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Windows Phone 8 handset UK availability and pricing detailed: free starting from £21 per month
We've heard how Windows Phone 8 is all about you, and seen all the devices bearing the new OS at launch. What's left, however, is where you can get one on the other side of the pond and, more importantly, how much it's going to cost you. Nokia has separately announced that both the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 will be launching in the UK (and France) later this week. More specifically, though, it looks like every UK carrier will be getting at least three handsets, with the almost-ready-to-launch EE getting both of HTC and Nokia's handset pairs. We've got all the (current) pricing details and availability dates after the break.%Gallery-169573%
Phones4U begins taking UK pre-orders for Samsung's Galaxy S III Mini
If good things come to those who wait and good things come in small packages, then the Galaxy S III Mini must be pretty special indeed. If you're in the market for the junior edition of the company's blockbuster flagship, independent retailer Phones4U is now accepting pre-orders. The first 350 of you to register your interest will also get the added sweetener of one of the company's Pebble MP3 players, and the company promises it'll begin shipping on November 2nd, free on plans of £25 or more. Update: Samsung and Phones4U are now saying delivery will be on November 8th.
Phones4U now accepting pre-orders for LG's Optimus 4X HD, first 50 gets Cheryl Cole tickets
Do you like the look of LG's Optimus 4X HD and the soulful stylings of Geordie songstress Cheryl Cole? Phones4U can satisfy your twin passions by offering the first 50 pre-order customers a pair of tickets to see the former Ms. Tweedy perform live at the LG Arena. Those further back in the queue (or who preferred Nicola) will have to settle for LG's flagship handset, packing a 4.7-inch display and NVDIA's Tegra 3, clocked to 1.5GHz. Pre-orders kick off today, and the handset (and tickets, if you're quick) can be in your grubby paws from August 27th, setting you back £26 each and every month.
ZTE Grand X reaches UK shops a tad early through Phones4U
Virgin Mobile had originally promised the UK version of the ZTE Grand X for early August. The carrier just can't contain its enthusiasm: it's letting retail partner Phones4U sell the budget smartphone as of today. While you're busy skipping the start of the Olympics, the store will give you a Grand X for free if you're willing to spend at least £20.50 ($32) per month on a tariff instead of opting for the £190 ($299) pay-as-you-go hardware price. As we saw in China, the appeal of the Grand X is in those numbers -- it's more the temptation of stock Android 4.0 in a low-priced (if capable) suit than the hardware. Phones4U does hope to sweeten the pot through a contest. We hope you like the musical styles of Professor Green, as the British retailer is giving early Grand X adopters a chance to win both a custom Professor Green case as well as tickets to a private concert.
Batman Nokia Lumia 900 priced at £600, throws in some free movie tickets
We said it was coming soon, and the Dark Knight-themed WinPho hasn't disappointed. Phones 4u has just announced that pre-ordered laser-etched Lumia 900s will be delivered on June 1st; that's this Friday. Off-contract pricing is pegged at £600, although multiple contracts are also available from the UK retailer. There doesn't appear to be any extra functionality on the special edition, although bragging rights do count for a lot. The phone will arrive in limited numbers, but neither Nokia nor Phones 4u is spilling the beans on precise unit numbers. The retailer is also throwing in free tickets to see the Dark Knight Rises at UK cinemas (or theaters) this summer, plus the chance to hit up the premiere. Pre-ordering heroes can zip-wire their way to the source link below. Update: SlashGear's been told by Phones 4u that there will be 900 of the special edition phones.
Samsung Galaxy S Advance gets April 30th release date in UK, needs more suffixes
Pitched spec-wise somewhere between Samsung's first Galaxy S and its very popular sequel, think of the Galaxy S Advance as the original, reimagined for a new generation -- a generation that remembers only a few years back. The attractive Super AMOLED display with dual-core bones caught our eye at MWC a few months earlier and will finally arrive on rain-soaked British shores on April 30th at the like of Phones 4u and Vodafone. The bad news? It's still toting that Touchwizzed Gingerbread, and arrives just days before Samsung shows what it's been hiding in its top-spec drawers.
