Any new Window's phone on the horizon?

[brandonjbarnard]

Anyone know if Rogers will at any point be getting any new Flagship Windows Phone 8.1 devices? There has been nothing released by Rogers since the Lumia 1020. Neither has there been any news whether or not Rogers will be carrying the HTC One M8. Unsurprisingly they announced dates for  pre orders for the new iPhones within 24 hours of the Apple presentation. I know Windows Phone aren't as popular, but there are still some of us that really enjoy the windows phone and would like to see another high end flagship device. Does Rogers wait until end of September before they reveal what new devices they will be offering on all the different platforms?

***Edited Labels.***

[TheCyberKnight]

If the rumour saying that Rogers refused the 1520 and 1320 because of their size (that is non-appealing to Canadians supposedly), there would no reason not to carry the Lumia 830.

Although not a top of the line flagship phone, its value/price ratio is superior than most offerings.

I agree with you, Rogers is pretty lame when new Windows Phones announcements are concerned.

[brandonjbarnard]

The 830 will be there for people who want a decent phone with a decent camera and not spend big bucks to get it. Since I have 14 months left on my contract I'm just going to wait until "threshold" is released with hopefully new devices.

Rogers is terrible in regards to announcements for Windows phones. Even the advertising was terrible. I think I started seeing commercials for the windows phone platform a month after I had my Lumia 920 which I got a month after the official release. If Windows phone is to be more successful, Rogers needs to really step it up in all departments. It would also help if they had customer service representatives that actually recommended the product as an alternative to apple and android.

[Jack_Sparrow74]

I have tweeted at Rogers a few different times trying to get them to say something. Naturally, they say nothing, literally they pretend like the new Windows Phones don't exist. The worst part however, is not that they aren't big supporters of the platform; no, it doesn't sell as well as iOS or Android phones, so that's understandable. What really gets me upset is that they refuse to say "NO" or "YES". They just don't tell us anything. Just constantly saying, "we have nothing to announce at present". If you have no intention of carrying a device, then tell us plainly. Seriously, it's things like this that annoy people the most about the big three telcos. If they would quit treating us this way, and just spoke plainly, we might actually trust them more.

The bottom line is, we know there are new phones out there, we'd like them, so tell us whether you're bringing them here or not. I understand early on, there is negotiations they wont want to throw off, but if you've made a decision, tell us.

If the WP situation doesn't improve before my contract is up, I'll be getting an unlocked WP device from the states, and heading to another carrier.

[IainS]

im sure some new phones will make it to Canada this year, dont know about rogers, btw Microsoft stores in Canada have starting selling unlocked phones, right now the 1020 and 635, a couple new devices will be coming for the holiday season.

[wetworker]

I never knew Microsoft was selling unlocked devices at their store. Hopefully they will bring the 1520 or another flagship device soon.

[brandonjbarnard]

I'd love to see the Lumia 930 and the 1520 sold unlocked on the microsoft website. I did see that the 1020 and 635 were available, i hope they make more unlocked devices available for Canadian customers!

[dannyboi104]

Hi brandonjbarnard!

Yes, it's definitely strange to see Microsoft seemingly avoiding selling new Windows Phones in Canada. As mentioned before here in this thread, the last WP to be released in Canada  with Rogers was the Nokia Lumia 635 (which is the device I'm rocking right now btw) which was released in Canada about a month or so ago. So the only to phones available is the 635, and the NK Lumia 1020 which was launched launched last year September 2013.  

It's my opinion that this may have to do with having overall poor sales in Canada. This may also explain why features like Cortana aren't yet officially available to consumers on W8.1 phones in Canada. This feature for Canada is still in beta, and requires a work around to get it to work. Having said that, more and more Microsoft stores have been opening in Canada, which definitely shows their desire to get their products up here. I feel like it's going to be a little while longer before they've established a stronger presence up here.

