Two weeks ago, we reported that Verizon is now the only US carrier that still sells a Windows phone, after Cricket Wireless stopped offering the refurbished Nokia Lumia 635. Now, as they say, another one bites the dust.
Microsoft has removed the listing for its Lumia 735 handset from its online Store, which was only ever offered for Verizon in the US. This means that there are no longer any first-party Windows phones for sale from Microsoft, as all other Lumias were removed back in June. If you still want to purchase the phone, which isn"t even eligible for the Windows 10 Mobile Creators Update, it"s out of stock on Verizon"s website, but you can still grab it in many physical stores.
During Microsoft"s earnings call from the third quarter of fiscal year 2017, the company said that it planned to discontinue all first-party phone hardware by the end of June, so this is actually overdue. For the fourth quarter, the firm referred to its phone revenue as "immaterial".
You can still get Windows phones from the Microsoft Store though; they"re just not made by Microsoft. They"re also a bit hard to find at the moment, as if you choose the "Windows phone" option from the "Devices" dropdown and select "All mobile phones", you"ll be taken to a page that says "No results found". If you search manually though, you can still find the HP Elite x3, Alcatel IDOL 4S, Acer Liquid Jade Primo, and Acer Liquid M330, all of which are currently in stock.
Update: Oddly, the "All mobile phones" section of the Microsoft Store no longer states "no results found", and has once again restored the five handsets that were there previously. However, while the Lumia 735 is still listed there, it now says the phone is "not available", replacing the previous "out of stock" notice.
Update: The Lumia 735 has once again been removed.