Our Canadian readers may have watched Microsoft’s Windows 10 devices event yesterday and gotten a little excited at the thought of getting their hands on the new Lumia 950XL flagship phone. Unfortunately, if you’re contracted with Rogers Telecom, then you’ll have to order an unlocked version of the phone because the carrier has passed on stocking the Microsoft device.
Rogers was questioned about the availability of the 950XL by a customer on Facebook. It should be noted neither party made mentioned the Lumia 950. The other two Canadian carriers, Bell and Telus, have yet to outline their position on either of the new Lumia phones.
It’s a similar situation in the U.S. where AT&T is the only carrier that wants to partner with Microsoft on their new flagship devices. Microsoft was rumored to opted into an exclusivity deal this time around for its phone but it appears it doesn’t have an exclusive deal with AT&T. With that being said, if the Lumia phones start to sell like hotcakes, its possible other carriers could still jump on board.
Sadly the lack of carrier interest isn’t unexpected as so far Windows Phones haven’t been selling well in the United States or Canada. Hopefully, some of the new Windows 10 features such as Windows Hello and Continuum will attract more customers to the new devices and help boost the Windows Mobile platform.
This continued level of carrier rejection is disappointing because the latest two Lumia phones are the first flagships from Microsoft in over a year; succeeding the Lumia 930. During that time, many Windows Phone users have been anticipating a new flagship from Microsoft only to have their carriers shut the door in their faces. Perhaps now those customers will begin to contact their carriers to encourage them to stock these phones.
The Lumia 950 and 950XL will be available from the Microsoft Store in November for the price of $549 and $649 respectively.
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