Microsoft has today announced the launch of the first Microsoft branded Lumias in New Zealand, with the arrival of the Lumia 640 and Lumia 435.
The Lumia 640, announced recently at the Mobile World Congress, integrates Microsoft Office experiences, OneDrive storage and fast 4G connectivity.
Furthermore, a year’s subscription to Office 365 is available with any model of the Lumia 640, which starts at RRP$299.
Extra subscription benefits also include one TB OneDrive storage for 12 months, and 60 Skype world minutes of calling per month for 12 months to 60 plus country landlines and mobiles in eight countries.
“Innovation is for everyone, and we’ve consistently worked to bring meaningful innovation to even more accessible price points,” says Steve Lewis, General Manager of Microsoft Devices, Australia and New Zealand.
Meanwhile, Microsoft says the Lumia 435 is the “most affordable Lumia in New Zealand to-date” and will be available from RRP$89.
As the first 400 series Lumia, Lewis says the Lumia 435 builds on the success of previous Lumia handsets, including 30GB of OneDrive cloud storage and Skype calling straight out of the box.
“The Lumia 435 is particularly great for those looking to buy a smartphone for the first time, while the Lumia 640 steps up a level with the advantage of Office 365 to help people be more productive,” Lewis adds.
“While comfortably catering for a range of needs and different price points, both devices feature an operating system that is intuitive and deeply personal.”
According to Lewis, Microsoft continues to “drive innovation” in a broad range of smartphones to encourage productivity and help people accomplish more on-the-go.
Both devices offer an affordable gateway to services including the full Microsoft Office suite pre-installed and access to over 350,000 apps while both Lumias will upgrade to, and benefit from, the core features of Windows 10 as it becomes available later this year.
“With the launch of these devices we are bringing more consumers the best of Microsoft by providing all core smartphone features, the latest Windows Phone software, thousands of apps and Microsoft’s industry-leading services,” Lewis adds.
The Lumia 640 is expected to be available with Spark and Vodafone New Zealand from April 23 in matte black, from RRP$299 while the Lumia 435 is expected to be available in New Zealand from Vodafone on May 18, in black, for RRP$89 on the Vodafone network or RRP$119 unlocked.
