Nokia N97 headed to TIM for a bazillion Euros
Don’t get us wrong, we’re just as psyched as anyone else for the release of Nokia’s flagship N97 handset — the company’s first Nseries device to pack S60 5th Edition. We just can’t seem to work our way around the price tags that have been popping up. The N97 recently appeared on TIM’s website as its impending release draws closer, and the price is currently listed at €599. For those keeping score at home, that’s $793.38 in US dollars at today’s exchange rate… From a carrier! Now granted, all of TIM’s pricing is pretty outrageous — the Nokia N96 is available for €599 as well (?!?) — but we have to wonder about the N97’s cost to partners if TIM has to charge this much. Of course it’s possible that TIM is simply relentless and shameless in gouging its customers, but let’s not forget Expansys UK currently has the unlocked N97 listed at £669.99 ($980 US). Crazy.
[Via Symbian Planet]
with Symbian^2 coming out by the end of the year, prices on the N97 will drop like a rock by then … who will pay that much when we know the OS will be outdated in a matter of months?
Yeah I don’t understand TIM’s pricing. They have the G1 for like €499 or something like that…
The pricing in europe is much different compared to US, most EU carriers have plans that chartge you by the minute and you don’t sign a contract that requires a termination fee fo jumping carriers, all phones work on all carriers. In the US however you are locked into a contract for $49($59-$99 whatever it is for at least a year) so knowing that they will get a minimum amount for 24 months the carriers can afford to discount the phones, to attract new customers, grow revenue etc. I don’t know why its a shock that the phone prices are higher in EU carriers. Having said that new monthly plans are popping up everywhere in EU following the US model, where you guarantee a certain amount of talk(hence $) and they give a discount on the phone.
Posted from BGR mobile(Bold)
wtf is this 800 $ damm i wish the us version would be as cheap as 5800
looks like i did well getting my 5800. Now I only wish I had waited a month later to get it for 300 instead of 4 !!
What was the best thing before sliced bread?
Ooh…Oooooh!! I know, David! Sliced Cheese!!!
that’s off contract price. Voda uk will charge 50 on 18 month. Diff county diff customs!
A loaf of bread, duh!
the pizza sclicer wheelie thing…. pizza cutter?
As gokmengs said, in Europe it works totally different and I can’t believe that someone who works at BGR would even mention “From a carrier!”… as something negative because carriers in Europe will sell you the phones as you would buy it from the store. It is also stupid to do an exchange rate with the US dollar, because in Europe they get paid with… DUH! Euros, so when you get say 1500 dollars, and a N97 costs 599 dollars, because it costs that much if not more… it is the same thing when you get paid 1500 Euros and you buy the N97 for 599 Euros. Smarten up people. PS: Price might very well change once the product its actually out, I’ve seen it happen.
The muthatruckin forman grill.
Yeah um those prices, they’re roughly the same as what we pay in Australia for a typical mid-range cell phone, with high-end cell phones (such as a lot of the Windows Mobile devices) costing $1500-2000!
Peoples’s fault becasue bought the iphone as expensive as is with such specifications…