Not true. Lumia 950/950 XL is still a very special product that is in demand from savvy consumers who want the very best smartphone experience. I tried using iOS 10 recently, it’s so old and tired – Windows 10 just blows it away. Believe me, Windows 10 Mobile has a very big future ahead of it – especially when UWP apps really take off as they are starting to do now.</p>
5134
<blockquote><em><a href="#27159">In reply to </a><a href="../../../users/mmcewan">mmcewan</a><a href="#27159">:</a></em></blockquote>
<p>same here.</p>
<p>the first iteration of smart phones turned the relationship of most users from phone users to feeding a tamagotchi</p>
<p>the second iteration (including the apps/stores) just reverses the roles: the users are being fed by the eco system and turn themselves into a Tamagotchi</p>
<p>how about they get themselves a life</p>
<p>statements like "I could not live without the xyz app" – did they ever ask themselves how they lived like a few years ago ? guess they eventually even had a life back then</p>