It"s been a bumpy road for Microsoft"s Lumia line of handsets lately, as they"re clearly coming to the end of their retail lives. Two weeks ago, Microsoft removed the Lumia 650 and 735 from its online Store, followed by the removal of the AT&T-locked Lumia 640 XL the next day.
Carriers haven"t been much kinder to the line of Windows phones, with Cricket Wireless taking down its listing for the Lumia 650, and AT&T selling out of the 950, twice. While you can still get a brand-new AT&T-locked Lumia 950 from the Microsoft Store for $298.99, the carrier has another solution for you.
AT&T is now selling "Certified Like-New" models of both the Lumia 640 XL and the 950. These refurbished variants won"t save you that much money, but they do bring a nearly two-year-old phone back from the dead in the 640 XL.
In fact, the refurbished Lumia 640 XL will cost $84.99 if you buy it up front, which is $15 below the price at which it was last listed in the Microsoft Store; however, if you commit to a 30-month installment plan, it can be yours for just $2.84-per-month. The device is available in white and black, and you can even find some first-party removable back covers for it that come in orange and cyan. You can find it at AT&T here.
The "Certified Like-New" variant of the Lumia 950 costs $254.14, or $8.48-per-month on a 30-month installment plan. Like the 640 XL, it"s available in white and black, and you can find it here.
It would appear that the carrier is simply selling off some of its old stock before the handsets are inevitably discontinued. Last October, the Lumia 950 turned a year old, and in March, the 640 XL will be two years old, so it"s about time.