Microsoft's Lumia 950 XL drops to £359.99 in the UK

Last month, Microsoft introduced a permanent price cut of 17% on its Windows 10 Mobile flagships in the UK, reducing the cost of the Lumia 950 to £319.99 SIM-free, and that of the Lumia 950 XL to £399.99.

Microsoft and its retail partners have been steadily reducing the prices of both handsets in the UK since before they even went on sale there (you can learn more about that in the timeline below this article). Indeed, a week after its most recent price cuts, the 950 XL dropped to £368 at Amazon.

Now, the price of the range-topping Lumia 950 XL has fallen further. While the Microsoft Store continues to sell the device for £399.99, it's now available from Amazon and Carphone Warehouse for £359.99 SIM-free. Only the black model is available at that price from Amazon; the white model will set you back a few quid more, priced at £363.71.

Key specs of the Lumia 950 XL include:

5.7-inch AMOLED with Quad HD (2560x1440px) resolution
Octa-core 2.0GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor
3GB RAM
32GB onboard storage (plus microSD card slot)
20MP PureView rear camera with auto focus, 6-lens optics, triple-LED flash, optical image stabilization and 4K video recording at 30fps
5MP front-facing camera with wide-angle lens and 1080p video recording
Bluetooth 4.1
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac with Wi-Fi Direct support
Qi wireless charging
3340mAh battery
USB 3.1 port with Type-C connector
151.9 x 78.4 x 8.3mm; 165g

The device also supports the PC-like Continuum mode in Windows 10 Mobile, allowing owners to use a mouse and keyboard with the device when connected to a larger display, via an external Display Dock accessory.

Source: Amazon / Carphone Warehouse

Timeline: Lumia 950 and 950 XL pricing in the UK

October 6, 2015: Microsoft unveils the Lumia 950 and 950 XL in New York City.
Mid-October: Microsoft lists the Lumia 950 at £499.99 SIM-free, and the Lumia 950 XL at £549.99, on its UK Store.
October 24: Microsoft quietly cuts its prices before pre-orders have opened, reducing the 950 to £449.99, and the 950 XL to £529.99.
November 10: Amazon slashes its pre-order prices, cutting £20 off the 950, and £50 off the 950 XL.
November 16: Amazon trims its pre-order prices again, reducing both handsets by a further £10.
January 13, 2016: Amazon and Carphone Warehouse both reduce the Lumia 950 to £399.99.
January 22: Amazon's pricing for the Lumia 950 falls again, to £389.99. Microsoft also cuts its official UK prices for both flagships; the 950 falls by £30 to £419.99, while the 950 XL drops by £60 to £469.99.
February 2: Expansys reduces the Lumia 950 to £379.99.
April 6: Expansys cuts the 950's price to £369.99, and lists certain variants of both the 950 and 950 XL as having "been discontinued".
April 8: Amazon reduces the 950 to under £344, but its pricing later returns to around £370.
April 21: Microsoft announces that it has sold just 2.3 million Lumia Windows Phones worldwide during the first quarter of 2016. In its earnings call, the company's chief financial officer admits: "Sell-through of our Lumia products was weak, and we exited the quarter with relatively high channel inventory."
April 25: Four days after revealing the extent of its poor handset sales, Microsoft launches a deal in the US and Canada, offering a free Lumia 950 with purchases of a Lumia 950 XL.
April 28: In lieu of a similar buy-one-get-one-free deal in the UK, Microsoft instead offers £40 off the Lumia 950 when purchased with a Surface device.
May 24: Microsoft announces it will be giving away a free Display Dock worth £79.99 with either handset in the UK.
June 6: Microsoft introduces permanent price cuts of 17% for both the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL, reducing them to £319.99 and £399.99 respectively.
June 14: Amazon reduces the Lumia 950 XL to £368, keeping it at that price for several more weeks.
July 29: Microsoft reveals that its global Lumia sales slumped to just 1.2 million units last quarter.
Today: The Lumia 950 XL's price falls further at Amazon and Carphone Warehouse, down to £359.99.