Nokia's reveal of its Windows Phone-based Lumia 800 smartphone last month will be followed by its launch in parts of Europe late in November, including the UK. However, today Telecoms.com reports that an executive at the Spanish telecommunications company Telefónica has pretty much slammed the Lumia 800, claiming that Nokia has made the phone "too expensive" to succeed.
Simon Lee-Smith, who is the European general manager for devices at the company, said that the Lumia 800, and indeed all of Nokia's premium smartphones are just too pricy. He added, "If Nokia wants to sell in volume, they need to bring out devices which are cost-competitive." At the press event introducing the Lumia 800 it was announced that it would be priced around 420 euros. That price doesn't include taxes or a possible reduction if a person buys the phone under contract.
Lee-Smith seems to be of the opinion that the entire smartphone industry is making a mistake with the prices of high-end devices, saying, "All device manufacturers seem to think that a (euro) 400-plus device is the norm. Well, it isn’t. Customers and operators won’t pay that cost for a device which doesn’t differentiate sufficiently."
That certainly hasn't been the case in the US where we have seen phones that are priced as high as $200, with a two year contract, become huge hits. From what we have gathered the Lumia 800 would be priced around that amount when and if it is released in this country. We think that with Nokia's higher profile in Europe the Lumia 800 has a good shot of being successful in that part of the world, despite the relatively high price.
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