Rumors are swirling about new Lumia devices that will soon be revealed. The Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL have received the most attention and had the most information leaked but the Lumia 550 and now the Lumia 750 have been spotted as well. Though none of these devices are officially confirmed, it appears that we’re getting a good idea of what the next range of Lumias will look like. Satya Nadella discussed how the Lumia lines are being consolidated into three main areas, value, business, and flagship and with three types of devices rumored (with two in the flagship category) these segments appear to be filling up. There’s still probably room for a couple more phones however so this week’s poll is about which Lumia needs most needs a successor. You can vote in the poll below and then tune into the WinBeta Podcast this weekend to hear us discuss the results.
The Lumia 950 appears to be the successor to the Lumia 930 and despite a change in numbering, the Lumia 950XL looks like a Lumia 1520 successor. These fall into the flagship category and will fill the top end of the Lumia spectrum nicely. The Lumia 750 and Lumia 550 are likely the next in line from their respective number lines the 7xx range and 5xx range respectively. While there is a chance that Microsoft will fill out their lineup by following the regular and XL variants of these last two phones, they could also put in a phone from another line. Here are the arguments for this week’s choices.
Lumia 1020: This is a fan favorite device that honestly doesn’t seem to fit into Microsoft’s new strategy. It isn’t really a flagship except in the camera segment and isn’t a business or value phone either. Despite that, the Lumia 1020 is one of the only Windows Phones to have a memorable marketing campaign and created separation in the crowded mobile device market with a top of the line camera. A follow up to the Lumia 1020 would have to boast either an even better camera or a similar camera crammed into a much thinner package. Much like an SUV, the Lumia 1020 provided comfort and features at the expense of compactness.
Lumia 830: This was billed as the “affordable flagship” and even though it has good specs for a fairly reasonable price, it never really caught on. Between the solid Lumia 735 and the closest Microsoft had to a flagship (of 5” and under phones) the Lumia 930/Icon the Lumia 830 probably didn’t separate itself from its own family of devices, let alone competitors. Nonetheless, a successor to the Lumia 830 would likely have specs very similar to the Lumia 930 with a much more budget friendly price tag. Since the Lumia 930 is getting long in the tooth, having its specs drop to a lower line makes sense. A Lumia 830 successor has bounced between being in the works and being discontinued anyway so this one might actually happen. It would also fit squarely into Microsoft’s business model, though it might be squeezed by the rumored Lumia 750.
Lumia 435: The Lumia 435 is the most affordable Lumia around. What it lacks in specs it makes up for in solid performance for such an inexpensive device. It never drew much fanfare and since it’s only slightly cheaper than the Lumia 5xx range that is getting a new member in the Lumia 550, the Lumia 435 may be the odd phone out in having its lineage continued. There’s always room for cost friendly phones though. The Lumia 520 is the best-selling Lumia ever and while specs continue to rise for new phones, some people just want a smartphone for the lowest price possible. Microsoft could take what it’s learned from the 5xx line, bump down the older specs to a Lumia 435 follow up and have still have a separate spot for the Lumia 550.
There are other Lumias that could have new members as well, these are just three possible choices. If you have a Lumia in mind that isn’t already rumored to have a successor or mentioned here let us know in the comments below.
