Last month, Microsoft announced the Lumia 650, with little fanfare, in a blog post on its site. In the UK, the 650 was priced at £159.99 unlocked and off-contract, and went on sale there on February 18.
But while Microsoft continues to sell the device at that price, the Lumia 650"s price is already starting to fall at other retailers. Three weeks after its launch, leading independent device retailer Carphone Warehouse is now selling the 650 for £149.99, and similar reductions are becoming available elsewhere too.
Expansys, for example, is offering the black Lumia 650 for £150.99, although the white version is still being sold at the full price of just under £160.
Amazon"s price for the black 650 is now £148.99; however, the device is currently out of stock from Amazon itself, but independent sellers there are also offering the device for just over £150, albeit in limited quantities.
Given how quickly and frequently even the high-end Lumia 950"s price was cut in the UK - dropping by 24% from its original list price in just a few months - it might be worth waiting a bit longer to see if prices fall further if you"re considering picking up the new Lumia 650.
The Lumia 650"s key specs include:
- 5-inch AMOLED with HD (1280x720px) resolution and Gorilla Glass 3
- Quad-core 1.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 processor
- 1GB RAM
- 16GB onboard storage (plus microSD card support up to 200GB)
- 8MP rear camera with autofocus, LED flash and 720p video recording at 30fps
- 5MP front-facing camera with continous autofocus, "video light" and 720p video at 30fps
- Bluetooth 4.1
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n with support for Wi-Fi calling
- 4G LTE connectivity (bands 1, 3, 7, 8 and 20)
- NFC support
- microUSB 2.0 with Type B connector
- Removable 2000mAh battery
- 142 x 71 x 6.9mm; 122g
The company said in its announcement that the new Windows 10 Mobile was "built for business", although besides its sleek, ultra-thin, premium design, there"s little evidence of what makes it more uniquely suited for business than other devices in its range.
Notably, it lacks the PC-like Continuum feature that Microsoft has been promoting towards business customers. And while the 650"s predecessors - the Lumia 640 and 640 XL - both launched with a free Office 365 subscription, there"s no such offer for the Lumia 650. Other features on the 650 that Microsoft has highlighted as "the smart choice for your business" - including Office apps, Cortana and OneDrive - are available on other Windows phones, and even on iPhone and Android devices.
Our full review of the Microsoft Lumia 650 is coming soon. In the meantime, check out our unboxing and first impressions of the Windows 10 Mobile device.