Lumia 1520 discontinued / out of production worldwide?

[tigrucat]

I thought I would start a new thread about availability of the Lumia 1520 worldwide.

Could Windows Central please find out from Microsoft if any more stock of this phone will be made available or is that it?

Here in the UK the phone appears to have been out of stock from most reputable online retailers ever since October or earlier. Microsoft Store UK continued to sell the phone until December 7th since then it has been taken off their site.

Usually a phone remains in production at least until the next model is announced meaning that those who wait can get it at a decent price but in this instance it seems that the only explanation for its lack of availability is that Microsoft have already pulled the plug. Nokia phones tend to lose their value very quickly from what I've noticed so I can only think that Microsoft wanted to keep the prices of the Lumia 1520 high by limiting availability or that the lack of availability since October is related to the closure of the biggest Nokia factory in Chennai, India on November 1st as not just the 1520, but the Lumia 1020 and all the other x20 Lumia models now appear to be out of production, but I'm not aware of any official announcement about the Lumia 1520 otherwise I would have realised it's now or never and bought it.

This may be why the Lumia 930 was so late to go on sale in 2014 as Microsoft were obviously looking for another production facility for the Lumia x30 phones.

Is it too late now to get this phone?

 

[Qtweeder]

"Is it too late now to get this phone?"

hardly, i have just bought a new 1020, which is nearly 2 years old!

 

[WanderingTraveler]

Take note, it should be very easy to at least find older stock around there.

I say you should look at the less well-known shops out there. That's where I normally find stock of older phones (like the "brand-new" Nokia 500 or the Lumia 710, ah, fun times.), and the newer phones may even be available at a discounted price.

 

[tigrucat]

I can still find it from a couple of UK sites but these sites have a dodgy reputation on review sites such as Trustpilot and their models tend to be imported models. I think they are o.k. if nothing goes wrong, but if it does then that's where the problem lies, you only get the minimum protection required by law - Unfortunately we don't have many good independent mobile phone shops anymore, I live in one of the largest towns in the UK and can't think of any.

I already own a Nokia Lumia 1020 64GB (I got one of the very last in stock back in July) and have just bought a Nokia Lumia 930 to use as my main cameraphone as the 1020 is currently irreplaceable (at least the 64 GB version I have) so I'm not desperate for the Lumia 1520, but given that the 1520 was the best all in one package in terms of what you can do with a phablet, there will be no more Nokia phones and they are well made and built to last I would have liked to own all 3. There is something very special about the Nokia brand here in Europe - they are like Grundig used to be for radios for instance - you can't get those anymore either at least not Grundig made. Microsoft Mobile just isn't the same.

If I can't get it then I'll just get the Nokia N1 tablet next year but it is only designed not made by Nokia so it's not quite the same and the camera is just standard, specs wise it is on paper better than the 1520 in many respects but you're not getting the same all in one package - I'm not fussed about the operating system, as long as it works and works well that's all that matters to me!

 

[RumoredNow]

...the Lumia 1520, but given that the 1520 was the best all in one package in terms of what you can do with a phablet, there will be no more Nokia phones and they are well made and built to last...

This echos my thinking when I jumped on a 1520.3 last August. At that point a new phablet or flagship still could have been coming (the Autumn announcement cycle had not yet begun), but I weighted the fact of Nokia (Finland) build quality very heavily. It was one of two major decisive factors in getting me to purchase without waiting on Autumn release announcements. The other being an October trip abroad with heavy dependence on my phone for tons of chores. My 925 was a capable all-arounder and in that regard 1520 is simply more of everything...

I'm super pleased with my phone and consider myself hugely lucky. I got in at a good price. There was no backorder wait. My model has not been superseded by any new hardware. In this case, hindsight is better than 20/20. Prices on new and used 1520 models has gone up since I bought in, scarcity of supply is being highlighted by increased demand and the newest hardware would make any perceived upgrade from a 925 questionable at best. Furthermore... 1520 is perfectly poised to leverage the last drops of Windows Phone advancement more fully than any other model before we move on to Windows 10.

I was resistant to believe that 1520 is being EOLed. Mounting anecdotal evidence has now convinced me it is indeed at the point where supply will not be renewed by production.

I also think this bodes very well for the Spring release announcements. Those wanting new flagships of real substance may get their wish. As much as Microsoft has done in the past 6 months to bolster low end sales and pump up user numbers, that strategy is wearing thin. I'm sure they are very aware of the importance of top tier hardware in securing favorable tech press exposure and this Spring will likely be a busy one for high end offerings from Microsoft. It only makes sense to bring out new major league hardware designed around the major league change in OS that is known to be coming.

 

[PirateSunil]

Lumia 1520 is in stock - MS official website India.
Available with other online retailers as well.

 

[Ben Hanchett]

I went to three ATT stores in New Orleans two weeks ago.My nephew wanted an Iphone 6 plus, smh. Anyway, none of the stores had any 1520s and none even had the phone on display. I think it has been EOL.

 

[RumoredNow]

Lumia 1520 is in stock - MS official website India.
Available with other online retailers as well.

The AT&T variant is still being sold at Microsoft Store US... But look at all the AT&T users who say the carrier stores are out and are not restocking. B&H Photo is a major supplier of Unlocked Latin American 1520s for US consumers and their prices are rising and backorder waits are increasing. Microsoft Mexico no longer shows the 1520... UK scarcity is up.

