Lumia 950 And Lumia 950 XL Windows 10 Mobile Phones Permanently Fall To $399, $499

It looks as though Microsoft is finally removing the limited time price cuts and special offers for its Windows 10 Mobile flagships. After months of temporary price reductions and buy one get one free offers, Microsoft has instituted a permanent price cut for the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL.

The Lumia 950 was originally priced at $549, and has now been reduced to $399. The range-topping Lumia 950 XL has seen its price fall from $649 to $499. Some would argue that these prices are still too high for smartphones that are running what many see as an also-ran operating system. Microsoft has less than one percent of the global smartphone market and app developers haven’t exactly embraced the Windows Phone/Windows 10 Mobile platform.

Microsoft also revealed in its most recently completed financial quarter that shipments of Lumia devices were nearly cut in half, falling to just 1.2 million units.

And even if you take into account the lower prices for both smartphones, Microsoft’s “on again, off again” BOGO offer where you could purchase a Lumia 950 XL and get a free Lumia 950 was a better overall deal (if you were looking to score two smartphones at once).

For those that need a refresher, the Lumia 950 XL features a 5.7-inch WQHD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 SoC and 3GB of RAM. It also includes 32GB of built-in memory, microSD card slot, 20MP rear shooter, 5MP selfie camera and a 3,340 mAh battery. The smaller Lumia 950 includes a 5.2-inch WQHD display, Snapdragon 808 processor and a 3,000 mAh battery.

Despite the laggard sales and seeming disinterest from app developers, Microsoft remains committed to Windows 10 Mobile and the accompanying hardware. The company said in a statement this past April:

We are currently in development of our next generation products and I wanted to reconfirm our commitment to Windows 10 Mobile. We believe in this product's value to business customers and it is our intention to support the Windows 10 Mobile platform for many years. We have a device roadmap to support that from Microsoft as well as our OEM partners who will also be selling an expanded lineup of phone devices based on this platform.

Now, we just have to see if customers are still eager to turn their backs on Android and iOS to give Microsoft a shot.