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Will Nokia’s Windows Phone 8 handsets be the most expensive?

posted on Oct 17th 2012 at 9:22am by Ashley King

So far we’ve gotten a good look at the line-up that awaits us eager Windows Phone 8 fans come the end of October and early November. Many people have professed love for the strong line-up, but despite this no official pricing has been announced for the United States. We’ve had specific pricing for other countries such as the United Kingdom and even the Russian Federation, but those of us in the States are having to wait with our thumbs twiddling. Why is that?

Earlier this year the Lumia 900 launched here in the United States in Nokia’s bid to take back the United States market. A huge marketing plan organized with AT&T meant the phone was getting commercials and advertisements just about everywhere you could stuff them. The phone itself was subsidized to only $99 on a new contract, so it was an attractive option for both new and old users alike. Similarly, the HTC Titan II which launched on the same day was subsidized at $199 and it was basically a flop.

Nokia was eager to watch the handsets fly off the shelves, but the company may be a bit more conservative when it comes to their Windows Phone 8 pricing model. Rumors place the HTC 8X and 8S as costing between $400-$600 depending on the phone you get, while the Samsung ATIV s is rumored to be in the $700 range. Of course, the are unsubsidized prices, but where does that leave the Lumia 820 and the Lumia 920?

Rumors place the Lumia 820 at the low end of $600, while the higher-end Lumia 920 could be as much as $800. That’s a premium price for a premium phone, if true. Remember, the unsubsidized cost of the Lumia 900 when it launched was only $550, though it didn’t contain the PureView technology that Nokia has managed to pack into the Lumia 920. If these rumored unsubsidized prices are true, where does that leave those who want to snag a phone on a two-year contract?

We could see Nokia hopefuls paying $200 this time around for their phone, while HTC and Samsung early adopters manage to hit that $100 - $150 price point. It’s all speculation at this point, but for those of you who are waiting on Nokia to announce pricing for their phones, I wouldn’t be too surprised if it surpasses that of the Lumia 900. Do you feel comfortable paying a higher price for this generation of Windows Phone?

  • Jacob T

    I don’t know about other countries but here in India, Nokia was king before the pre-iphone era but now the only phones I see around here are Samsungs and other Android phones which have caught up into near and far parts of the country all while Nokia struggled to get good phones into the market. If they want people to buy the Lumias then it needs to priced in the range of the now popular Samsung’s Galaxy S 3 (approx. $770) and definetly 150-200 $ lesser than the iphone 5. The 920 is a great device but 9 out of 10 customers around here would never know that, for them its just down to Samsung or Apple because if these brands are selling well then they have to be good right ? Thats how the thought goes.

  • Pookiewood

    hope not, that’s too high.

  • JSYOUNG571

    Wow! First the Surface and now Windows Phone 8. What is really going on with Microsoft and these high prices for half baked devices? We must be paying into Steve Ballmer’s package when Microsoft finally get’s the balls to fire his behind..lol.

  • http://twitter.com/DHRYDER305 Josh

    I dont think MS and Nokia realize where they stand in the smartphone market. 1st the Surface was priced to high and I know its speculation, but $800 would be way too high for a phone (920). If it had real pureview then maybe that price would be justified. But it doesnt. For here in the US the subsidized price should be $199. Android got to where it is by basically giving away phones. I’m not saying MS should do the same, but to get these devices in peoples hands they need to price under everyone else.

  • laughing fish

    Stephen elop the CEO of Nokia is a real nut.When every consumer in the world who are much attached to the Nokia brand thing is asking for a Nokia-Android phone.He went and cornered with MS and asked for two years of time and now he is at the edge of his 2nd year and still there is no sign of life in the Company.And this guys just rolled out devices which are unpopular when compared to other competitors at a hefty price and now people will really start ignore the WP though the Desktop-Windows-8 may enjoy some success.Very Bad move from Nokia.After seeing their Pur-View-mess with Adv.I really stopped waiting for this 920 and bought myself a GS3.Hope Stephen Elop gets down as CEO in the first/second quarter of 2013 and Nokia starts siding with Android.