[javatyger]

I'm actually quite shocked how Microsoft is not stronger in Canada as a viable alternative to Apple and Google products. I have a Microsoft store here in Edmonton and the store is always busy, granted most are looking at the Surface computers, so odd they aren't marketing their phones more here. After hearing about the 930 I thought for sure Rogers would be announcing a release, but I guess not. 😞 I'm currently using an iPhone 5, and do love it, but have been considering a Windows phone for a bit, and was willing to make a switch, but not to an old device, and Cortana is an important feature. I guess I'll be waiting for awhile. :'(

[rga218]

I grew rather frustrated with the poor choice of phones offered by Rogers and as a result recently picked up a used unlocked Lumia 1520. It's a wonderful phone and works well on the Rogers network. If Rogers had offered this phone, or even a decent alternative flagship Windows phone, I would certainly have bought it from them and they'd have had me (and various family members) as a customer on contact for another couple of years. 

[JonnyDub]

The Lumia 830 will be coming to Rogers on Oct 8th for $400 off-contract or $0 on a 2-yr contract. It's not quite a flagship device, but probably as close as we'll get.

http://mobilesyrup.com/2014/10/01/rogers-nokia-lumia-830-will-cost-400-outright-coming-october-9th/

[Jase]

Where is a good place to pick up the 1520 that no canadian wants? 🙂  I noticed newegg.com has the 1520.3.  Are the rumoured screen issues a real problem with that model?  My contract is  up and I can pick any phone I want and my company will cover the cost.   My focus was so good, I wish that rogers would get the atvi SE.

Thanks,

Jason

[brandonjbarnard]

I would look on eBay for the 1520 variant that you want. I found some good deals for $500 +  You won't be able to buy off newegg.com as they won't ship to Canada, and newegg.ca doesn't have the same selection.

I myself have not heard about screen issues on the 1520. If I didn't have my Surface tablet I would definitely pick up a 1520. They are super amazing phablets for the price!

[michael-r4]

The only issue with the screen was some very minor flickering when device was released,,This has been resolved like ten months ago for those who suffered this problem,,,A firmware update took care of it and i can tell you this device is well worth the money,,,Here is a link for purchase in Canada,,,http://www.gsmnation.ca/phonefinder,,Phone is out of stock till next week as it sells really fast,,,$ 529 taxes and shipping included,,,You cant go wrong with this device,,Its truley built for the future in terms of O/S and firmware updates to come

[brandonjbarnard]

Thanks for the link to that site!

[brandonjbarnard]

Anyone have any idea if Rogers will be offering any other windows phone device besides the Lumia 830? More specifically the HTC ONE M8?

[Jase]

The first thing I asked for for form our business account rep was do you have the "HTC One (M8) for windows"  The answer is no and they don't know anything about anything new.   Like talking to Shultz from Stalag 13. We are still on 3 year contracts so I need a good phone.

[OvyOneKenObee]

I bought a 1520 from the MS store in Atlanta for $545 and  I then used to unlock the phone for $50. It's an awesome device and I don't understand why Rogers wouldn't stock it. Canadians are getting the shaft when it comes to consumer choice.

[IainS]

ATT will be carrying the M8 in early November so there may be a chance that a Canadian carrier will also pick this up or even ms selling it unlocked thru the store.

[ShinraCorp]

There's only the HTC One M8 that could possiblity be released here in Canada. Other than that. They're no Windows Phone devices planned until Windows 10 comes out. We'll probably see a new flagship announced at BUILD in April (I believe it's April?) but if you want the latest and greatest it's the 1520 and the 930, which you will need to import both of them.

[ShinraCorp]

I'll try not to be offensive dannyboi but I think the reason for it not selling well is because of the employees do not know a think about Windows Phone. I'm not saying every employee is oblivious to it but my experience has always been bad. I did a device registration for the Lumia 920. I was so excited since the Lumia 700 was my first Windows Phone. When I came to pick it up the employee asked me questions as to why I would buy this device instead of an iPhone or Android, he was curious. So I told him all the great stuff that you can find on Windows Phone (Live Tiles, HERE Drive, the camera, the simplicity of the operating system but yet the customizability of it.) I've visited another Rogers just to talk and change my plan. So I asked them about Windows Phone, they said they didn't sale any simply because they don't really know how to sell them.

But ya overall it's only because of a mixture of poor marketing and lack of knowledge from the sales people that Windows Phone isn't getting any sales.

Also Cortana in Canada is in Alpha, so it's even worse! 😛