Exclusive: Nokia Lumia 800 Microsoft Store bundle launching February 14th for $899
Microsoft will launch Nokia's Lumia 800 device in the US as a special bundle item priced at $899. That's the word from sources close to Microsoft's Lumia launch plans, who have confirmed the bundle …
Context & Ripple Effects
With no US carrier deal announced, Nokia's Lumia 800 is entering the American market sideways: sources tell The Verge that Microsoft will sell it as an $899 bundle through its own Microsoft Stores starting February 14th — full price, no subsidy, no operator. The claim is unconfirmed, but it traveled fast, picked up the same day by Engadget, BGR, The Next Web, Phone Arena, SlashGear and others.
The channel choice matters as much as the price. Microsoft's retail network, built around Surface-adjacent hardware and Windows demos, becomes the storefront for its partner's flagship — while the relationships list shows Redmond simultaneously prepping the Windows Store preview and the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, making mid-February a coordinated showcase moment for the ecosystem.
First-order effects
- US buyers who want the Lumia 800 pay $899 out of pocket at a Microsoft Store, positioning the phone as an enthusiast purchase rather than a subsidized mass-market handset.
- Microsoft's retail staff become the de facto sales force for Nokia's Windows Phone debut, with no carrier marketing or shelf presence behind it.
Second-order effects
- An $899 off-contract price invites unfavorable comparisons against carrier-subsidized rivals, raising pressure on Nokia to land a US operator deal with a cheaper, subsidized successor.
- Carriers watching the Microsoft Store experiment get a clean read on whether Windows Phone generates walk-in demand before committing shelf space and subsidy dollars.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, Microsoft's stores become a standing beachhead for partner hardware launches — letting Redmond control first impressions of Windows Phone while carrier negotiations catch up.
- Premium off-contract pricing functions as a live test of whether Windows Phone can command full-price demand, a question that shapes how Nokia and Microsoft sequence every subsequent US launch.
The trend: Nokia's US Windows Phone push is routing through Microsoft's own retail channel first, with carrier partnerships and subsidized pricing still the unresolved piece of the strategy.