New Phone Search - the Lumia 735 may be a winner
So in my previous post I mentioned that after just 4 months I am looking to replace the Nokia Lumia 635s that I bought for my wife and I.
So now the question is what to get ?
When MS announced the 730/735 and 830 models @ IFA in September - two things immediately came to mind. First was would they be available in the US and second with what carriers.
Well the answer has been very mixed. Today only the 830 is available and from only 1 carrier - AT&T and is priced at $450. When comparing the specs to the 735 I had a hard time justifying that price tag.
The 735 and 830 share the same processor and RAM. Both have the same screen resolution with Clear Black Screens - the 830 is a 5" IPS and the 735 a 4.7".
The 830 base storage is 16GB vs 8GB for the 735 - but both have SD expansion. The 830 also has a 10Mp rear camera versus the 735 6.7Mp and both have LED Flash. But the 735 has a 5Mp HD front camera versus a 0.9Mp for the 830.
Also from preliminary reviews - many preferred the 735 over the 830 and like me questioned the "affordable flagship" moniker and price tag of the 830.
Okay great - so 735 it is... but wait.... Houston we have a problem...
The 735 was only going to be made available on Verizon. And then that got delayed when issues with the Denim firmware and Verizon's CDMA network were discovered and delayed the release until at least Jan of 2015.
When the 735 was first announced it was model RM-1038 an international model that did not support North American LTE bands. In my case especially 2, 4 and 17 - the ones used by my carrier TMO..
That was until now
In just the last couple of weeks the model RM-1039 appeared. This model does support US LTE bands and was available unlocked from a couple of well known suppliers B&H Photo and Expansys USA. Both priced it @ $299. I bought from B&H since they offered free shipping, no tax and a free 8GB SD Card.
While that appears to be a good price - especially when compared to the 830 - it is still over double the price that I've paid for any previous Windows Phone.
What also surprises me is this - if a US LTE model exists - why didn't TMO and AT&T add them to their portfolio ? Especially for the Christmas season..
For folks who follow Windows Phone - we know that there may not be a new flagship phone for quite some time and so like me may have bought a 735 if those carriers had it available.
My only thoughts on this are as follows - As we all know - MS is a very distant third in US marketshare - somewhere around 4%. The carriers almost immediately need to discount Windows Phones to move them. So why carry them when they can get full price for iPhone, Samsung Galaxy S5 or LG G3 - at $600 and up.
It is my bet that the RM-1039 will show up at AT&T and TMO in Jan or Feb and that the delay is purely the result of Windows Phone lack of market share.
I receive the RM-1039 this Tuesday - and will let you know if the 735 is a winner or not.
So now the question is what to get ?
When MS announced the 730/735 and 830 models @ IFA in September - two things immediately came to mind. First was would they be available in the US and second with what carriers.
Well the answer has been very mixed. Today only the 830 is available and from only 1 carrier - AT&T and is priced at $450. When comparing the specs to the 735 I had a hard time justifying that price tag.
The 735 and 830 share the same processor and RAM. Both have the same screen resolution with Clear Black Screens - the 830 is a 5" IPS and the 735 a 4.7".
The 830 base storage is 16GB vs 8GB for the 735 - but both have SD expansion. The 830 also has a 10Mp rear camera versus the 735 6.7Mp and both have LED Flash. But the 735 has a 5Mp HD front camera versus a 0.9Mp for the 830.
Also from preliminary reviews - many preferred the 735 over the 830 and like me questioned the "affordable flagship" moniker and price tag of the 830.
Okay great - so 735 it is... but wait.... Houston we have a problem...
The 735 was only going to be made available on Verizon. And then that got delayed when issues with the Denim firmware and Verizon's CDMA network were discovered and delayed the release until at least Jan of 2015.
When the 735 was first announced it was model RM-1038 an international model that did not support North American LTE bands. In my case especially 2, 4 and 17 - the ones used by my carrier TMO..
That was until now
In just the last couple of weeks the model RM-1039 appeared. This model does support US LTE bands and was available unlocked from a couple of well known suppliers B&H Photo and Expansys USA. Both priced it @ $299. I bought from B&H since they offered free shipping, no tax and a free 8GB SD Card.
While that appears to be a good price - especially when compared to the 830 - it is still over double the price that I've paid for any previous Windows Phone.
What also surprises me is this - if a US LTE model exists - why didn't TMO and AT&T add them to their portfolio ? Especially for the Christmas season..
For folks who follow Windows Phone - we know that there may not be a new flagship phone for quite some time and so like me may have bought a 735 if those carriers had it available.
My only thoughts on this are as follows - As we all know - MS is a very distant third in US marketshare - somewhere around 4%. The carriers almost immediately need to discount Windows Phones to move them. So why carry them when they can get full price for iPhone, Samsung Galaxy S5 or LG G3 - at $600 and up.
It is my bet that the RM-1039 will show up at AT&T and TMO in Jan or Feb and that the delay is purely the result of Windows Phone lack of market share.
I receive the RM-1039 this Tuesday - and will let you know if the 735 is a winner or not.
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