[cgk]

Neowin spoke to Nokia and EE and have got this clarification about the Lumia 920 situation:

Will it be possible to buy a Lumia 920 off-contract?

Yes. Phones4U will sell the device without a SIM card for those who don’t require a contract. However, Phones4U will be selling what’s been described to us “an EE variant of the Lumia 920” that will only work with Orange, T-Mobile and EE SIM cards. As previously reported, this off-contract 920 will be sold by Phones4U for £459.95.

Can I buy the Lumia 920 from somewhere other than Phones4U or EE?

No. EE is the exclusive carrier and Phones4U the exclusive retailer for the device in the UK.

Will there be an end to this exclusivity arrangement?

Nokia says that it will review the current arrangements ‘later this quarter’.

If the Lumia 920 is exclusive to EE, does that mean I have to get a 4G tariff?

No. EE has confirmed to us that the 920 will also be offered through its 3G carrier brands, Orange and T-Mobile.

How much will the Lumia 920 cost on a 3G tariff?

Customers on Orange will be able to purchase the device for £49.99 upfront on the Panther Extra plan at £36 per month; T-Mobile customers can get one for £49.00 upfront on the £36pm Full Monty tariff. T-Mobile’s Full Monty tariff also include unlimited data. Other price plans are available on both carriers; upfront device charges may vary.

When will the Lumia 920 be available to buy?

You can order a Lumia 920 on contract from Phones4U right now, for delivery on 6 November. Orders are available via EE’s website right now, offering delivery within two business days. T-Mobile and Orange will begin offering the device on 9 November.

Neowin - Where unprofessional journalism looks better - Neowin

[cgk]

Furthermore

FINNISH PHONE FIRM Nokia has revealed that its flagship Windows Phone 8 smartphone, the Nokia Lumia 920 will remain an EE exclusive until next year.
Speaking to The INQUIRER, Nokia said that the Lumia 920 will only be available to buy on EE'S 4G contracts, both via EE and Phones 4U, until "at least" next year. It added that this exclusivity might be prolonged even further, perhaps dependant on whether the mobile network manages to shift enough of the Windows Phone 8 handsets.

The Inquirer (Nokia Lumia 920 to remain EE exclusive until)


So that seems to settle that matter.

[BellaRed]

Furthermore



The Inquirer (Nokia Lumia 920 to remain EE exclusive until)


So that seems to settle that matter.

I don't think they will extend.... Do you?

BTW I just copied this little bit of the statement too just for those interested in the 820. Clarification is always good.



Nokia also confirmed to us that every Nokia Lumia 820 in the UK will indeed include a free Wireless Charging Shell, as previously reported.

Additionally, SIM-free Lumia 820s – which, unlike the 920, are fully unlocked and can be used on any operator – will be available from a variety of sources, including high street retailers Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U, and Expansys and Amazon on the web.

Carphone Warehouse briefly opened pre-orders for the Lumia 820 on its website this morning for £379.95, additionally offering a free wireless charging unit (although all 820s include the Wireless Charging Shell, the charger itself must be purchased separately), but the pre-order page has since been removed.

[SpencerUk]

Also like to point out T-Mobile and Orange according to their systems in store will only be putting the Lumia's through (820 and 920) 24 month deals only.

No 18 month :(

[shaunydub]

This sucks, Nokia clearly don't understand the UK market.
I have been waiting for this phone and got one of my Android friends convinced to buy one too, now a lot of people are disappointed and will either turn to another brand or ignore WP8 altogether.

I do not want to wait until for another few months for this phone -I have Surface, upgraded laptop to Win 8, I want my phone to compliment so will prob choose another device.
Unless I can find a way to get a 920 within the next week I will be getting 8x.

[rOIVAz]

This sucks, Nokia clearly don't understand the UK market.
I have been waiting for this phone and got one of my Android friends convinced to buy one too, now a lot of people are disappointed and will either turn to another brand or ignore WP8 altogether.

I do not want to wait until for another few months for this phone -I have Surface, upgraded laptop to Win 8, I want my phone to compliment so will prob choose another device.
Unless I can find a way to get a 920 within the next week I will be getting 8x.

I feel exactly the same, but might opt for the ATIV S. Allowing sim-free purchase wouldn't really hurt EE if they still had NETWORK exclusivity for contracts, plus it would get Nokia's flagship into more hands. I mean honestly, is anyone going to switch to EE because of the Lumia? [I'm sure there are people that will, but for a lot of us it's not an option].

[andrewkeith5]

I feel exactly the same, but might opt for the ATIV S. Allowing sim-free purchase wouldn't really hurt EE if they have NETWORK exclusivity but still get Nokia's flagship into more hands. I mean honestly, is anyone going to switch to EE because of the Lumia? [I'm sure there are people that will, but for a lot of us it's not an option].

Agreed- it's a totally absurd thing for Nokia to do, and I hope that there is a way to circumvent their stupidity...none of the other WP8 devices are really as attractive IMO...

[shaunydub]

WP8 was meant to get a big push with all the best devices to try and get as many people on board as possible, making it exclusive to the most expensive network with the worst coverage is the dumbest strategy you could possibly come up with to achieve this target!!

