In a new development that theoretically adds substance to reports about Microsoft not releasing new Lumia smartphones in the future, the Redmond-based company's popular and recent Lumia 550 pure mid-ranger has received a solid $40 price cut and is available to buy at reduced prices. This discount is applicable to the carrier-unlocked variant of the Lumia 550 in the US.
Microsoft's official eStore itself has currently listed the Lumia 550 for a price of $99 (Rs.6603) representing a $40 discount from the handset's original price tag of $139. USP of this device is its running of the newer Windows 10 operating system straight out of the box.
This development also assumes significance considering the fact that Microsoft's Surface Phone is heavily rumoured to be released either during the end of 2016 or early 2017. The new price cuts also follow a similar development earlier in which the Lumia 950 XL, Lumia 950 and Lumia 650 received permanent price cuts in the United States of America.
At this point in time, it is worth knowing that the US, Brazil and India represent the biggest markets for Microsoft Lumia as far as sales and user base are concerned. Now, with the Lumia 550 having received a massive discount in the US, there could also be an increase in the Lumia user base. However, there have not been practical evidences to establish this fact.
For the uninitiated, the Microsoft Lumia 550 comes with the following key technical specs:
- 4.7-inch display having resolution of 720 x 1280 and pixle density of 315 ppi
- Microsoft Windows 10 operating platform
- 1.1 GHz Cortex-A7 CPU within a Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 SoC
- 5 MP rear camera
- 2 MP front camera
- 1 GB RAM
- 8 GB internal storage
- MicroSD card slot for expansion up to 256 GB
- LTE, HSPA, Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi and microUSB connectivity
- 2,100 mAh fixed Lithium-Ion battery offering an approximate talktime of up to 14 hours on 3G.
