T-Mobile may have just dropped the Idol 4s

[Mark Fetters]

I'm a T-Mobile customer, and I check their site every day for price changes and new phones. Today I noticed that the Idol 4s (the only Windows phone T-Mobile offers) was no longer listed. I chatted with one of their reps who confirmed that the Idol 4s is out of stock, and at that this point they don't know when or if it will be available again.

I'm bummed because the Idol was cheaper through T-Mobile ($288) than buying it unlocked from MS ($400), plus I can make monthly payments. My Lumia 640 is starting to have issues, but I've been waiting to replace it until I have some sense of what MS is doing with their phone platform. If I do decide to stay with Windows, I guess I'll have to look at unlocked phones. :unhappy:

 

[spicypadthai]

It's $284.99 (unlocked) right now on Amazon

 

[anon(6078578)]

It's $284.99 (unlocked) right now on Amazon

Most likely that version is going to be discontinued shortly as well then. The Alcatel was the last mainstream Windows Phone left, so as far as the general consumer is now concerned it is over regardless of whatever Microsoft wishes to acknowledge.

 

[editguy]

I'm a T-Mobile customer, and I check their site every day for price changes and new phones. Today I noticed that the Idol 4s (the only Windows phone T-Mobile offers) was no longer listed. I chatted with one of their reps who confirmed that the Idol 4s is out of stock, and at that this point they don't know when or if it will be available again.

I'm bummed because the Idol was cheaper through T-Mobile ($288) than buying it unlocked from MS ($400), plus I can make monthly payments. My Lumia 640 is starting to have issues, but I've been waiting to replace it until I have some sense of what MS is doing with their phone platform. If I do decide to stay with Windows, I guess I'll have to look at unlocked phones. :unhappy:

The only thing about this that is surprising is that T-Mobile didn't dump it sooner. They did very little to promote it, but that's the way they have always treated Windows phones.

 

[nate0]

Wonder if they all went through the same distributor unlocked. The one I bought from Microsoft came from California. I returned it when it went on Amazon even cheaper, Amazon/Alcatel shipped it from the central Midwest somewhere. Alcatel handled me really well too. 450 online which came to almost 50 bucks cheaper aside from Microsoft. Then it went on sale again a week later at 399. Alcatel was nice enough to credit me that difference.

 

[libra89]

The only thing about this that is surprising is that T-Mobile didn't dump it sooner. They did very little to promote it, but that's the way they have always treated Windows phones.

Seriously.

This is a long time, what's it been? 5 months? 6 months?

Considering that the 640 died in 2, very long...

 

[PerfectReign]

I wa surprised The Magenta One even had it. Went in to get my son a replacement for his POS S7 (which replaced his Note 7), saw the Idol, and asked about it. No one in the store had used it.

Sent from mTalk

 

[nate0]

^Windows on a phone?! How did that happen?

 

[anon(6078578)]

The only thing about this that is surprising is that T-Mobile didn't dump it sooner. They did very little to promote it, but that's the way they have always treated Windows phones.

When it went down to $288, it was obvious it was already the end game. They tried to hide it by making it look like it was a temporary sale.

 

[nate0]

Ya, it was on the headlines in a couple of places. It is official as of today it seems.

 

[meattray]

When did it initially go on sale there? Just curious how long they were selling it for.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

The only thing about this that is surprising is that T-Mobile didn't dump it sooner. They did very little to promote it, but that's the way they have always treated Windows phones.

Maybe T-Mobile didn't read the fine print and thought they were buying Android 4Ss. When they found out they just bought the minimum the contract allowed.

 

[libra89]

When did it initially go on sale there? Just curious how long they were selling it for.

They originally went on sale in November, if I'm not mistaken. The unlocked model became available 2 months or so, later.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Considering that the 640 died in 2, very long...

Really makes you wonder why T-Mobile killed the 640 so fast and almost as bad for the 4S. If they can't make money off them, why keep making the same mistake? Of course not making money off something isn't necessarily the fault of he product itself. The 640 and 4S were both exceptionally good Windows phones. Too bad MS, T-Mobile, etc. were so bad at marketing, not that WM isn't a hard sell. But MS couldn't sell free heroin to a junkie.

 

[mark233]

When did it initially go on sale there? Just curious how long they were selling it for.

It became available on Nov. 10 last year. I bought one on that day at a local store. I knew it wouldn't be available from them in a short amount of time...it's a Windows phone lol. Glad I got it tho. It's a great one.

 

[anon(6078578)]

So do you think there is unlikely to be a third Alcatel Windows Phone from T-Mobile then? :wink:

 

[RumoredNow]

So do you think there is unlikely to be a third Alcatel Windows Phone from T-Mobile then? :wink:

If TCL really wants to have a W10M phone linger and linger, they should put it on Vzw. Witness the Lumia 735.

Verizon folk on WP really want a new phone and the SIM tray has to be unlocked by default. Just don't let Vzw play any firmware tricks like hide the MMS settings...

 

[meattray]

Have they put out any information as to the amount of units being sold or anything? Have any of these recent devices been considered a success?

 

[anon(6078578)]

Have they put out any information as to the amount of units being sold or anything? Have any of these recent devices been considered a success?

I would imagine it depends on how loose your definition of success is lol

If you mean did they do anything to advance the uptake of Windows devices then I would say no. The Idol 4S was considered one of the best of the consumer devices yet it had a short lifespan and a deep discount towards the end.

 

[meattray]

I would imagine it depends on how loose your definition of success is lol

If you mean did they do anything to advance the uptake of Windows devices then I would say no. The Idol 4S was considered one of the best of the consumer devices yet it had a short lifespan and a deep discount towards the end.

I'm more curious to know the actual amount of units that have been sold and whatnot. I get success has several different meanings.