Earlier this month, the Microsoft Store ran out of stock of all Lumia Windows 10 Mobile devices in the UK. Three of those handsets were unveiled a year ago, but the newest - the Lumia 650 - launched in February.
Now, all unlocked variants of Microsoft"s four Windows 10 Mobile devices are out of stock on its US store too. Microsoft slashed the cost of its Lumia 950 and 950 XL flagships to $249 and $299 respectively this month, quickly selling out of both devices. This week, it cut the price of the Lumia 550 by 50%, and that of the 650 by 40%, and both of those handsets are now out of stock too.
Just one Lumia Windows 10 Mobile phone remains available from the Microsoft Store: the AT&T-locked variant of the Lumia 950. The black model has sold out, but the white version is still available from Microsoft, priced at $298.99 (although both colors are still on sale direct from AT&T).
After recent deep discounts on the AT&T Lumia 640 XL and Verizon"s Lumia 735, stocks of both of those handsets have now run out on the Microsoft Store too.
While the Microsoft Store lists a total of thirteen products on its Windows phone page, your options for buying one are far more limited, as most of those handsets shown are out of stock. Aside from the AT&T Lumia 950, only these devices remain available to purchase on the company"s US store:
- Acer Liquid M330 | entry-level | $79.99
- BLU Win HD LTE | lower-mid-range | $149
- BLU Win JR LTE | entry-level | $99
- HP Elite x3 with Desk Dock | flagship-class | $799
- HP Elite x3 + Lap Dock Bundle | flagship-class | $1,298
It"s worth noting that the BLU Win HD LTE ships with Windows Phone 8.1, but is eligible for an official upgrade to Windows 10 Mobile. However, the Win JR LTE model sold by Microsoft, with 512MB of RAM, is not eligible for that upgrade, so will remain stuck on Windows Phone 8.1. Both of these handsets are almost two years old, having launched in April 2015.
Alcatel"s high-end IDOL 4S with Windows 10 is another device available to US buyers, although it"s exclusively available to T-Mobile, and not sold on the Microsoft Store. The manufacturer has hinted at plans to sell the device in other markets in the new year.
But the much-hyped WhartonBrooks Windows 10 Mobile handset - which the company claimed "will be the most disruptive since the advent of the smartphone in 2000" - still hasn"t materialized, after being indefinitely delayed in October. Despite WhartonBrooks" promises that its "innovative approach will define the future of computing", the only images it"s shown of its groundbreaking new handset suggest that it will be a rebranded Coship device.
Coship recently raised concerns about the future of Windows 10 Mobile, questioning the viability of continuing to invest in developing hardware for the platform. It recently launched a crowdfunding campaign for its next device, to gauge the level of consumer interest in its Windows phones - but those efforts failed spectacularly, reaching just 2.6% of its goal, with only 30 backers worldwide.
Meanwhile, Microsoft isn"t expected to launch any new mobile devices until the end of 2017, or perhaps as late as the first half of 2018. But with Microsoft"s Lumia range reaching the end of the road, even in major markets like the United States, there are very few Windows phone options currently available from the company"s hardware partners.
The long wait for Microsoft"s new handsets might just be worth it, though. This month, the company announced plans to bring the full version of Windows 10 to next-generation mobile devices with new Snapdragon chips, including support for 32-bit x86 desktop apps through emulation.
That raises some intriguing possibilities for Microsoft"s much-rumored "Surface phone". But with its smartphone market share dwindling, and few third-party Windows 10 Mobile devices available, Microsoft is at risk of losing what little mobile mindshare it currently has among potential buyers before its new handset arrives.