Nokia Lumia 900 arriving in the UK April 27th, dressed in white
Sure, the US has already had its chance at Nokia's Windows-packing smartphone, but UK-based fans of the Lumia 900 won't have to wait too much longer, if the release date on Phones 4u's site is to be believed. The retailer currently has the handset's delivery date listed as April 27th -- a date that includes that white variant we've been seeing pop up from time to time. Also, in spite of some false starts, Carphone Warehouse also has the Metroed handset listed, though its date is the far broader "May 2012." We're sure Kourtney Kardashian is lining up her tickets as we speak.
Apple has Apple Stores, Samsung has... this!
You know those heady dreams of a new Samsung product launch today? Well consider them punctured. There's no new gadget to announce, but instead a teaming-up with UK retailer Phones 4u, offering a dedicated space for Samsung to dip its toes into retail waters. Located on London's Oxford Street -- and just around the corner from an Apple Store -- the shop-within-a-shop displays all of the Korean makers' big hitters, with several tables housing Galaxy Tab 10.1s, Galaxy Notes and Galaxy S IIs. The rest of that expansive galactic family dot the periphery of the room, but then you'd probably come here primarily to test-drive the aforementioned flagships. The tables themselves are dressed down; no pricing or carrier information clogging up the surfaces, just the devices and some Galaxy branding. Samsung's claimed the whole top floor and the shop is already training up dedicated Samsung staff to answer pressing questions like what's the point of the Galaxy Ace Plus whether that phone has Gorilla glass and when we can expect to see a Galaxy S III in the flesh.
Phones 4u 'JUMP' plan lets you swap phones every six months, for a price
Britons! Dedicated followers of fashion! If your clothes are loud (but never square) and you've just gotta keep up with the latest trends, then Phones 4u should be your next stop. The independent phone retailer is offering customers JUMP (short for "Just Upgrade my Phone"): a 24-month deal that'll let you upgrade your handset every six months. Rather than signing a vanilla deal with your carrier, you plump for a cheaper plan and then rent-to-buy the handset from the store. It's a little more complicated -- and costly -- than your average contract, so keep a calculator handy as you try to follow the math (sorry, 'maths') after the break.
Prada phone by LG 3.0 gets VIP treatment from Phones 4u, launches in UK tomorrow
Ready to make heads turn with its monochromatic stylings, LG and Prada's latest baby is presumably putting on a night-mask, ready to be unleashed on well-heeled types in the UK on Friday. Alongside the aforementioned custom Android skin (atop a Gingerbread OS), the Prada Phone by LG 3.0 packs a respectable dual-core processor, 8 megapixel camera and LG's NOVA display -- stretching up to 4.3 inches on this fashionista phone. It's set to launch on both Vodafone and O2, free on a £31 two-year contracts, while it'll also be making an appearance on T-Mobile next month. We're planning on getting these unmanicured paws on one for review very soon, but Prada fans will be able to queue up get their assistants to queue up for the handset at Phones 4u stores tomorrow.
HTC ChaCha coming to Phones 4u in the UK, free on contract
Didn't think the HTC ChaCha's 2.6-inch screen and dedicated Facebook button were reasons enough to shell out £249.99 off contract? Well, UK friends, you might want to try this on for size. The lilliputian, Gingerbread-powered phone is landing on Phones 4u tomorrow, June 2nd, and will cost nothing -- so long as you sign a two-year agreement. If you'd rather pay as you go, the price will skyrocket to £299.95, at which point you might want to consider buying it through Amazon and saving yourself a precious £50. Given its middle-of-the-road 800MHz processor, we can see where you wouldn't want to pay a flagship-worthy price, though if you've been holding out for an Android 2.3 device and have a penchant for QWERTY keyboards and peeping other people's vacation photos, this could be a sweet deal.