I'd look to what PirateSunil says as a tip. Get 'em at Microsoft Store India while you can if that is your region and you still want one.

 

[tigrucat]

I think the black version dropped in price to under ?400 on Amazon.co.uk last summer, but I wanted the red version. Unfortunately I couldn't find the 32GB red version anywhere for under ?500. O2 who I had got the Lumia 1020 64GB from for ?400 wouldn't drop the Lumia 1520 below ?529.99 + ?10 top up, which for me was too pricey. I waited for the price to drop but instead it went out of stock, by which time Amazon had stopped selling the black version (directly from Amazon). Microsoft UK were the last to offer the red version but they wanted ?549 and were only offering the 16GB version. And now given what I now know to be the minimal differences between the Lumia 930 (in fact the 930 being 6 months newer has a slightly better camera for low light and distance shots and a sharper screen resolution), I wanted to get the 1520 for the lowest price possible preferably not for more than ?400. The main reason why I wanted it was for watching tv and videos and extended web browsing because it's easier on the eyes. I was not planning to get anymore Windows Phones then until the next big step change in technology when 5G launches around 2018 when you're supposed to be able to download a movie in 1 second - I'm still using my Gateway laptop which I bought in 2007 and on Windows 7 it is still going strong which proves if you buy something like the Nokia flagship devices that are well made and built to last you only really need to upgrade every few years, otherwise you just end up with perfectly usable gadgets gathering dust - I never bought a 3G phone as I thought it wasn't worth the expense until mobile broadband came out and I could do all the things on my phone that I could do on my home broadband, - my Nokia 2G phone still works just as well as it did on day 1 when I bought it over 10 years ago.

 

[th34monk3ys]

You can still buy cheap 1520 on amazon for like 270 I think from china, but you are right it is discontinued in production.

Ps I flashed my rom to UK, warranty is with china still!

 

[tigrucat]

It's still on Amazon.com, on the UK site options are extremely limited though someone is trying to sell it for ?1,055.46!
For the first 6 months that the Lumia 1020 64GB was out though O2 wouldn't sell it on pay as you go and I worked out that if I had got that on contract I would have ended up paying ~ ?1500 on the 8GB data plan!

 

[tigrucat]

I'll check with Microsoft Store UK after Christmas if they are going to get any remaining stock in - I would rather pay January prices.

If not then it's probably the Nokia N1 as I don't have a tablet yet - They may be asking as little as ?249 + VAT for the first model.

 

[Sent UAMessage]

the 1520 could have destroyed a lot of phones if Nokia just put all there eggs in one basket at the time. If they had given a better camera, the type of finish the 1020 had and a quality front camera and voila this would have been a very hard phablet to beat

 

[tigrucat]

It's looking increasingly likely now that I'll get the Nokia N1 - if it's under ?300 can't really go wrong.

Just wanted the Nokia Lumia 1520 because it was a one off, but ever since the Nokia Lumia 930 was announced I have found it hard to justify having both a Lumia 930 and 1520, it's either one or the other really. At least I have one of the last ever true Nokia phones. (530, 730/735, 830 have been tinkered with by Microsoft).

If anyone reading wants a Lumia 930, I would advise getting it by April as Microsoft seem to have a maximum 12 month lifecycle from the date their phones were announced, they seem more than happy to run down stock after that to cut losses.

 

[slysy]

It appears that you can still get it from other european amazon sites (such as amazon.fr) shipped to the UK. My understanding is that the warranty will still be valid in the UK if you buy from amazon direct and not a third party seller (but do your own research). Only other differences that I'm aware of are the ROM and the included plug. Plus there is also the possibility to get the yellow version which didn't get released here.

 

[tigrucat]

Black one says "Usually available in one to two months" indicating availability is limited for that colour at least.

Not desperate enough to have it to get an imported one, but it does prove that if you really want it stock is still out there in some markets.

It's a pity that Microsoft couldn't have kept the phone in production (at a lower level perhaps) for longer but it was on sale for 11 months until Black Friday / pre-Christmas payday, by which point anyone who wanted it enough would have bought it.

I think the manufacturers though are beginning to get wise to people who wait until the next model comes out to get the previous one at a knock down price and are starting to run down stock well in advance of the next model to keep prices high. Google does this with the Nexus brand.

 

[Reflexx]

I just bought one at a Microsoft Store kiosk. They still have them.

I think the whole EOL thing really is just AT&T not ordering more. It's not really EOL.

 

[Vitor Salvatore Pierce]

In Brazil, is being sold normally but with a higher price than sold a while ago.

 

[Keith Wallace]

I wouldn't be surprised. On the sarcastic side, given how the 830 came with that gross Snapdragon 400 and was called a "flagship," maybe Microsoft phased out the 1520 because they either don't like paying for quality silicon, or they don't want everyone to have the option to buy a high-end device while the 830 is being promoted as the lead device. On the serious side, maybe Microsoft is just trying to push aside a Nokia-branded device that likely had a niche consumer base, as they continue to push everything to Microsoft branding and look at their next stable of devices.

 

[ajb1965]

Funny this thread popped up. I was just searching on eBay and Amazon earlier today checking prices for the 1520 to satisfy my curiosity and found this ridiculously priced sale..... New Nokia Lumia 1520 Quad Core 20MP 4G LTE Factory Unlocked 32GB Yellow Phone | eBay