Three months after the phone’s debut as the device to end the "smartphone beta test", Nokia has just sliced the price of the Lumia 900 in half on AT&T in the United States. Now, you can pick it up at the low cost of $49.99 when paired with a two year contract with the carrier. The announcement of this pricing change coincides with the announcement of a pink Lumia 900, which joins the existing white, black, and cyan color schemes that the device also comes in.
Does the pricing shift show a sign of diminished confidence in the device due to underwhelming sales from Nokia? Or the fear of taking a sales hit from the news that current-gen devices won’t receive an update to Windows Phone 8 when it’s released later this year? They certainly don’t think so.
Nokia Spokesperson Doug Dawson issued the following statement to the New York Times: “I realize we’re under a microscope at the moment and everything we do is under closer scrutiny, but this move is a normal strategy that is put in place during the lifecycle of most phones, and allows a broader consumer base to buy this flagship device at a more accessible price."
The lifespan of a phone touted to be a flagship Windows Phone device was truly cut short by the massive Apollo update, which will touch down with new Windows Phone devices towards the end of the year. However, if you’re in the market for a low-cost phone now, this is worth considering. However, it still has to compete with the iPhone 3GS, priced at $0.99, and the iPhone 4, priced at $99 (subsidized, of course). While both of these devices are technically older than the Lumia, many consumers would prefer owning an iPhone for many reasons (I suspect that the primary one is that, in terms of apps, it can be viewed as a "safer" bet).
Nevertheless – competition aside – this is still a great deal for the Lumia 900. If you are planning to enter the Windows Phone ecosystem and have a bit more time and money at hand, I’d suggest waiting for Windows Phone 8 devices to hit the shelves.
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