Samsung Galaxy S II to arrive in UK on April 27th, but only through Phones 4u
UK phone retailer Phones 4u has scooped itself a short-term but enviable exclusive -- it'll be the only place in the UK where you'll be able to buy Samsung's Galaxy S II in April. The 1.2GHz dual-core Android superphone has already been announced for wide availability in the Queen's Kingdom on May 1st, but Phones 4u will get you one as early as April 27th, plus it'll throw in a free 8GB microSD card if you pre-order one now. The Galaxy S II will be available for free on two-year contracts costing £35 per month and above and there'll be a choice of carriers. Only Orange's tariffs are listed at the moment, but we imagine the others will be showing up soon as well. Jump past the break for the press release.
HTC Mozart Windows Phone 7 specifications leak, 'late October' UK launch confirmed
We're getting close, very very close to the official launch of the Windows Phone 7 OS. And while the US might be waiting until November for actual handsets to go on sale, Europe looks set for an October release... just like we heard from Microsoft back in August. Things are even rosier in the UK where all five major operators will have Windows Phone 7 devices in stock. Now, according to a screengrab we've received from an internal Phones 4U system, we know that the HTC Mozart is on deck for a late October UK retail debut. To start with, the 119 x 60.5 x 11.9 mm touchscreen slate will feature a 3.7-inch 800x480 pixel TFT LCD, 1GHz CPU, 8MP camera with Xenon flash and 720p video recording, a 1300mAh battery, 8GB of memory, and a bevy of sensors for ambient light, gravity, compass, and proximity. Other specs include a 3.5-mm audio jack naturally, surround sound, Bluetooth 2.1, A-GPS, and 802.11n WiFi. Expect it to be sold free with the usual £35 per month carrier tithe. Man, you thought deciding on a smartphone was tough now, just wait until we've got WinPho 7 and MeeGo (hopefully) devices on the market before year's end. Update: Looks as if an Orange help guide all but confirms that the Mozart will be coming its way in the UK. Thanks, Gears! %Gallery-104170%
Sony Ericsson Satio back on sale, software update available
It may not be at the top of everyone's wishlist this holiday season, but it looks like those particularly taken with Sony Ericsson's smartphone are now back in luck after a brief suspension of sales. Of course, there's also now a software update available for current Satio owners, but details on it are fairly light apart from word that it improves "handset speeds and battery usage" and that it "fixes previous software issues." What's more, while retail availability may be a bit hit and miss as things get back up to speed, it seems that at least Phones 4u in the UK is now already selling the updated version of the phone, and it's even reporting strong sales from over the weekend.
Sony Ericsson Satio sales suspended after bugs discovered
Adding insult to Sony Ericsson's injurious bottom line, Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U shops (the UK's largest mobile phone retailers) have halted sales of the SE's Symbian-powered Satio handset after a high number of customer returns and complaints. A "software glitch" reportedly causes Sony Ericsson's flagship device to power down when users try to access certain applications -- unfortunately, the issue can't be patched via an over-the-air update. A little digging into CPW discussion forums reveals multiple complaints of freezes, crashes, under-performing batteries, and bizarre interface behavior. Both the Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U will offer "new phones" to customers fed up with their Satio. Richard Dorman, senior marketing manager at Sony Ericsson, concedes the issue and assures us that it should be sorted by Christmas. Until then, you can still purchase the handset directly from Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile... but really, why would you? The Satio's not the only dubiously-spec'd 12 megapixel cameraphone on the market. [Thanks, ugotamesij]
Samsung bares its Soul in fresh and frosty pink
It's rehash day chez Samsung, the very popular Soul is just out of the paint shop and is definitely pretty in pink. The handset still boats everything it did before, Magic Touch navigation, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, 5 megapixel camera, and the Bang & Olufsen ICEpower amplifier. Phones 4U has an exclusive on this little pink toy and pricing is set at £150 (roughly $300) if you pick it up on Orange. Follow the read to see a few more poses.