I am 3 until March so as much as I want this phone can't even switch to Orange or Tmob and I don't want to anyway as they deals are not as good.

[shaunydub]

WP8 was meant to get a big push with all the best devices to try and get as many people on board as possible, making it exclusive to the most expensive network with the worst coverage is the dumbest strategy you could possibly come up with to achieve this target!!

I am 3 until March so as much as I want this phone can't even switch to Orange or Tmob and I don't want to anyway as they deals are not as good.

[rOIVAz]

WP8 was meant to get a big push with all the best devices to try and get as many people on board as possible, making it exclusive to the most expensive network with the worst coverage is the dumbest strategy you could possibly come up with to achieve this target!!

I am 3 until March so as much as I want this phone can't even switch to Orange or Tmob and I don't want to anyway as they deals are not as good.

That's the thing - I COULD pay off my 3 contract but I don't want to, and it pretty much negates the cost of moving to EE vs sim-free so it's lose/lose.

Nokia must be getting a sweet payoff worth more to them than end users....

[shaunydub]

I was on Tmob before changing to 3...
Tmob don't offer unlimited data like 3 do which is what made me switch + coverage is better.

Don't want to go back to that

[rOIVAz]

Exactly - streaming Xbox Music and Netflix, never having to worry about downloading games/apps....all things you can't do on EE without using Datasense daily :dry

[andrewkeith5]

That's the thing - I COULD pay off my 3 contract but I don't want to, and it pretty much negates the cost of moving to EE vs sim-free so it's lose/lose.

Nokia must be getting a sweet payoff worth more to them than end users....

That's great but it's the principle - it wouldn't hurt their on-contract sales at all to allow the few people who want to purchase a SIM-free device to pay full price for one. There is nothing in the product that REQUIRES there to be a specific network, unlike most US exclusives, and there is no reason what-so-ever for it (apart from a presumably gargantuan payment or volume promise from EE, which if based on volume I will be amazed if they meet)

They've totally ignored people who either don't want to leave their network, or just plain cant - I'm contracted to Vodafone until April 2014 precisely because I normally buy SIM Free, unlocked devices...

[camstreet1]

If this is true (and I’m perhaps naively hoping for a U-turn), then I think I’ll also wave goodbye to the Lumia 920, despite lusting after one for months now. I’m on T-mobile, so could in fact get one sim-free, but I refuse to sign up to a 24 month contract, and paying that much for a sim-locked phone is ridiculous. The Ativ-S also seems quite attractive to me, 8X a close second (reviews not great), but the main sticking point are the Nokia-exclusive apps.

I’ve heard rumours that some of the Nokia apps (e.g. Drive) won’t be Nokia-exclusive forever – does this apply to (e.g.) CityLens as well? Is there a list of when/if they’ll become available for other phones?

[shaunydub]

I've been looking online to see if I can get one from any sites in France, Germany etc and can't even do that...
maybe by mid next week this could be an option - if i can find a site that ships to uk, a French site wouldn't let me register as UK address is different and it checks postcode etc

[robnewton]

I've been looking online to see if I can get one from any sites in France, Germany etc and can't even do that...
maybe by mid next week this could be an option - if i can find a site that ships to uk, a French site wouldn't let me register as UK address is different and it checks postcode etc

amazon.de will be stocking the 920. Its available in Germany from Nov 5th so hopefully amazon.de will get it then. ive already checked that they ship to the UK. even better news is that the latest phones on amazons germany site seem a little cheaper than the UK site

[cgk]

Exactly - streaming Xbox Music and Netflix, never having to worry about downloading games/apps....all things you can't do on EE without using Datasense daily :dry

Datasense only currently exists for Verizon in the USA (or so I think).



Sent from my Lumia 800 using Board Express

[independentvolume]

Well, you guys are welcome to spill tears with Verizon customers. Nokia really dropped the ball.

[Narr]

Did I read that correctly? I can buy off contract but not sim unlocked? If that's correct it's a strange strategy.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

[cgk]

Did I read that correctly? I can buy off contract but not sim unlocked? If that's correct it's a strange strategy.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

Yes they will sell you a SIM free but network locked phone.

[j666w]

so only option is to buy from another country which sells them unlocked ie canada

[callumshell1]

I have been waiting for this phone since it was announced and now they pull **** **** on me.

I got my iPhone stolen in June and have been waiting for the right phone to come along to replace it. The 920 fit the bill perfectly but it looks like I'm either gonna have to get something else or wait until next year.

Nokia can go **** themselves as far as I'm concerned, I shall look elsewhere.

[camstreet1]

I just wonder how much EE are subsidizing the cost of the handset... Perhaps it's just crazy expensive to make, and the exclusivity deals are the only to keep it cheaper than the iphone. Irrespective, nokia will lose so many potential customers over this.

[cgk]

I haven't confirmed this yet but I've seen some tweets to suggest both the 820 and 920 are delayed for at least two weeks.

[Nickkk101]

I haven't confirmed this yet but I've seen some tweets to suggest both the 820 and 920 are delayed for at least two weeks.

thank you for this info.. frankly, i'm prepared to pull the trigger with EE on a 12 month tariff or such. curious about reports of delays.... hmmm.. worth the wait i bet. Hey, its only money...