Strategy: Cheap flagships

[secher]

One of the things that sell Windows Phones now is the price. You see a mid-tier phone in the store next to its Android counterparts and it usually appears more smooth and well built with a pretty (ClearBlack) display. And even though it give the impression of a higher quality phone, it's usually cheaper.

If Microsoft was thinking about the long run, they would introduce new flagship phones at lower prices than the competition. The margins on flagship phones is huge (as far as I know), because people think they have to be much more expensive because of the higher specs. But image a flagship phone with the same specs as the coming generation (SD810, >2 GB ram and at least 1080p screens) only cheaper than the Android phone sitting next to it in the store showcase.

This would make all Windows 10 phones (and the current upgradeable Windows 8.1 phones) consistently cheaper than the competition at all tiers, and that would mean a lot to the consumers. Just look at what happened when they lowered the price of XBOX One...

They can probably cut at least $100 of a $600 flagship and still make some money while increasing market share.

It would of course mean less profit, but it would increase market shares over the long run, and that is priceless to the ecosystem.

 

[maddogmoffit]

There should be a place for the affordable flagship with specs taken down just a notch. The issue with the L830 is that it was not cheap enought and the specs was taken down to low in some of the more important cases like the SoC, the Camera and possible the display.
I possible dream device could be a Lumia 835 with updated SoC like the Snapdragon 615, a 16 or 21 megapixel PureView and a 1080 display. There is some heating issue with he 615 as it is with the 810 but if Qualcomm solve the later they should be able to solve the first also.
I believe that Nokia/Microsoft did most right with the 830, it looks good, feels premium but both the Camera and the Display is lagging behind in quality and so does the SoC (at least as it is reported in Anandtech) when running applications.
To Microsoft: If you update the 830, please pretty please put the USB at the bottom.

 

[Xavier2508]

Certainly possible since they already did it with the 930 which was launched at €499 (also the 820's launch price when the 920 and it's competitors were €599) when it's competitors launched at €699.

 

[xandros9]

It's easy to say that all that needs to be done is the cut prices and otherwise play with someone else's money.

Now, that won't really work too well in the US market, because subsidies. (people think iPhone's are actually $200. I've seen someone ask why the $230 iPod touch cost more than an iPhone, and why prepaid $700 iPhones are so "overpriced")

Suppose it'll help though. But there's a cost to everything, even if it isn't apparent.

 

[Visa Declined]

This is why Microsoft needs to put out an inexpensive ACTUAL flagship: Cell Phones Listings (Page 2) - Expansys USA

When you can buy a brand new LG G3 for $239.99, or a Sony Xperia Z Ultra for $289.99, people go cross-eyed when you try selling them a 720p, Snapdragon 400 device(Lumia 830) for $450/400 dollars

Hell, you can buy an unlocked Lumia 930 for $299.99 right now :Cell Phones Listings (Page 3) - Expansys USA

 

[Harrie-S]

This is why Microsoft needs to put out an inexpensive ACTUAL flagship: Cell Phones Listings (Page 2) - Expansys USA

When you can buy a brand new LG G3 for $239.99, or a Sony Xperia Z Ultra for $289.99, people go cross-eyed when you try selling them a 720p, Snapdragon 400 device(Lumia 830) for $450/400 dollars

Hell, you can buy an unlocked Lumia 930 for $299.99 right now :Cell Phones Listings (Page 3) - Expansys USA

Please double check your numbers.
830 = 299.99
930 = 399.99
The lg 3 is also a snapdragon 400
The Xperia is cheap but a newer version is also in the 400 $ region. So Sony is probably dumping this model.

 

[UncleGrandpa]

In the case of Verizon who has no love loss for WP, instead if their sales people talking folks out of buying WP...Verizon should make all their WPs free to increase sales.

 

[Visa Declined]

The lg 3 is also a snapdragon 400

No it has a Snapdragon 801.

PLATFORM OS Android OS, v4.4.2 (KitKat), upgradable to v5.0 (Lollipop)
Chipset Qualcomm MSM8975AC Snapdragon 801
CPU Quad-core 2.5 GHz Krait 400

Krait 400 and Snapdragon 400 aren't the same things.

 

[Harrie-S]

No it has a Snapdragon 801.



Krait 400 and Snapdragon 400 aren't the same things.

Indeed sorry,

But I did not make a mistake with the price of the 830 and 930.

 

[Visa Declined]

Indeed sorry,

But I did not make a mistake with the price of the 830 and 930.

I never said you did?

 

[Harrie-S]

try selling them a 720p, Snapdragon 400 device(Lumia 830) for $450/400 dollars

Hell, you can buy an unlocked Lumia 930 for $299.99 right now :Cell Phones Listings (Page 3) - Expansys USA

Please see you own words in your post.
You state clearly that you can buy a Lumia 930 for 299.99. But it costs 399.99.
Furthermore you say that a 830 is 400/450$. But it is 299.99

And for the record because I double checked it the LG 3 from 239.99 has a snsp dragon 400.

The LG 3 which cost 379.99 has a snapdragon 801.

So I did not make any mistake at all!!

Al the mistakes are made by you!!!

So check next time your numbers .

And check your own post before you reply.

Thank you