There are a ton of them out there and all of them are pretty amazing, especially when you consider the price. In the end, there has to be one that is the best deal you can get, or at least close to it. Here’s my rundown on the best deals in Windows Phone’s for October 2014.
Sprint HTC 8XT – $169.99
Oh man, let the flaming begin… Now let me explain how this out-did the phones in front of it… First off, the Sprint HTC 8XT is a great device. It has a stellar 8MP camera, beautiful 4.3” display and the 8XT, unlike its counterparts found in the 8X, has an expandable memory slot. So, why does the Sprint HTC 8XT deserve a place in the list when it’s basically a walking dead device that won’t be updated?
Well, Microsoft has patched the developer update for it, so you can now access Windows Phone 8.1 via that route. Once that is in place, you can now continue to receive updates directly, not having to worry about Sprint. Now, here’s the kicker with the Sprint HTC 8XT, I wouldn’t activate it on Sprint.
For $34.99 a month, you can run the Sprint HTC 8XT on Red Pocket Mobile and get way more bang for you buck. That $35 will get you 300 minutes of talk, unlimited text and 2GB of LTE data. II f you need more talk time and less data, you can drop your bill down to the $29.99 plan and get unlimited talk and text with 500MB of 2G data.
AT&T Nokia Lumia 635 – $79.99
Coming in at #4 on the list is the AT&T version of the Lumia 635 for use on their GoPhone service. This $79.99 device rocks out with features like Nokia Music, Here Maps and Drive+ and Windows Phone 8.1 out of the box. The 4.5” display is clean and clear, while the 5MP rear shooter takes a decent snap shot. Overall, it’s the monthly plan price that keeps the AT&T Nokia Lumia 635 from ranking higher on the list.
Of course, you can always take your AT&T Nokia Lumia 635 over to a third party AT&T MVNO like Red Pocket Mobile (GSMA), Straight Talk or Net10 to save a bit on that monthly rate. Still, the $20 difference between the T-Mobile and the AT&T Nokia Lumia 635 leaves me feeling a bit left out.
T-Mobile Nokia Lumia 635 – $99.87
With a Quad-core 1.2GHz processor, 512MB of RAM and a decent enough 5MP shooter, the T-Mobile version of the Nokia Lumia 635 takes the number 3 spot in my rankings. The reason behind the ranking in-front of its AT&T counterpart is that the device can be unlocked by T-Mobile in just 40 days. This means the unlocked cost of the Lumia 635 is just $180, which frankly makes it a great deal. Once unlocked, you can pair this with any MVNO out there, or take it to AT&T.
Additionally, T-Mobile’s contract free pricing will give you an unlimited talk and text plan plus 2GB of data for $45 plus taxes. This works out to be about $55 a month worse case scenario. If you have a family, the savings can be even greater. Grabbing up four of the T-Mobile Nokia Lumia 635 at $99 a piece will net you a $120 a month bill after taxes. That with four lines of unlimited talk, text and data. Not too shabby.
Blu Win HD – $179.00
Flying in at #2 on the list is the first of the “non-Nokia” handsets. The Blu Win HD features a gorgeous 5” display, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. It also accommodates Micro SD cards of 32GB, and possibly larger, but I couldn’t verify that. The Blu Win HD ships unlocked and ready to roll on most North American carriers (sorry Sprint and Verizon users) that operate on GSM frequencies.
The Blu Win HD does not have an LTE radio in it, but it does feature the full speed HSPA+42 radio for T-Mobile and AT&T. The 8MP camera does a great job of taking good snapshots and video. Overall, you could do much worse for an unlocked Windows Phone, which is why I ranked the Blu Win HD 2nd on my list.
Cricket Wireless Nokia Lumia 630 – FREE
So, we’ve been through a few of the cheaper options, but nothing beats the deal you get with the Nokia Lumia 630 from Cricket Wireless. First off, the $100 phone becomes $50 as soon as you activate your service. Then you get a $50 rebate on top of that, which makes this puppy free! That gives you all the specs that were previously covered by the twin 635’s, except the LTE radio, which for the most part won’t be a major issue for many people.
When you combine the free device with the fact that a family of 4 can get coverage for $90 (unlimited talk, text and 1GB high speed data + unlimited 2G data) this becomes a stellar deal. This makes a 2 year cost of the Lumia 630 on Cricket an incredible $2160! That’s 33% off T-Mobile’s “best deal” and unmatched in the industry right now. My advice, grab it while the grabbing is good – especially if you have a family that needs new phones!
Honorable Mentions:
T-Mobile Nokia Lumia 530 – $69.99
AT&T Nokia Lumia 520 – GoPhone – $48.88
T-Mobile Nokia Lumia 521 – $64.50
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