$499 MS store unlocked

[rdubmu]

I was very close to buying an 830 unlocked at the MS store. In 2012 I bought the Lumia 920 for $449, I later unlocked and brought it to T-Mobile. I get LTE and 3G. I was very surprised that the 830 is more than the 920, when the 830 in many ways is inferior to the 920. The 920 was a 2012 flagship, while the 830 does have a removable battery, micro-sad slot, it's way overpriced. I am looking for a 830 Compatible with T-Mobile bands, where can you find one outside of Amazon/eBay. I checked out newegg and couldn't find one. Any help or direction would be much appreciated.

 

[hasasimo]

You can try B & H Photo/Video. Just try your best to avoid dealing with Henry Posner. Outside of him, great service, fair prices. They have the Lumia 830 RM-985 variant (LTE on T-Mobile) for about $380 unlocked.

Fair warning though, I've gotten a Lumia 830 from B&H and it had random reboot issues. I sold it, and now have one from the Microsoft Store and it's even worse... not just random reboots, but freezes too. Might be a lemon, I'm returning it next week.

There are several bad batches out there so do avoid buying from some place that doesn't have a strong return policy. B & H and Microsoft both have no-hassle return/exchange policies.

 

[worldspy99]

We all have been complaining that the 830 is over priced for a while now. Having said that the TMO compatible version for LTE is a PITA to find. The ATT version unlocked can be had for $300 or less but RM-985 is quite difficult to find. There is one available in the Marketplace for about $400 with a lot of goodies. See if that is something you are interested in or not.

 

[rory753]

I decided to take the msft store route. I justified it with the knowledge I will have better service then either ATT or Tmobile if anything ever goes wrong with the phone. Also, rather then paying for a case, I just bought their complete winphone plan that will replace the device. Basically, this is the device/program I want, and I don't mind paying the extra money for it since I feel it'll meet my needs more then anything either att/bh photo/tmobile will be able to offer.

 

[hasasimo]

Congrats on your purchase. The Microsoft Store does offer great support for the phone, especially with the no-hassle 30 day return/exchange policy. Yes, it's a bit pricey, but you're also getting an extra back cover that you'd otherwise have to pay for separately. Still doesn't quite justify the price tag, but there are some perks with going that route.

Of course, the one I bought from the Microsoft Store has a pretty bad random reboot issue that may be a hardware defect. I mentioned it in my review of the phone on the Microsoft Store website and they refused to publish it. Lost some respect for them for that, but other companies sensor reviews for their products on their own sites as well.

 

[rory753]

I agree that the price is expensive relative to what's out there, either for windows phone or android. But, I liked the phone enough to pull the trigger.

I do find it unsettling that they refused to publish your review. Out of curiosity, did they exchange your device or refund? Assuming they did, how did they fix the problem?

 

[finbaar]

I love my 830 a few I think it is the best WP device around at the moment. However I paid the equivalent of 216USD from a CEX type store for a mint example I seriously would not pay more than 300USD for this phone.

Posted via the Windows Phone Central App for Android

 

[PiggyMiddle]

Yes, it's a bit pricey, but you're also getting an extra back cover

Do you have a link to that? I was on the verge of getting a 930, but was not happy with the local (US) warranty situation so am now thinking the 830 might be the safest bet.

I keep checking the msoft store but it doesn't say anything about spare back. Is it a QI charging back or what?

Thanks

 

[PiggyMiddle]

I agree that the price is expensive relative to what's out there

Yup, it is, but buying from msoft adds greater security for warranty. I have contacted some of the Amazon, Newegg sellers and they are quoting 30-days. One was a little better at 90-days labor and 12-months parts exchange, but they could boost the cost f parts to anything they like.

I never buy anything that opened ended, even though I am looking at an extra $150 from msoft.

Does yours have the Denim update yet or are we (US) stuck with AT&T to roll it out for these ones from msoft store?

p.s. The msoft store price is currently $449.

 

[rory753]

$449? crap. well, its still more expensive then I feel it should be ($350).

its still on denim.0 or whatever you want to call it (no full version lumia camera). I am not sure how the update will work. it doesn't make sense to me that the CV has to wait on at&t, but I've never done this before. I do know that I got cyan on my 1520.3 prior to the at&t release, but it was a different country, so it's hard to say. I will say that from what little I've experienced of the lumia camera, I've become a little indifferent to it. there is at least one feature on lumia camera classic that I will miss, and use quite often, which is smart sequence. it's not readily apparent how the new camera works with it, so I'm a little skeptical about whether I'll like it or not. I probably will, but I still like smart sequence...

 

[PiggyMiddle]

Thanks for the details. The same thing happened with my 520 and the Black update. It is a UK model that got the update about 3-months before AT&T got around to it.

Try calling msoft customer service, they are pretty good about pricing issues. They may well refund the 50-bucks per phone. I had a problem with the power cover for my Surface Pro 2 and they told me to rubbish-bin-it, and sent me a new one.

 

[hasasimo]

Do you have a link to that? I was on the verge of getting a 930, but was not happy with the local (US) warranty situation so am now thinking the 830 might be the safest bet.

I keep checking the msoft store but it doesn't say anything about spare back. Is it a QI charging back or what?

Thanks

They technically sell the unlocked 830s in "black" or "white." The "black" comes with black and green backs in the box, the "white" comes with white and orange backs. Oddly, it doesn't seem to be listed on the Microsoft Store website, but I just ordered one from the online store (and returned the one I got from their physical store because it had a hardware defect) and both had white and orange backs included.