Buy a Lumia 950 XL and Microsoft will throw in a free unlocked Lumia 950
By Stephen Pate – It’s that easy to get a free Lumia 950 with Windows 10 – all you have to do is buy the slightly larger and faster Lumia 950 XL.
The deal from Microsoft Store in the USA and Canada will last until Microsoft clears out the inventory.
Price is $549 USA plus a trade-in allowance of $150 for a Lumia 920, 925 or 1020 (to appease people who couldn’t upgrade from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10). Also include is a year of Office 365.)
Price in Canada for both phones is $849 plus the Office 365 1 year subscription for both phones.
Is there a new model coming to replace the 950 and 950 XL? Not according to Microsoft. While unconfirmed, the rumors say a Surface phone will arrive some time in 2017. This may signal my prediction of April 5th that Microsoft is leaving the phone business, at least temporarily.
On a two-for-one deal these phones are an absolute bargain if you like to save money and don’t worry about the future. The phones are modern, have great screens, run all the standard apps like Office, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. You won’t find SnapChat and hundreds of apps that are available on the iPhone or Android.
I had both of these phones in December 2015 before Windows 10 Mobile was completed. The user experience was less than thrilling. The phones overheated, the cameras were hardly competitive with the iPhone 6s or Galaxy 7. The operating system was very much an unfinished piece of work. I reviewed the Lumia 950 and didn’t bother with the 950XL. Don’t take my word for it. Here’s a rundown of other reviews of the Lumia 950 XL.
Since they Microsoft has shipped the final version of Windows 10 Mobile and some people say it’s great. I can’t confirm that since I returned both phones within the 30 days allowed.
Since then I shifted back to Apple with an iPhone SE. Although the 4″ SE has a smaller screen than either the 5″ 950 or the 5.7″ 950 XL, the user experience is better and I appreciate being back in the Apple ecosystem where everything works.
I’m not the only person who covers Microsoft that quit on the Lumia 950. One of the top journalists who covers Microsoft Mary Lynne Foley wrote a serious article with a humorous title Why I broke up with Windows Phone: It’s not me, it’s you
During the period ending February 2016, Microsoft lost 50% of their phone sales from the previous year. I covered that in Windows Phone Sales in Worldwide Free Fall.
It’s hard to say what’s going on here. Microsoft may be trying to bump sales or they may be clearing stock and closing out the line.
The links to the deal are at the top of this story.
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