Microsoft Asks India to Wait for Affordable Windows 10 Smartphones

Unlike Android smartphones, Microsoft is keen on building its phone line-up from the top.

Microsoft Lumia 950XL. (Photo: The Quint)

Those in India waiting for low-cost Lumia smartphones that come packed with new age Windows 10 will have to wait longer. The company is now focused on re-branding and launching new generation smartphones to take on big players, a top Microsoft executive has said.

We are sort of rebuilding so we will start high. New generation smartphones first and then you will see a scale over time. I do not have a timeline for new range phones as of now. One step at a time and you can assume it to be logical for us to scale the Lumia line to other price points over time

Steve Guggenheimer, Chief Evangelist at Microsoft Corporation

Talking about the current trends in India where Android has a lion’s share owing to the new launches in the mid-price bracket ranging from Rs 6,000 to 10,000, he said India has a broad base of Android users but as they release next generation phones, there will be a definite change.

In a one-on-one interview, Guggenheimer, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s Developer Experience & Evangelism (DX) group, talked about new features and Microsoft’s future plans with the Lumia 950 and 950XL smartphones for the Indian market.

Microsoft, which bought Finnish teleco Nokia last year, has launched two models of the Lumia – 950 and 950XL smartphones with Windows 10 – for Indian consumers, priced at Rs 43,699 and Rs 49,399.